Reconstitution of acetylcholine receptors into planar lipid bilayers.

Obviously, bilayer reconstitution experiments have largely contributed to the understanding of the AChR-channel function. Nevertheless, at present there are many unanswered questions concerning the minimum structural requirements for AChR-channel function, agonist cooperativity, and different types of AChR. Another complex of parameters important for receptor function which must be explored in much more detail, is the dependence of AChR-channel function on membrane composition and its physical state. This important but rather neglected field is predestined to be explored by reconstitution techniques. All the results on AChRs reconstituted in planar lipid bilayers cannot adequately be discussed without the data obtained by other techniques, thus coming back to the statements already mentioned in the introductory section about strategies for investigating ion channels in general. Only such a strategy can lead to a molecular understanding of channel function.