[Patch-clamp methods in research on the kidney tubules].

Patch-clamp studies in renal tubule cell have been very helpful in increasing our understanding of the tubule transport function. However, it has been a disappointing experience that the properties of cultured cells deviate grossly from the physiology of the intact tubule segment. Also, several important conductive pathways have not been characterized thus far on single channel level. Several ion channels, which have been found in the patch-clamp studies, such as the non-selective cation channel, do not find their equivalent in the intact tubule preparation. Therefore, much more efforts are required not only to characterize individual ion channels, but rather to integrate this knowledge for the understanding of tubule function.