The equivalence of fluctuation analysis and chemical relaxation measurements: a kinetic study of ion pore formation in thin lipid membranes

(1) Autocorrelation measurements were made of the current fluctuations due to ion-conducting channels produced by gramicidin A in black lipid membranes. (2) Relaxation experiments using a voltage jump were made on the same system. (3) Reciprocal time constants were determined by both methods over a 10⁸ fold range in membrane conductivity. starting from the single channel level. (4) The mean squared amplitudes of the fluctuations were determined from the autocorrelation functions. (5) The data were tentatively rationalized on the basis of a hypothetical dimerization reaction, assuming that gramicidin A dimers form conducting channels. The same forward rate constants are obtained, via (3), by both methods (1) and (2). The backward rate constant agrees excellently with direct measurements of the mean life time of a conducting channel. (6) The unit channel conductance and - assuming again a dimerization - the equilibrium constant can be obtained from the fluctuation amplitude distribution.