scholarly journals Receptor Response in Venus's Fly-Trap

1965 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart L. Jacobson

The insect-trapping movement of the plant Dionaea muscipula (Venus's fly-trap) is mediated by the stimulation of mechanosensory hairs located on the surface of the trap. It is known that stimulation of the hairs is followed by action potentials which are propagated over the surface of the trap. It has been reported that action potentials always precede trap closure. The occurrence of non-propagated receptor potentials is reported here. Receptor potentials always precede the action potentials. The receptor potential appears to couple the mechanical stimulation step to the action potential step of the preying sequence. Receptor potentials elicited by mechanical stimulation of a sensory hair were measured by using the hair as an integral part of the current-measuring path. The tip of the hair was cut off exposing the medullary tissue; this provided a natural extension of the measuring electrode into the receptor region at the base of the hair. A measuring pipette electrode was slipped over the cut tip of the hair. Positive and negative receptor potentials were measured. Evidence is presented which supports the hypothesis that the positive and negative receptor potentials originate from independent sources. An analysis is made of (a) the relation of the parameters of mechanical stimuli to the magnitude of the receptor potential, and (b) the relation of the receptor potentials to the action potential. The hypothesis that the positive receptor potential is the generator of the action potential is consistent with these data.

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 3026-3028 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Juusola ◽  
E. A. Seyfarth ◽  
A. S. French

1. Intracellular microelectrodes recorded the receptor potential and receptor current in the neurons of spider slit sense organs during mechanical stimulation of the slits. 2. Mechanical stimulation produced two patterns of action potential discharge, corresponding to the two groups of neurons described previously by electrical stimulation. 3. Tetrodotoxin eliminated the action potentials and revealed a receptor potential with both static and adapting components. Voltage clamp gave an inward receptor current with a similar time course. 4. Replacement of sodium ions in the bath reversibly eliminated the receptor current, indicating that it is carried by sodium ions. However, this effect was comparatively slow, suggesting that the tips of the sensory dendrites lie in a chemically restricted environment.


1973 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65
Author(s):  
YUTAKA NAITOH ◽  
ROGER ECKERT

1. Small, brief mechanical stimuli were delivered with a microstylus to the surface of Paramecium caudatum bathed in solutions of 1 mM-CaCl2, 1 mM KCl + 1 mM Tris HCl, pH 7.2. 2. Stimulation of the caudal end produced a graded hyperpolarizing receptor potential which reached a maximum within 50 msec and decayed more slowly. 3. The input conductance at the peak of the caudal receptor potential increased to a value of at least 6 times that of the resting membrane. 4. The potential diminished in amplitude when the membrane was hyperpolarized by injected d.c. current, and reversed sign with sufficient hyperpolarization. The reversal potential in a solution of 1 mM-CaCl2 + 4 mM-KCl was -37 mV, while the resting potential was -20 mV. 5. The peak of the receptor potential was shifted about + 50 mV per 10-fold increase in extracellular K+. Cl- and Ca2+ and other cations produced little or no shift in the potential peak of the response. It is concluded that mechanical stimulation of the caudal surface produces a local increase in conductance, predominantly to K+. 6. Extracellular tetraethylammonium converts the normally hyperpolarizing receptor potential to a depolarization similar to the potential produced in response to mechanical stimulation of the anterior surface. The TEA effect is antagonized by calcium ions.


1986 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
COLETTE FEBVRE-CHEVALIER ◽  
ANDRÉ BILBAUT ◽  
QUENTIN BONE ◽  
JEAN FEBVRE

The electrophysiology of the contractile protozoan Actinocoryne contractilis was studied with conventional intracellular recording techniques. Resting membrane potential (−78 mV, s.d. = 8, N = 18) was dependent upon external K+. Rapid action potentials (overshoot up to 50 mV) were evoked either by mechanical stimulation or by current injection. Graded membrane depolarizations induced by graded mechanical stimuli correspond to receptor potentials. The receptor potential was mainly Na+-dependent; the action potential was also mainly Na+-dependent, but involved a minor Ca2+-dependence. The two components of the action potential could be separated in Ca2+-free solution containing EGTA (1 mmol l−1), in low-Na+ solutions or by the addition of Co2+. The repolarizing phase of the action potential was sensitive to TEA ions and to 4-aminopyridine (4-AP). Action potentials were followed in 10–20 ms by a rapid all-or-none contraction of the axopods and stalk. Contraction was blocked in Ca2+-free solution containing EGTA and by Co2+, which suggests a requirement of external Ca2+ for this event. Contraction was also abolished by 4-AP.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Silvia Todros ◽  
Silvia Spadoni ◽  
Edoardo Maghin ◽  
Martina Piccoli ◽  
Piero G. Pavan

Muscular tissue regeneration may be enhanced in vitro by means of mechanical stimulation, inducing cellular alignment and the growth of functional fibers. In this work, a novel bioreactor is designed for the radial stimulation of porcine-derived diaphragmatic scaffolds aiming at the development of clinically relevant tissue patches. A Finite Element (FE) model of the bioreactor membrane is developed, considering two different methods for gripping muscular tissue patch during the stimulation, i.e., suturing and clamping with pliers. Tensile tests are carried out on fresh and decellularized samples of porcine diaphragmatic tissue, and a fiber-reinforced hyperelastic constitutive model is assumed to describe the mechanical behavior of tissue patches. Numerical analyses are carried out by applying pressure to the bioreactor membrane and evaluating tissue strain during the stimulation phase. The bioreactor designed in this work allows one to mechanically stimulate tissue patches in a radial direction by uniformly applying up to 30% strain. This can be achieved by adopting pliers for tissue clamping. Contrarily, the use of sutures is not advisable, since high strain levels are reached in suturing points, exceeding the physiological strain range and possibly leading to tissue laceration. FE analysis allows the optimization of the bioreactor configuration in order to ensure an efficient transduction of mechanical stimuli while preventing tissue damage.


Lab on a Chip ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 2955-2965 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Monticelli ◽  
D. S. Jokhun ◽  
D. Petti ◽  
G. V. Shivashankar ◽  
R. Bertacco

We introduce a new platform for mechanobiology based on active substrates, made of Fe-coated polymeric micropillars, capable to apply mechanical stimuli with tunable spatio-temporal profile on a cell culture.


2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (5) ◽  
pp. G490-G500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuiping Li ◽  
Yaohui Zhu ◽  
Mohan Shenoy ◽  
Reetesh Pai ◽  
Liansheng Liu ◽  
...  

Neural cross talk between visceral organs may play a role in mediating inflammation and pain remote from the site of the insult. We hypothesized such a cross talk exists between the duodenum and pancreas, and further it induces pancreatitis in response to intraduodenal toxins. A dichotomous spinal innervation serving both the duodenum and pancreas was examined, and splanchnic nerve responses to mechanical stimulation of these organs were detected. This pathway was then excited on the duodenal side by exposure to ethanol followed by luminal mustard oil to activate transient receptor potential subfamily A, member 1 (TRPA1). Ninety minutes later, pancreatic inflammation was examined. Ablation of duodenal afferents by resiniferatoxin (RTX) or blocking TRPA1 by Chembridge (CHEM)-5861528 was used to further investigate the duodeno-pancreatic neural reflex via TRPA1. ∼40% of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) from the spinal cord originated from both duodenum and pancreas via dichotomous peripheral branches; ∼50% splanchnic nerve single units responded to mechanical stimulation of both organs. Ethanol sensitized TRPA1 currents in cultured DRG neurons. Pancreatic edema and myeloperoxidase activity significantly increased after intraduodenal ethanol followed by mustard oil (but not capsaicin) but significantly decreased after ablation of duodenal afferents by using RTX or blocking TRPA1 by CHEM-5861528. We found the existence of a neural cross talk between the duodenum and pancreas that can promote acute pancreatitis in response to intraduodenal chemicals. It also proves a previously unexamined mechanism by which alcohol can induce pancreatitis, which is novel both in terms of the site (duodenum), process (neurogenic), and receptor (TRPA1).


1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1509-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Owens ◽  
D. Zhang ◽  
W. D. Willis

1. The responses of a population of 318 spinothalamic tract (STT) cells to mechanical stimulation of the skin were recorded in anesthetized macaque monkeys by several teams of investigators. The responses were subjected to k-means cluster analysis, a multivariate statistical procedure. 2. For an analysis that pertained to the responsiveness of the neurons, the mean responses to four standard mechanical stimuli (Brush, Pressure, Pinch, and Squeeze) were used. Although no true clusters were found, the cells could be partitioned into four groups (called clusters a, b, c, and d) that responded progressively more vigorously to the stimuli. 3. For an analysis that pertained to the selectivity of the cells for various stimulus intensities, from innocuous to highly noxious, the data were normalized by taking the ratio of the mean response evoked by each stimulus to the sum of the responses and multiplying by 100. This procedure does not have a bias toward selection of any particular number of clusters and resulted in three clusters of STT cells. 4. Cluster 1 STT cells responded best to Brush. Cluster 2 cells responded weakly to Brush and Pressure and maximally to Pinch. Cluster 3 cells responded weakly to Brush, Pressure, and Pinch and maximally to Squeeze. 5. The response states of STT cells with respect to mechanical stimulation of the skin can be defined by their cluster assignments on the basis of the responsiveness (clusters a-d) and selectivity (clusters 1-3) of the cells. The response states of newly recorded STT cells can be determined by discriminant analysis from the nearest centroids of the two types of clusters in the reference population of STT cells. 6. No consistent changes in response state were detected when a second series of mechanical stimuli was applied 1 cm from the site stimulated initially or when the stimulus series was alternately repeated at the initial site and at progressively more proximal sites. However, when the stimulus series was applied five times to the initial site, the response state of five of eight cells tested showed a change. Although a change in response state required repetitive damage, even a single stimulus series increased background activity and responses to Brush at undamaged sites. 7. The background activity and responses to Brush and Pressure of all five STT cells recorded in the superficial laminae increased after repeated testing. The background activity of five STT cells recorded in the nucleus proprius also increased, but the responses of only three of the cells to Brush and Pressure increased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


