scholarly journals Mechanism of Ba2+ block of M-like K channels of rod photoreceptors of tiger salamanders.

1994 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
L P Wollmuth

IKx is a voltage-dependent K+ current in the inner segment of rod photoreceptors that shows many similarities to M-current. The depression of IKx by external Ba2+ was studied with whole-cell voltage clamp. Ba2+ reduced the conductance and voltage sensitivity of IKx tail currents and shifted the voltage range over which they appeared to more positive potentials. These effects showed different sensitivities to Ba2+: conductance was the least sensitive (K0.5 = 7.6 mM), voltage dependence intermediate (K0.5 = 2.4 mM) and voltage sensitivity the most sensitive (K0.5 = 0.2 mM). Ca2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Sr2+, and Zn2+ did not have actions comparable to Ba2+ on the voltage dependence or the voltage sensitivity of IKx tail currents. In high K+ (100 mM), the voltage range of activation of IKx was shifted 20 mV negative, as was the tau-voltage relation. High K+ did not prevent the effect of Ba2+ on conductance, but abolished its ability to affect voltage dependence and voltage sensitivity. Ba2+ also altered the apparent time-course of activation and deactivation of IKx. Low Ba2+ (0.2 mM) slowed both deactivation and activation, with most effect on deactivation; at higher concentrations (1-25 mM), deactivation and activation time courses were equally affected, and at the highest concentrations, 5 and 25 mM Ba2+, the time course became faster than control. Rapid application of 5 mM Ba2+ suggested that the time dependent currents in Ba2+ reflect in part the slow voltage-dependent block and unblock of IKx channels by Ba2+. This blocking action of Ba2+ was steeply voltage-dependent with an apparent electrical distance of 1.07. Ba2+ appears to interact with IKx channels at multiple sites. A model which assumes that Ba2+ has a voltage-independent and a voltage-dependent blocking action on open or closed IKx channels reproduced many aspects of the data; the voltage-dependent component could account for both the Ba(2+)-induced shift in voltage dependence and reduction in voltage sensitivity of IKx tail currents.

1992 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 749-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
L P Wollmuth ◽  
B Hille

Ionic selectivity of Ih channels of tiger salamander rod photoreceptors was investigated using whole-cell voltage clamp. Measured reversal potentials and the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz voltage equation were used to calculate permeability ratios with 20 mM K+ as a reference. In the absence of external K+, Ih is small and hard to discern. Hence, we defined Ih as the current blocked by 2 mM external Cs+. Some small amines permeate Ih channels, with the following permeability ratios (PX/PK):NH4+, 0.17; methylammonium, 0.06; and hydrazine, 0.04. Other amines are tially impermeant: dimethylammonium (< 0.02), ethylammonium (< 0.01), and tetramethylammonium (< 0.01). When K+ is the only external permeant ion and its concentration is varied, the reversal potential of Ih follows the Nernst potential for a K+ electrode. Ih channels are also permeable to other alkali metal cations (PX/PK): T1+, > 1.55; K+, 1; Rb+, > 0.55; Na+, 0.33; Li+, 0.02. Except for Na+, the relative slope conductance had a similar sequence (GX/GK): T1+, 1.07; K+, 1; Rb+, 0.37; NH4+, 0.07; Na+, 0.02. Based on permeabilities to organic cations, the narrowest part of the pore has a diameter between 4.0 and 4.6 A. Some permeant cations have large effects on the gating kinetics of Ih channels; however, permeant cations appear to have little effect on the steady-state activation curve of Ih channels. Lowering K+ or replacing K+ with Na+ reduces the maximal conductance of Ih but does not shift or change the steepness of its voltage dependence. With ammonium or methylammonium replacing K+ a similar pattern is seen, except that there is a small positive shift of approximately 10 mV in the voltage dependence.


1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (4) ◽  
pp. H1301-H1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Sakakibara ◽  
T. Furukawa ◽  
D. H. Singer ◽  
H. Jia ◽  
C. L. Backer ◽  
...  

