Rikard Blunck, Ph.D. (Regular member)

  • Associate professor
  • Department of Physics
  • Université de Montréal
  • Affiliated member
  • Department of Physiology
  • Université de Montréal

Contact information

  • Université de Montréal
  • Pavillon Paul-G.-Desmarais (2960, Chemin de la Tour, Montréal)
  • Room 3161
  • Office phone: (514) 343-7960
  • Lab phone: (514) 343-6111 #3329, #4376
  • Fax: (514) 343-7146
  • Email: rikard.blunck@umontreal.ca
  • Postal address:
  • Université de Montréal, GÉPROM
  • C.P. 6128, Succ. centre-ville
  • Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3J7

Current projects

  • Structure-function relations of voltage-gated K + channels
  • Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy on purified membrane proteins reconstituted in planar lipid bilayer
  • Investigation of the molecular mechanisms of membrane proteins with fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy
  • Investigation of the translocation mechanism of pore-forming toxins using fluorescence spectroscopy

Laboratory members

Former Lab members

  • Sandra Baretto (M.Sc., Physics)
  • Zarah Batulan (Postdoc)
  • Mathieu Fradet (undergraduate, physics)
  • Laurent Potvin (Undergraduate, Polytechnique, Montréal)

Selected publications

  • Haddad GA, Blunck R.
  • Mode shift of the voltage sensors in Shaker K+ channels is caused by energetic coupling to the pore domain.
  • J Gen Physiol2011 May;137(5):455-72. Pubmed
  • Groulx N, Juteau M, Blunck R.
  • Rapid topology probing using fluorescence spectroscopy in planar lipid bilayer: the pore-forming mechanism of the toxin Cry1Aa of Bacillus thuringiensis.
  • J Gen Physiol2010 Nov;136(5):497-513. Pubmed
  • Batulan Z, Haddad GA, Blunck R.
  • An intersubunit interaction between S4-S5 linker and S6 is responsible for the slow off-gating component in Shaker K+ channels.
  • J Biol Chem2010 Apr 30;285(18):14005-19. Pubmed
  • Blunck R, McGuire H, Hyde HC, Bezanilla F.
  • Fluorescence detection of the movement of single KcsA subunits reveals cooperativity.
  • Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A2008 Dec 23;105(51):20263-8. Pubmed
  • Richardson J, Blunck R, Ge P, Selvin PR, Bezanilla F, Papazian DM, Correa AM.
  • Distance measurements reveal a common topology of prokaryotic voltage-gated ion channels in the lipid bilayer.
  • Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A2006 Oct 24;103(43):15865-70. Pubmed
  • Blunck R, Cordero-Morales JF, Cuello LG, Perozo E, Bezanilla F.
  • Detection of the opening of the bundle crossing in KcsA with fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy reveals the existence of two gates for ion conduction.
  • J Gen Physiol2006 Nov;128(5):569-81. Pubmed
  • Scheel O, Papavlassopoulos M, Blunck R, Gebert A, Hartung T, Zähringer U, Seydel U, Schromm AB.
  • Cell activation by ligands of the toll-like receptor and interleukin-1 receptor family depends on the function of the large-conductance potassium channel MaxiK in human macrophages.
  • Infect Immun2006 Jul;74(7):4354-6. Pubmed
  • Chanda B, Blunck R, Faria LC, Schweizer FE, Mody I, Bezanilla F.
  • A hybrid approach to measuring electrical activity in genetically specified neurons.
  • Nat Neurosci2005 Nov;8(11):1619-26. Pubmed
  • Chanda B, Asamoah OK, Blunck R, Roux B, Bezanilla F.
  • Gating charge displacement in voltage-gated ion channels involves limited transmembrane movement.
  • Nature2005 Aug 11;436(7052):852-6. Pubmed
  • Ries R, Choi H, Blunck R, Bezanilla F and Heath JR.
  • Black Lipid Membranes: Visualizing the Structure, Dynamics, and Substrate Dependence of Membranes.
  • J Phys Chem B. 2004 Jul; 108 (41) 16040-16049.
  • Blunck R, Starace DM, Correa AM, Bezanilla F.
  • Detecting rearrangements of shaker and NaChBac in real-time with fluorescence spectroscopy in patch-clamped mammalian cells.
  • Biophys J2004 Jun;86(6):3966-80. Pubmed
  • Pantoja R, Nagarah JM, Starace DM, Melosh NA, Blunck R, Bezanilla F, Heath JR.
  • Silicon chip-based patch-clamp electrodes integrated with PDMS microfluidics.
  • Biosens Bioelectron2004 Oct 15;20(3):509-17. Pubmed