@article{BeckerGeigerDunkeletal.2004, author = {Becker, Dirk and Geiger, D. and Dunkel, M. and Roller, A. and Bertl, Adam and Latz, A. and Carpaneto, Armando and Dietrich, Peter and Roelfsema, M. R. G. and Voelker, C. and Schmidt, D. and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Czempinski, Katrin and Hedrich, R.}, title = {AtTPK4, an Arabidopsis tandem-pore K+ channel, poised to control the pollen membrane voltage in a pH- and Ca2+- dependent manner}, issn = {0027-8424}, year = {2004}, abstract = {The Arabidopsis tandem-pore K+ (TPK) channels displaying four transmembrane domains and two pore regions share structural homologies with their animal counterparts of the KCNK family. In contrast to the Shaker-like Arabidopsis channels (six transmembrane domains/one pore region), the functional properties and the biological role of plant TPK channels have not been elucidated yet. Here, we show that AtTPK4 (KCO4) localizes to the plasma membrane and is predominantly expressed in pollen. AtTPK4 (KCO4) resembles the electrical properties of a voltage-independent K+ channel after expression in Xenopus oocytes and yeast. Hyperpolarizing as well as depolarizing membrane voltages elicited instantaneous K+ currents, which were blocked by extracellular calcium and cytoplasmic protons. Functional complementation assays using a K+ transport-deficient yeast confirmed the biophysical and pharmacological properties of the AtTPK4 channel. The features of AtTPK4 point toward a role in potassium homeostasis and membrane voltage control of the growing pollen tube. Thus, AtTPK4 represents a member of plant tandem-pore-K+ channels, resembling the characteristics of its animal counterparts as well as plant-specific features with respect to modulation of channel activity by acidosis and calcium}, language = {en} } @article{FilimonKopfBalloutetal.2010, author = {Filimon, Marlena and Kopf, Ilona and Ballout, Fuad and Schmidt, Dietrich A. and Bruendermann, Erik and R{\"u}he, J{\"u}rgen and Santer, Svetlana and Havenith, Martina}, title = {Smart polymer surfaces : mapping chemical landscapes on the nanometre scale}, issn = {1744-683X}, doi = {10.1039/C0sm00098a}, year = {2010}, abstract = {We show that Scattering Infrared Near-field Microscopy (SNIM) allows chemical mapping of polymer monolayers that can serve as designed nanostructured surfaces with specific surface chemistry properties on a nm scale. Using s- SNIM a minimum volume of 100 nm x 100 nm x 15 nm is sufficient for a recording of a "chemical'' IR signature which corresponds to an enhancement of at least four orders of magnitudes compared to conventional FT-IR microscopy. We could prove that even in cases where it is essentially difficult to distinguish between distinct polymer compositions based solely on topography, nanophase separated polymers can be clearly distinguished according to their characteristic near-field IR response.}, language = {en} } @article{FilimonKopfSchmidtetal.2011, author = {Filimon, Marlena and Kopf, Ilona and Schmidt, Dietrich A. and Bruendermann, Erik and R{\"u}he, J{\"u}rgen and Santer, Svetlana and Havenith, Martina}, title = {Local chemical composition of nanophase-separated polymer brushes}, series = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies}, volume = {13}, journal = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies}, number = {24}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1463-9076}, doi = {10.1039/c0cp02756a}, pages = {11620 -- 11626}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Using scattering scanning nearfield infrared microscopy (s-SNIM), we have imaged the nanoscale phase separation of mixed polystyrene-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-PMMA) brushes and investigated changes in the top layer as a function of solvent exposure. We deduce that the top-layer of the mixed brushes is composed primarily of PMMA after exposure to acetone, while after exposure to toluene this changes to PS. Access to simultaneously measured topographic and chemical information allows direct correlation of the chemical morphology of the sample with topographic information. Our results demonstrate the potential of s-SNIM for chemical mapping based on distinct infrared absorption properties of polymers with a high spatial resolution of 80 nm x 80 nm.}, language = {en} }