1975 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Foreman ◽  
A. E. Applebaum ◽  
J. E. Beall ◽  
D. L. Trevino ◽  
W. D. Willis

The responses of spinothalamic tract neurons were studied by extra- and intracellular recordings from the lumbosacral spinal cord in anesthetized rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The neurons were identified by antidromic activation from the contralateral diencephalon. They were then classified by the mildest form of mechanical stimulation applied to the ipsilateral hindlimb. The effects of electrical stimulation of the nerve(s) supplying the receptive field were investigated. Graded electrical stimulation revealed that the threshold responses of spinothalamic tract neurons excited by weak mechanical stimuli occurred when the largest afferent fibers were activated. On the other hand, neurons that required intense mechanical stimulation for their excitation tended to have higher thresholds to electrical stimulation. Some spinothalamic tract cells were shown to receive monosynaptic excitatory connections from peripheral nerve fibers, although polysynaptic connections may generally be more important. An input from unmyelinated afferent fibers was demonstrated. It is concluded the primate spinothalamic tract neurons receive a rich convergent input from a variety of cutaneous receptors. The experiments provide some evidence for the most likely types of receptors.


1992 ◽  
Vol 169 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL CATTAERT ◽  
JEAN-YVES BARTHE ◽  
DOUGLAS M. NEIL ◽  
FRANCOIS CLARAC

1. An isolated preparation of the crayfish nervous system, comprising both the thoracic and the abdominal ganglia together with their nerve roots, has been used to study the influence of a single leg proprioceptor, the coxo-basal chordotonal organ (CBCO), on the fictive swimmeret beating consistently expressed in this preparation. Both mechanical stimulation of the CBCO and electrical stimulation of its nerve were used. 2. In preparations not displaying rhythmic activity, electrical or mechanical stimulations evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in about 30 % of the studied motor neurones with a fairly short and regular delay, suggesting an oligosynaptic pathway. Such stimulation could evoke rhythmic activity in swimmeret motor nerves. The evoked swimmeret rhythm often continued for several seconds after the stimulus period. 3. When the swimmeret rhythm was well established, electrical and mechanical stimuli modified it in a number of ways. Limited mechanical or weak electrical stimuli produced a small increase in swimmeret beat frequency, while more extreme movements of the CBCO or strong electrical stimuli had a disruptive effect on the rhythm. 4. The effect of low-intensity stimulation on existing swimmeret beating was phase-dependent: it shortened the beat cycle when applied during the powerstroke phase and lengthened it when applied during the retumstroke phase. 5. Rhythmic mechanical stimulation of CBCO or electrical stimulation of the CBCO nerve entrained the swimmeret rhythm within a limited range in relative or absolute coordination. Note: To whom reprint requests should be sent.


1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Neugebauer ◽  
H. G. Schaible

1. In the spinalized cat, nociceptive spinal neurons with knee input show enhanced responses to mechanical stimulation of that joint once an inflammation has developed in the knee. Enhanced responses may result from increased afferent inflow as well as from modifications of the nociceptive processing within the spinal cord. To examine the significance of these components, we tested in 30 chloralose-anesthetized, spinalized cats whether, during development of arthritis, changes of responsiveness in spinal neurons are restricted to stimulation of the inflamed joint or whether responsiveness in these neurons is altered in general. While continuously recording from a neuron, we injected kaolin and carrageenan into one knee and tested the responses to mechanical stimuli applied to the joint and to regions adjacent to and remote from the knee during the developing arthritis. In addition, in six cats we monitored the neurons' responses to electrical stimulation of the sural nerves and the rostral lumbar spinal cord. 2. Of 32 neurons in laminae VI, VII, and VIII of the lumbar spinal cord, 15 ascending and eight nonascending cells were driven by mechanical stimulation of one or both knee joint(s). Nine of these were nociceptive specific (NS), responding exclusively or predominantly to noxious compression of the knee and other deep tissue, and 12 were wide-dynamic-range (WDR) cells with graded responses to gentle and noxious stimuli applied to the knee joint(s), deep tissue, and skin. Two neurons with high ongoing discharges had some excitatory joint input but showed marked inhibition by most stimuli used (INH neurons). The majority of the neurons had receptive fields on both legs. Nine of the 32 neurons had no input from the knee(s). 3. All 23 neurons with joint input became sensitive or more responsive to movements and gentle compression of the inflamed knee once the inflammation had developed. In general, these neurons also showed enhanced responses to compression of the adjacent muscles in thigh and lower leg. In 20 neurons, response properties were even altered for stimuli applied to regions remote from the inflamed joint, including the contralateral leg in 18 cases. We found expansion of initially restricted receptive fields (mainly in NS cells), enhancement of preexisting responses, and/or lowering of threshold to mechanical stimuli applied to these regions; few neurons developed inhibitory reactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document