Although fast sodium current (INa) plays a major role in the generation and conduction of the cardiac impulse, the electrophysiological characteristics of INa in isolated human ventricular myocytes have not yet been fully described. We characterized the human ventricular INa of enzymatically isolated myocytes using whole cell voltage-clamp techniques. Sixty myocytes were isolated from ventricular specimens obtained from 22 patients undergoing open-heart surgery. A low temperature (17 degrees C) and Na+ concentration in the external solution (5 or 10 mM) allowed good voltage control and facilitated the measurement of INa. Cs+ was substituted for K+ in both internal and external solutions to block K+ currents, and F- was added to the internal solution to block Ca2+ current. INa was activated at a voltage threshold of approximately -70 mV, and maximal inward current was obtained at approximately -30 mV (holding potential = -140 mV). The voltage dependence of steady-state INa availability (h infinity) was sigmoidal with half inactivation occurring at -97.3 +/- 1.1 mV and a slope factor of 5.77 +/- 0.10 mV (n = 60). We did not detect any significant differences in these parameters in cells from patients with a variety of disease states, with or without congestive heart failure. The overlap in voltage dependence of h infinity and Na+ conductance suggested the presence of a Na+ "window" current. An inactivation time course was voltage dependent and was fitted best by the sum of two exponentials. The rate of recovery from inactivation also was voltage dependent and fitted by the sum of two exponentials.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2012 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Shcheglovitov ◽  
Iuliia Vitko ◽  
Roman M. Lazarenko ◽  
Peihan Orestes ◽  
Slobodan M. Todorovic ◽  
...  

Here, we describe a new mechanism by which glutamate (Glu) and trace metals reciprocally modulate activity of the Cav2.3 channel by profoundly shifting its voltage-dependent gating. We show that zinc and copper, at physiologically relevant concentrations, occupy an extracellular binding site on the surface of Cav2.3 and hold the threshold for activation of these channels in a depolarized voltage range. Abolishing this binding by chelation or the substitution of key amino acid residues in IS1–IS2 (H111) and IS2–IS3 (H179 and H183) loops potentiates Cav2.3 by shifting the voltage dependence of activation toward more negative membrane potentials. We demonstrate that copper regulates the voltage dependence of Cav2.3 by affecting gating charge movements. Thus, in the presence of copper, gating charges transition into the “ON” position slower, delaying activation and reducing the voltage sensitivity of the channel. Overall, our results suggest a new mechanism by which Glu and trace metals transiently modulate voltage-dependent gating of Cav2.3, potentially affecting synaptic transmission and plasticity in the brain.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 2404-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Legendre ◽  
H. Korn

1. The kinetics and mechanisms underlying the voltage dependence of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) recorded in the Mauthner cell (M cell) were investigated in the isolated medulla of 52-h-old zebrafish larvae, with the use of whole cell and outside-out patch-clamp recordings. 2. Spontaneous miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) were recorded in the presence of 10(-6) M tetrodotoxin (TTX), 10 mM MgCl2, and 0.1 mM [CaCl2]o. Depolarizing the cell from -50 to +50 mV did not evoke any significant change in the distribution of mIPSC amplitudes, whereas synaptic currents were prolonged at positive voltages. The average decay time constant was increased twofold at +50 mV. 3. The voltage dependence of the kinetics of glycine-activated channels was first investigated during whole cell recording experiments. Currents evoked by voltage steps in the presence of glycine (50 microM) were compared with those obtained without glycine. The increase in chloride conductance (gCl-) evoked by glycine was time and voltage dependent. Inactivation and reactivation of the chloride current were observed during voltage pulses from 0 to -50 mV and from -50 to 0 mV, respectively, and they occurred with similar time constants (2-3 s). During glycine application, voltage-ramp analysis revealed a shift in the reversal potential (ECl-) occurring at all [Cl-]i tested. 4. The basis of the voltage sensitivity of glycine-evoked gCl- was first analyzed by measuring the relative changes in the total open probability (NPo) of glycine-activated channels with voltage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 2120-2129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Legendre

Electrophysiological recordings of outside-out patches to fast-flow applications of glycine were made on patches derived from the Mauthner cells of the 50-h-old zebrafish larva. As for glycinergic miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs), depolarizing the patch produced a broadening of the transient outside-out current evoked by short applications (1 ms) of a saturating concentration of glycine (3 mM). When the outside-out patch was depolarized from −50 to +20 mV, the peak current varied linearly with voltage. A 1-ms application of 3 mM glycine evoked currents that activated rapidly and deactivated biexponentially with time constants of ≈5 and ≈30 ms (holding potential of −50 mV). These two decay time constants were increased by depolarization. The fast deactivation time constant increased e-fold per 95 mV. The relative amplitude of the two decay components did not significantly vary with voltage. The fast component represented 64.2 ± 2.8% of the total current at −50 mV and 54.1 ± 10% at +20 mV. The 20–80% rise time of these responses did not show any voltage dependence, suggesting that the opening rate constant is insensitive to voltage. The 20–80% rise time was 0.2 ms at −70 mV and 0.22 ms at +20 mV. Responses evoked by 100–200 ms application of a low concentration of glycine (0.1 mM) had a biphasic rising phase reflecting the complex gating behavior of the glycine receptor. The time constant of these two components and their relative amplitude did not change with voltage, suggesting that modal shifts in the glycine-activated channel gating mode are not sensitive to the membrane potential. Using a Markov model to simulate glycine receptor gating behavior, we were able to mimic the voltage-dependent change in the deactivation time course of the responses evoked by 1-ms application of 3 mM glycine. This kinetics model incorporates voltage-dependent closing rate constants. It provides a good description of the time course of the onset of responses evoked by the application of a low concentration of glycine at all membrane potentials tested.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261960
Author(s):  
Ana Laura López-Serrano ◽  
Rodrigo Zamora-Cárdenas ◽  
Iván A. Aréchiga-Figueroa ◽  
Pedro D. Salazar-Fajardo ◽  
Tania Ferrer ◽  
...  

