Computer modeling of whole-cell voltage-clamp analyses to delineate guidelines for good practice of manual and automated patch-clamp

The patch-clamp technique and more recently the high throughput patch-clamp technique have contributed to major advances in the characterization of ion channels. However, the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique presents certain limits that need to be considered for robust data generation. One major caveat is that increasing current amplitude profoundly impacts the accuracy of the biophysical analyses of macroscopic ion currents under study. Using mathematical kinetic models of a cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel and a cardiac voltage-gated potassium channel, we demonstrated how large current amplitude and series resistance artefacts induce an undetected alteration in the actual membrane potential and affect the characterization of voltage-dependent activation and inactivation processes. We also computed how dose–response curves are hindered by high current amplitudes. This is of high interest since stable cell lines frequently demonstrating high current amplitudes are used for safety pharmacology using the high throughput patch-clamp technique. It is therefore critical to set experimental limits for current amplitude recordings to prevent inaccuracy in the characterization of channel properties or drug activity, such limits being different from one channel type to another. Based on the predictions generated by the kinetic models, we draw simple guidelines for good practice of whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings.