scholarly journals Guanidine block of single channel currents activated by acetylcholine.

1986 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 635-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
T M Dwyer

The acetylcholine-activated channel of chick myotube was studied using the patch-clamp method. Single channel current amplitudes were measured between -300 and +250 mV in solutions containing the permeant ions Cs+ and guanidine (G+). G+ has a relative permeability, PG/PCs, of 1.6, but carries no more than half the current that Cs+ does, with an equivalent electrochemical driving force. Experiments using G+ revealed an asymmetry of the acetylcholine-activated channel, with G+ being more effective at reducing Cs+ currents when added to the outside than when added to the inside. The block caused by outside, but not inside, G+ was evident for both inward and outward currents. The block caused by outside G+ was voltage dependent, first increasing and then being partially relieved when the driving force was made more negative. Experiments with mixtures of Cs+ and G+ revealed anomalously low magnitudes for reversal potentials, relative to predictions based on the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation. These findings are consistent with a two-well, three-barrier Eyring rate model for ion flow, and demonstrate that a highly permeant ion, guanidine, can block asymmetrically by acting from within the voltage field of the acetylcholine-activated channel.

2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiana S. Scornik ◽  
Laura A. Merriam ◽  
Rodney L. Parsons

Spontaneous miniature outward currents (SMOCs) in parasympathetic neurons from mudpuppy cardiac ganglia are caused by activation of TEA- and iberiotoxin-sensitive, Ca2+-dependent K+(BK) channels. Previously we reported that SMOCs are activated by Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) from caffeine- and ryanodine-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. In the present study, we analyzed the single channel currents that contribute to SMOC generation in mudpuppy cardiac neurons. The slope conductance of BK channels, determined from the I-V relationship of single-channel currents recorded with cell-attached patches in physiological K+ concentrations, was 84 pS. The evidence supporting the identity of this channel as the channel involved in SMOC generation was its sensitivity to internal Ca2+, external TEA, and caffeine. In cell-attached patch recordings, 166 μM TEA applied in the pipette reduced single-channel current amplitude by 32%, and bath-applied caffeine increased BK channel activity. The ratio between the averaged SMOC amplitude and the single-channel current amplitude was used to estimate the average number of channels involved in SMOC generation. The estimated number of channels involved in generation of an averaged SMOC ranged from 18 to 23 channels. We also determined that the Po of the BK channels at the peak of a SMOC remains constant at voltages more positive than −20 mV, suggesting that the transient rise in intracellular Ca2+from ryanodine-sensitive intracellular stores in the vicinity of the BK channel reached concentrations most likely exceeding 40 μM.


1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 2570-2575 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Premkumar ◽  
P. W. Gage

1. Single-channel currents were recorded in cell-attached patches on cultured hippocampal neurons in response to gamma-aminobutyric acid-B (GABAB) agonists or serotonin applied to the cell surface outside the patch area. 2. The channels activated by GABAB agonists and serotonin were potassium selective but had a different conductance and kinetic behavior. Channels activated by GABAB agonists had a higher conductance, longer open-time, and longer burst-length than channels activated by serotonin. 3. The kinetic behavior of channels activated by GABAB agonists varied with potential whereas channels activated by serotonin did not show voltage-dependent changes in kinetics. 4. In a few cell-attached patches, both types of channel were activated when the cell was exposed to GABA together with serotonin. 5. It was concluded that GABAB agonists and serotonin activate different potassium channels in the soma of cultured hippocampal neurons.


1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (1) ◽  
pp. H210-H214
Author(s):  
M. Horie ◽  
H. Irisawa

Rectifying properties of the acetylcholine (ACh)-sensitive K+ channels were studied using a patch-clamp method in single atrial cells prepared enzymatically from adult guinea pig hearts. In the presence of micromolar concentration of nonhydrolyzable guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) analogue 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate (GppNHp) and the absence of Mg2+ at the inner surface of patch membrane [( Mg2+]i), the channel activity recovered in inside-out patch condition. The single channel conductance became ohmic between -80 and +80 mV (symmetrical 150 mM K+ solutions). The rapid relaxation of outward single channel currents was disclosed on a depolarization. [Mg2+]i blocked the outward current through the channel dose- and voltage-dependently and also induced a dose-dependent increase in the channel activation. The apparent paradoxical role of [Mg2+]i is important for the cholinergic control in the heart; voltage-dependent Mg block ensures a low K+ conductance of cell membrane at the plateau of action potentials during the exposure to ACh, thereby slowing the heart rate without unfavorable shortening of the action potentials.


1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 485-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis S. Premkumar ◽  
Anthony Auerbach

Single-channel currents were recorded from mouse NR1-NR2B (ζ-ε2) receptors containing mixtures of wild-type and mutant subunits expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Mutant subunits had an asparagine-to-glutamine (N-to-Q) mutation at the N0 site of the M2 segment (NR1:598, NR2B:589). Receptors with pure N or Q NR1 and NR2 subunits generated single-channel currents with distinctive current patterns. Based on main and sublevel amplitudes, occupancy probabilities, and lifetimes, four patterns of current were identified, corresponding to receptors with the following subunit compositions (NR1/NR2): N/N, N/Q, Q/N, and Q/Q. Only one current pattern was apparent for each composition. When a mixture of N and Q NR2 subunits was coexpressed with pure mutant NR1 subunits, three single-channel current patterns were apparent. One pattern was the same as Q/Q receptors and another was the same as Q/N receptors. The third, novel pattern presumably arose from hybrid receptors having both N and Q NR2 subunits. When a mixture of N and Q NR1 subunits was coexpressed with pure mutant NR2 subunits, six single-channel current patterns were apparent. One pattern was the same as Q/Q receptors and another was the same as N/Q receptors. The four novel patterns presumably arose from hybrid receptors having both N and Q NR1 subunits. The relative frequency of NR1 hybrid receptor current patterns depended on the relative amounts of Q and N subunits that were injected into the oocytes. The number of hybrid receptor patterns suggests that there are two NR2 subunits per receptor and is consistent with either three or five NR1 subunits per receptor, depending on whether or not the order of mutant and wild-type subunits influences the current pattern. When considered in relation to other studies, the most straightforward interpretation of the results is that N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors are pentamers composed of three NR1 and two NR2 subunits.