Inhibitory regulation of the heart is determined by both cholinergic M2 receptors (M2R) and adenosine A1 receptors (A1R) that activate the same signaling pathway, the ACh-gated inward rectifier K+ (KACh) channels via Gi/o proteins. Previously, we have shown that the agonist-specific voltage sensitivity of M2R underlies several voltage-dependent features of IKACh, including the ‘relaxation’ property, which is characterized by a gradual increase or decrease of the current when cardiomyocytes are stepped to hyperpolarized or depolarized voltages, respectively. However, it is unknown whether membrane potential also affects A1R and how this could impact IKACh. Upon recording whole-cell currents of guinea-pig cardiomyocytes, we found that stimulation of the A1R-Gi/o-IKACh pathway with adenosine only caused a very slight voltage dependence in concentration-response relationships (~1.2-fold EC50 increase with depolarization) that was not manifested in the relative affinity, as estimated by the current deactivation kinetics (τ = 4074 ± 214 ms at -100 mV and τ = 4331 ± 341 ms at +30 mV; P = 0.31). Moreover, IKACh did not exhibit relaxation. Contrarily, activation of the M2R-Gi/o-IKACh pathway with acetylcholine induced the typical relaxation of the current, which correlated with the clear voltage-dependent effect observed in the concentration-response curves (~2.8-fold EC50 increase with depolarization) and in the IKACh deactivation kinetics (τ = 1762 ± 119 ms at -100 mV and τ = 1503 ± 160 ms at +30 mV; P = 0.01). Our findings further substantiate the hypothesis of the agonist-specific voltage dependence of GPCRs and that the IKACh relaxation is consequence of this property.


1986 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 777-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R Hume ◽  
W Giles ◽  
K Robinson ◽  
E F Shibata ◽  
R D Nathan ◽  
...  

Individual myocytes were isolated from bullfrog atrium by enzymatic and mechanical dispersion, and a one-microelectrode voltage clamp was used to record the slow outward K+ currents. In normal [K+]o (2.5 mM), the slow outward current tails reverse between -95 and -100 mV. This finding, and the observed 51-mV shift of Erev/10-fold change in [K+]o, strongly suggest that the "delayed rectifier" in bullfrog atrial cells is a K+ current. This current, IK, plays an important role in initiating repolarization, and it is distinct from the quasi-instantaneous, inwardly rectifying background current, IK. In atrial cells, IK does not exhibit inactivation, and very long depolarizing clamp steps (20 s) can be applied without producing extracellular K+ accumulation. The possibility of [K+]o accumulation contributing to these slow outward current changes was assessed by (a) comparing reversal potentials measured after short (2 s) and very long (15 s) activating prepulses, and (b) studying the kinetics of IK at various holding potentials and after systematically altering [K+]o. In the absence of [K+]o accumulation, the steady state activation curve (n infinity) and fully activated current-voltage (I-V) relation can be obtained directly. The threshold of the n infinity curve is near -50 mV, and it approaches a maximum at +20 mV; the half-activation point is approximately -16 mV. The fully activated I-V curve of IK is approximately linear in the range -40 to +30 mV. Semilog plots of the current tails show that each tail is a single-exponential function, which suggests that only one Hodgkin-Huxley conductance underlies this slow outward current. Quantitative analysis of the time course of onset of IK and of the corresponding envelope of tails demonstrate that the activation variable, n, must be raised to the second power to fit the sigmoid onset accurately. The voltage dependence of the kinetics of IK was studied by recording and curve-fitting activating and deactivating (tail) currents. The resulting 1/tau n curve is U-shaped and somewhat asymmetric; IK exhibits strong voltage dependence in the diastolic range of potentials. Changes in the [Ca2+]o in the superfusing Ringer's, and/or addition of La3+ to block the transmembrane Ca2+ current, show that the time course and magnitude of IK are not significantly modulated by transmembrane Ca2+ movements, i.e., by ICa. These experimentally measured voltage- and time-dependent descriptors of IK strongly suggest an important functional role for IK in atrial tissue: it initiates repolarization and can be an important determinant of rate-induced changes in action potential duration.


