Microelectrode Ion Flux Estimation (MIFE) technique in microbiology: A cutting edge approach to study bacterial stress responses

Abstract

The idea of measuring net ion fluxes at the proximity of a living organism using non-invasive microelectrodes was first proposed by Prof B Lucas at the NATO Advanced Studies Institute in Italy in 1984. This led to creation of the National Vibrating Probe Facility at Woods Hole, USA, which is widely used for electrophysiological studies in medical and animal physiology research.An alternative approach was developed by Dr Ian Newman (School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania) and resulted in the construction of the MIFER system, which is now commercially available. Since the late 1990s, MIFE has been successfully applied to the study of various aspects of membrane-transport processes in plants and protoplasts derived from the plant tissues.