Chapter 7 Function of Mammalian Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors: Agonist Concentration Dependence of Single Channel Current Kinetics

1988 ◽  
pp. 133-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Sine ◽  
Joe Henry Steinbach
Keyword(s):  
Concentration Dependence ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Single Channel Current ◽  
Agonist Concentration

scholarly journals Cytosolic [Ca2+] regulation of InsP3-evoked puffs

2012 ◽  
Vol 449 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Yamasaki-Mann ◽  
Angelo Demuro ◽  
Ian Parker
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Xenopus Oocytes ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Electrochemical Gradient ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine ◽  
Insp3 Receptors

InsP3-mediated puffs are fundamental building blocks of cellular Ca2+ signalling, and arise through the concerted opening of clustered InsP3Rs (InsP3 receptors) co-ordinated via Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release. Although the Ca2+ dependency of InsP3Rs has been extensively studied at the single channel level, little is known as to how changes in basal cytosolic [Ca2+] would alter the dynamics of InsP3-evoked Ca2+ signals in intact cells. To explore this question, we expressed Ca2+-permeable channels (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors) in the plasma membrane of voltage-clamped Xenopus oocytes to regulate cytosolic [Ca2+] by changing the electrochemical gradient for extracellular Ca2+ entry, and imaged Ca2+ liberation evoked by photolysis of caged InsP3. Elevation of basal cytosolic [Ca2+] strongly increased the amplitude and shortened the latency of global Ca2+ waves. In oocytes loaded with EGTA to localize Ca2+ signals, the number of sites at which puffs were observed and the frequency and latency of puffs were strongly dependent on cytosolic [Ca2+], whereas puff amplitudes were only weakly affected. The results of the present study indicate that basal cytosolic [Ca2+] strongly affects the triggering of puffs, but has less of an effect on puffs once they have been initiated.

Zinc Potentiates Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors by Increasing Burst Duration

2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 999-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Hsiao ◽  
Karla B. Mihalak ◽  
Karl L. Magleby ◽  
Charles W. Luetje
Keyword(s):  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Burst Duration ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors ◽  
Channel Current

Micromolar zinc potentiates neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in a subtype-dependent manner. Zinc potentiates receptor function even at saturating agonist concentrations, without altering the receptor desensitization rate. Potentiation could occur through an increase in the number of available receptors, an increase in single-channel current amplitude, or an increase in single-channel open probability. To distinguish among these possibilities, we examined rat neuronal nAChRs expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Blockade of a large fraction of ACh activated α4β4 or α4β2 receptors by the open channel blocker hexamethonium failed to change the extent of potentiation by zinc, suggesting that zinc does not change the number of available receptors. The single-channel amplitudes of ACh (1 μM) activated α4β4 receptors in outside-out patches were similar in the absence and the presence of 100 μM zinc (3.0 ± 0.1 and 2.9 ± 0.1 pA, respectively). To determine the effect of zinc on single-channel open probability, we examined α4β4 receptors in cell-attached patches. The open probability at 100 nM ACh (0.011 ± 0.002) was increased 4.5-fold by 100 μM zinc (0.050 ± 0.008), accounting for most of the potentiation observed at the whole cell level. The increase in open probability was due to an increase in burst duration, which increased from 207 ± 38 ms in the absence of zinc to 830 ± 189 ms in the presence of zinc. Our results suggest that potentiation of neuronal nAChRs by zinc is due to a stabilization of the bursting states of the receptor.

The Alkyl Chain Dependence of the Effect of Normal Alcohols on Agonist-induced Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Desensitization Kinetics 

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas E. Raines ◽  
Vinu T. Zachariah
Keyword(s):  
Rate Constant ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Maximal Rate ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine ◽  
Agonist Affinity ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Agonist Concentration ◽  
Alcohol Effects

Background The nAcChoR is the prototypical member of a superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels that are all relevant targets of anesthetics and undergo desensitization upon prolonged exposure to agonist. This study was designed to investigate the effects of representative normal alcohols on the apparent rate of acetylcholine-induced nAcChoR desensitization. Methods Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors were obtained from the electroplax organ of Torpedo nobiliana. The apparent rate of acetylcholine-induced desensitization in the presence and absence of normal alcohols was measured using stopped-flow fluorescence. Results Normal alcohols as long as octanol (the longest studied) increased the apparent rate of desensitization induced by low concentrations of acetylcholine, shifting the agonist concentration-response curve for desensitization to the left Ethanol butanol, and, to a lesser extent, hexanol increased the maximal rate of desensitization induced by high, saturating concentrations of agonist. Beyond hexanol, heptanol and octanol had no effect on this maximal apparent rate of desensitization, even at concentrations that approach those that directly induce desensitization in the absence of agonist. Conclusion Normal alcohols ranging from ethanol to octanol increase the apparent affinity of nAcChoR for agonist with potencies that are proportional to their hydrophobicities. However, normal alcohol effects on the rate constant for desensitization show a cutoff beyond hexanoL This suggests that the effects of normal alcohols on the apparent agonist affinity and rate constant for desensitization of nAcChoR may be modulated by distinct sites that have different steric constraints; the site(s) responsible for increasing the maximal rate of desensitization are predicted to be smaller than those that increase the apparent agonist affinity.

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