The Xenopus Oocyte Cut-open Vaseline Gap Voltage-clamp Technique With Fluorometry

Summary

The cut-open Vaseline gap approach is used to obtain low noise recordings of ionic and gating currents from voltage-dependent ion channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes with high resolution of fast channel kinetics. With minor modification, voltage clamp fluorometry can be coupled to the cut-open oocyte protocol.

Abstract

The cut-open oocyte Vaseline gap (COVG) voltage clamp technique allows for analysis of electrophysiological and kinetic properties of heterologous ion channels in oocytes. Recordings from the cut-open setup are particularly useful for resolving low magnitude gating currents, rapid ionic current activation, and deactivation. The main benefits over the two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) technique include increased clamp speed, improved signal-to-noise ratio, and the ability to modulate the intracellular and extracellular milieu.

Here, we employ the human cardiac sodium channel (hNa_V1.5), expressed in Xenopus oocytes, to demonstrate the cut-open setup and protocol as well as modifications that are required to add voltage clamp fluorometry capability.

The properties of fast activating ion channels, such as hNa_V1.5, cannot be fully resolved near room temperature using TEVC, in which the entirety of the oocyte membrane is clamped, making voltage control difficult. However, in the cut-open technique, isolation of only a small portion of the cell membrane allows for the rapid clamping required to accurately record fast kinetics while preventing channel run-down associated with patch clamp techniques.

In conjunction with the COVG technique, ion channel kinetics and electrophysiological properties can be further assayed by using voltage clamp fluorometry, where protein motion is tracked via cysteine conjugation of extracellularly applied fluorophores, insertion of genetically encoded fluorescent proteins, or the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into the region of interest¹. This additional data yields kinetic information about voltage-dependent conformational rearrangements of the protein via changes in the microenvironment surrounding the fluorescent molecule.

Introduction

Specialized voltage clamping techniques permit the recording of ionic currents at controlled membrane potentials. Widely used two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) and patch clamp techniques provide reliable electrophysiological information on the properties of many ion channels. However, both of these methods have drawbacks that prevent the acquisition of reliable data for fast voltage-gated sodium channels and other fast activating channels in membranes such as those of Xenopus oocytes. The Bezanilla and Stefani laboratories consequently developed the cut-open Vaseline gap voltage clamp technique (COVG) for oocytes². The technique has been applied w....

Protocol

1. Initial Equipment Setup

1. Place the stage and the microelectrode manipulator on a vibration-isolation system (e.g. an air table) with a surrounding Faraday cage to prevent electrical and mechanical noise.
2. Solder six Ag/AgCl pellets to six-inch lengths of 24 AWG wire. For one of these lengths (to be connected to P1), splice in a second wire to form a "Y". On the ends of each wire solder a gold BNC pin, which is included with the amplifier.
3. Connect the five Ag/AgCl pellets .......

