Methods in Membrane Biology: Volume 10 (Paperback, Softcover Repri)

1 Studies on Membrane Fusion with Natural and Model Membranes.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Spontaneous Cell Fusion.- 2.1. Fertilization.- 2.2. Myoblast Fusion.- 2.3. Fusion of Macrophages.- 2.4. Other Examples of Spontaneous Cell Fusion.- 3. Virus-Induced Cell Fusion.- 3.1. Two Kinds of Virus-Induced Cell Fusion.- 3.2. Cell Fusion by Inactivated Viruses: Techniques.- 3.3. Optimum Conditions for Virus-Induced Cell Fusion.- 3.4. Identification of the Viral Components Associated with Induction of Membrane Fusion.- 3.5. Virus-Cell Interactions in Virus-Induced Cell Fusion.- 3.6. Mechanisms.- 4. Chemically Induced Cell Fusion.- 5. Fusion of Subcellular Membranes.- 6. Interactions and Fusion of Lipid Vesicles with Cultured Cells.- 7. Fusion of Model Lipid Membranes (Vesicles and Black Lipid.- Films).- 7.1. Definitions, Systems of Study, Relative Advantages.- 7.2. Methods for Studying Fusion in Model Membranes.- 7.3. Fusion and Molecular Exchange with Pure Phospholipid Vesicles and Bilayers.- 7.4. Effects of Lysolecithin, Fatty Acids, DMSO, etc.- 7.5. Effects of Proteins and Polypeptides.- 7.6. Effects of Bivalent Metals (Calcium and Magnesium).- 7.7. Role of Phase Transitions and Phase Separations.- 8. Similarities between Different Forms of Membrane Fusion: A Possible Unifying Mechanism.- 8.1. Fusion Initiated at the Outer Face of Plasma Membranes.- 8.2. Fusion Initiated at the Inner (Cytoplasmic) Face of the Plasma Membrane and Fusion of Intracellular Organelles.- 9. References.- 2 Methods for Studying Transmission through Permeable Cell-to-Cell Junctions.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Measurements of Electrical Coupling.- 3. Measurements of Junctional Conductance.- 3.1. Single Junction.- 3.2. General Linear Array.- 3.3. Thin Sheet of Cells.- 4. Tracer Permeation Studies.- 4.1. Fluorescent Tracers.- 4.2. Loading the Tracer.- 4.3. Design and Analysis of Quantitative Studies.- 4.4. Autoradiography, with Injected Tracers.- 4.5. Electronopaque Tracers: Cobalt.- 5. Metabolic Cooperation.- 6. Controlling for Misleading Observations.- 6.1. Electrical Coupling Not Mediated by Junctions.- 6.2. Tracer Transfers Not Mediated by Membrane Junctions.- 6.3. Artifactual Closure of Channels.- 7. Comparative Utility of Various Approaches to the Quantitative Characterization of Junctional Transmittance.- 8. Appendixes.- 8.1. Appendix A: A Discrete Resistance Model of a Coupled Cell Chain with Intracellular Electrodes.- 8.2. Appendix B: Purifying and Dissolving 6-Carboxyfluorescein.- 9. References.- 3 An Approach to the Study of Electron Transport Systems.- 1. General Considerations in the Evaluation of Metabolic Pathways and Their Regulation.- 2. Some Concepts for Experimental Design and Interpretation.- 2.1. Principle of Detailed Balancing.- 2.2. On the Relationship between Thermodynamics and Kinetics.- 3. Thermodynamics and Oxidation-Reduction Reactions.- 3.1. Ligand Binding in Oxidation-Reduction Reactions.- 3.2. Behavior of Interacting Oxidation-Reduction Systems.- 4. Potentiometric Analysis: Some Technical Considerations.- 4.1. Role of Redox Mediators.- 4.2. Maintaining Anaerobic Conditions.- 4.3. Titrations in a Two-Phase System.- 4.4. Freeze-Trapped Samples.- 4.5. Application of Potentiometric Methods to Kinetic Analysis: Poise-Pulse Analysis.- 4.6. Automated Titration Methods: Redox Stats and Stoichiometric Titrations.- 5. Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation.- 5.1. Oxidation-Reduction Components and Their Thermodynamic Relationships.- 5.2. Coupling of the Oxidation-Reduction Reactions to ATP Synthesis.- 5.3. Identification of the Respiratory Control Site(s) and Its Characterization.- 6. Energy Transduction Reactions: Identification of Energy-Transducing Components.- 6.1. General Properties of Energy Transducers.- 6.2. Analysis by Internal Equilibration.- 6.3. Potentiometric Analysis.- 7. Conclusion.- 8. Appendix.- 9. References.