Ion channels in the inner mitochondrial membrane as tools for studying apoptosis and neuroprotection

Since several years ion channels of the inner mitochondrial membrane are known to be of significance for apoptosis or neuroprotection. It was shown that the blockade of the largest of them, the permeability transition pore (PTP) can suppress apoptotic cell death (Andrabi et al., FASEB J, in press) and that keeping potassium channels open, like the K(Ca)- or the K(ATP)-channel, protects cells from ischemic preconditioning. We prepared mitoplasts i.e. vesicles of inner mitochondrial membrane by a hypotonic treatment of the mitochondria and studied four different ion channels by means of the patch-clamp method. We…