Discussion

The cut-open oocyte Vaseline gap voltage clamp technique allows for rapid resolution of data, low noise, increased control over internal solution and external solution composition, and stable recordings over relatively long protocols¹⁹. These advantages set this technique apart from the standard two-electrode voltage clamp and patch clamp techniques. Although specialized equipment is required and the protocol is relatively difficult, very few issues occur once the system has been optimized. This allows for rep.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
External Solution	Brand	Catalog Number	[Final], weight, or volume
N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG)	Sigma-Aldrich	M2004	25mM
MES Sodium Salt	Sigma-Aldrich	M5057	90mM
HEPES	Research Products International	H75030	20mM
Calcium hydroxide	Sigma-Aldrich	239232	2mM
MES Hydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	M8250	variable (pH to 7.4)
Internal Solution
N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG)	Sigma-Aldrich	M2004	105mM
MES Sodium Salt	Sigma-Aldrich	M5057	10mM
HEPES	Research Products International	H75030	20mM
Ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA)	Sigma-Aldrich	E4378	2mM
MES Hydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	M8250	variable (pH to 7.4)
Depolarizing Solution
KCl	Sigma-Aldrich	221473	110mM
Magnesium chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	M8266	1.5mM
Calcium Chloride	Caisson	C021	0.8mM
HEPES	Research Products International	H75030	10mM
Pipet Solution
KCl	Sigma-Aldrich	221473	3M
Saponin Solution
Saponin	Sigma-Aldrich	47036	0.125g
Internal Solution	See above		50mL
Agar Bridge Solution
N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG)	Sigma-Aldrich	M2004	100ml of 1M
HEPES	Research Products International	H75030	1.2g
MES Hydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	M8250	variable (pH to 7.4)
Granulated Agar	Research Products International	A20250	3%
NMDG Storage Solution
NMDG, HEPES, MES Hydrate solution	see above		40ml
Water			60ml
Name of Material/ Equipment	Company	Catalog Number	Comments/Description
High Performance Oocyte Clamp	Dagan	CA-1B
Data Acquisition System	Axon CNS	Digidata 1440A
Oscilloscope	Tektronix	TDS 210
Rack Power Filter	APC	G5
Heating/Cooling Bath Temperature Controller	Dagan	HCC-100A
PC	Dell	Optiplex 990
pCLAMP 10.3 Voltage Clamp Software	Molecular Devices, LLC	pCLAMP10.3
TMC Vibration Control TableTop Platform	TMC	64 SERIES
TMC Vibration Control Air Table	TMC	20 Series
V1/I Electrode Data Collector	Dagan	part of CA-1B
MX10L Micromanipulator	Siskiyou	MX10L
Bath/Guard (I/V) Headstage (with appropriate connectors)	Dagan	part of CA-1B
Microscope	Omano	OM2300S-JW11
Temperature Control Bath	Custom or Dagan	Custom or HE-204C	Custom chamber made from materials from Cool Polymers (D-series). Dagan also provides a prefeabricated stage (HE-204C).
Custom AgCl Pellet Container	Custom	Custom	Custom machined
Ag/AgCl electrode, pellet, 2.0 mm	Warner	E-206
External Oocyte Bath	Custom or Dagan	Custom or CC-1-T-LB	Custom machined or purchased from Dagan
Internal Oocyte Bath	Custom or Dagan	Custom or CC-TG-ND	Custom machined or purchased from Dagan
Capillaries for Agar Bridges and Pulled Electrodes	Warner	G150T-4
Rotatable Mounts for the Microscope, Micromanipulator, and Bath	Siskiyou	SD-1280P
Fiber-Lite	Dolan-Jenner	LMI-600
Regular Bleach	Clorox	470174-764
Xenopus laevis Oocytes	Nasco	LM535M (sexually mature females)
90 Na+ External Solution	See Solutions sheet
10 Na+ Internal Solution	See Solutions sheet
3 M KCL	See Solutions sheet
Saponin	Sigma-Aldrich	47036
NMDG Storage Solution	See Solutions sheet
5mL transfer pipets	SciMart	GS-52
Modified KCl electrode injector	BD	309659	Plastic syringe tip melted to allow for injection of solution into electrodes. Alternatively, a Microfil by WPI can be purchased.
Microvaccum	Custom	Custom
Forceps	VWR	63040-458
Oocyte Handling Tools (Pipette Pump)	VWR	53502-222
Deionized Water Squirt Bottle	VWR	16649-911
Vaseline Petroleum Jelly	Fisher Scientific	19-086-291
Additional Materials Required for VCF Recordings:
VCF Microscope	Nikon	Eclipse FN1
Nikon CFI APO 40XW NIR Objective	Nikon	N40X-NIR
X-Y Translator System for Fixed-Stage Upright Microscopes	Sutter Instruments	MT500-586
External VCF Oocyte Bath	Custom		Custom machined. The chamber dimensions are 2.7 x 1.9 x 0.4 cm.
Internal VCF Oocyte Bath	Custom		Custom machined. The chamber dimensions are 1.6 x 1.6 x 0.4 cm.
Modified Temperature Control Bath	Custom		Custom chamber made from materials from Cool Polymers (D-series). The chamber dimensions of the modified temperature controller bath are 2.7 x 1.9 x 0.3 cm for the horizontal chamber, and 1 x 2.5 x 0.5 cm for the vertical chamber.