1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (3) ◽  
pp. C461-C469 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. Cole ◽  
K. M. Sanders

Outward currents of colonic smooth muscle cells were characterized by the whole cell voltage-clamp method. Four components of outward current were identified: a time-independent and three time-dependent components. The time-dependent current showed strong outward rectification positive to -25 mV and was blocked by tetraethylammonium. The time-dependent components were separated on the basis of their time courses, voltage dependence, and pharmacological sensitivities. They are as follows. 1) A Ca2+-activated K current sensitive to external Ca2+ and Ca2+ influx was blocked by ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (0.1 X 10(-3) M) and nifedipine (1 X 10(-6) and was increased by elevated Ca2+ (8 X 10(-6) M) and BAY K 8644 (1 X 10(-6) M). 2) A "delayed rectifier" current was observed that decayed slowly with time and showed no voltage-dependent inactivation. 3) Spontaneous transient outward currents that were blocked by ryanodine (2 X 10(-6) M) were also recorded. The possible contributions of these currents to the electrical activity of colonic muscle cells in situ are discussed. Ca2+-activated K current may contribute a significant conductance to the repolarizing phase of electrical slow waves.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (5) ◽  
pp. H1478-H1492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Hirano ◽  
H. A. Fozzard ◽  
C. T. January

Two types of Ca2+ currents were recorded in single dialyzed canine cardiac Purkinje cells using a whole cell voltage clamp technique. T-type current was easily separated from L-type current, because its voltage dependence of inactivation and activation was more negative and it decayed rapidly. L-type current was available at more depolarized holding potentials, activated at more positive voltages, and decayed slowly. In 2 mM extracellular Ca2+ concentration [( Ca]o), the average peak T- and L-type current density was 1.70 and 2.87 pA/pF, respectively. T-type current was relatively insensitive to modification by Ca2+, nifedipine, Cd2+, BAY K 8644, or isoproterenol. T-type current was more sensitive to block by Ni2+ and amiloride. Replacement of Ca2+ by Ba2+ or Sr2+ did not increase T-type current. Changes in the Ca2+ or Ba2+ concentration caused parallel shifts in the voltage dependence of several kinetic parameters for L- and T-type current. In 2 mM [Ca]o, the V1/2 (Boltzmann fit) for inactivation of T-type current was -68 mV with a slope of 3.9, and for L-type current the V1/2 was -31 mV with a slope of 5.5. Recovery from inactivation of L- and T-type current was voltage dependent, and for similar conditions L-type current recovered from inactivation more rapidly than T-type current. These findings show that T- and L-type currents are large in cardiac Purkinje cells, and they can easily be separated by their voltage, kinetic, and pharmacological differences. Both may have important physiological roles.


2005 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeon-Gyu Shin ◽  
Zhe Lu

IRK1 (Kir2.1) inward-rectifier K+ channels exhibit exceedingly steep rectification, which reflects strong voltage dependence of channel block by intracellular cations such as the polyamine spermine. On the basis of studies of IRK1 block by various amine blockers, it was proposed that the observed voltage dependence (valence ∼5) of IRK1 block by spermine results primarily from K+ ions, not spermine itself, traversing the transmembrane electrical field that drops mostly across the narrow ion selectivity filter, as spermine and K+ ions displace one another during channel block and unblock. If indeed spermine itself only rarely penetrates deep into the ion selectivity filter, then a long blocker with head groups much wider than the selectivity filter should exhibit comparably strong voltage dependence. We confirm here that channel block by two molecules of comparable length, decane-bis-trimethylammonium (bis-QAC10) and spermine, exhibit practically identical overall voltage dependence even though the head groups of the former are much wider (∼6 Å) than the ion selectivity filter (∼3 Å). For both blockers, the overall equilibrium dissociation constant differs from the ratio of apparent rate constants of channel unblock and block. Also, although steady-state IRK1 block by both cations is strongly voltage dependent, their apparent channel-blocking rate constant exhibits minimal voltage dependence, which suggests that the pore becomes blocked as soon as the blocker encounters the innermost K+ ion. These findings strongly suggest the existence of at least two (potentially identifiable) sequentially related blocked states with increasing numbers of K+ ions displaced. Consequently, the steady-state voltage dependence of IRK1 block by spermine or bis-QAC10 should increase with membrane depolarization, a prediction indeed observed. Further kinetic analysis identifies two blocked states, and shows that most of the observed steady-state voltage dependence is associated with the transition between blocked states, consistent with the view that the mutual displacement of blocker and K+ ions must occur mainly as the blocker travels along the long inner pore.


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