1999 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Nasi ◽  
Maria del Pilar Gomez

The light-dependent K conductance of hyperpolarizing Pecten photoreceptors exhibits a pronounced outward rectification that is eliminated by removal of extracellular divalent cations. The voltage-dependent block by Ca2+ and Mg2+ that underlies such nonlinearity was investigated. Both divalents reduce the photocurrent amplitude, the potency being significantly higher for Ca2+ than Mg2+ (K1/2 ≈ 16 and 61 mM, respectively, at Vm = −30 mV). Neither cation is measurably permeant. Manipulating the concentration of permeant K ions affects the blockade, suggesting that the mechanism entails occlusion of the permeation pathway. The voltage dependency of Ca2+ block is consistent with a single binding site located at an electrical distance of δ ≈ 0.6 from the outside. Resolution of light-dependent single-channel currents under physiological conditions indicates that blockade must be slow, which prompted the use of perturbation/relaxation methods to analyze its kinetics. Voltage steps during illumination produce a distinct relaxation in the photocurrent (τ = 5–20 ms) that disappears on removal of Ca2+ and Mg2+ and thus reflects enhancement or relief of blockade, depending on the polarity of the stimulus. The equilibration kinetics are significantly faster with Ca2+ than with Mg2+, suggesting that the process is dominated by the “on” rate, perhaps because of a step requiring dehydration of the blocking ion to access the binding site. Complementary strategies were adopted to investigate the interaction between blockade and channel gating: the photocurrent decay accelerates with hyperpolarization, but the effect requires extracellular divalents. Moreover, conditioning voltage steps terminated immediately before light stimulation failed to affect the photocurrent. These observations suggest that equilibration of block at different voltages requires an open pore. Inducing channels to close during a conditioning hyperpolarization resulted in a slight delay in the rising phase of a subsequent light response; this effect can be interpreted as closure of the channel with a divalent ion trapped inside.


1987 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Recio-Pinto ◽  
D S Duch ◽  
S R Levinson ◽  
B W Urban

Highly purified sodium channel protein from the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, was reconstituted into liposomes and incorporated into planar bilayers made from neutral phospholipids dissolved in decane. The purest sodium channel preparations consisted of only the large, 260-kD tetrodotoxin (TTX)-binding polypeptide. For all preparations, batrachotoxin (BTX) induced long-lived single-channel currents (25 pS at 500 mM NaCl) that showed voltage-dependent activation and were blocked by TTX. This block was also voltage dependent, with negative potentials increasing block. The permeability ratios were 4.7 for Na+:K+ and 1.6 for Na+:Li+. The midpoint for steady state activation occurred around -70 mV and did not shift significantly when the NaCl concentration was increased from 50 to 1,000 mM. Veratridine-induced single-channel currents were about half the size of those activated by BTX. Unpurified, nonsolubilized sodium channels from E. electricus membrane fragments were also incorporated into planar bilayers. There were no detectable differences in the characteristics of unpurified and purified sodium channels, although membrane stability was considerably higher when purified material was used. Thus, in the eel, the large, 260-kD polypeptide alone is sufficient to demonstrate single-channel activity like that observed for mammalian sodium channel preparations in which smaller subunits have been found.


1990 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 809-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Sugimoto ◽  
J H Teeter

Voltage-dependent membrane currents of cells dissociated from tongues of larval tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) were studied using whole-cell and single-channel patch-clamp techniques. Nongustatory epithelial cells displayed only passive membrane properties. Cells dissociated from taste buds, presumed to be gustatory receptor cells, generated both inward and outward currents in response to depolarizing voltage steps from a holding potential of -60 or -80 mV. Almost all taste cells displayed a transient inward current that activated at -30 mV, reached a peak between 0 and +10 mV and rapidly inactivated. This inward current was blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX) or by substitution of choline for Na+ in the bath solution, indicating that it was a Na+ current. Approximately 60% of the taste cells also displayed a sustained inward current which activated slowly at about -30 mV and reached a peak at 0 to +10 mV. The amplitude of the slow inward current was larger when Ca2+ was replaced by Ba2+ and it was blocked by bath applied CO2+, indicating it was a Ca2+ current. Delayed outward K+ currents were observed in all taste cells although in about 10% of the cells, they were small and activated only at voltages more depolarized than +10 mV. Normally, K+ currents activated at -40 mV and usually showed some inactivation during a 25-ms voltage step. The inactivating component of outward current was not observed at holding potentials more depolarized -40 mV. The outward currents were blocked by tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA) and BaCl2 in the bath or by substitution of Cs+ for K+ in the pipette solution. Both transient and noninactivating components of outward current were partially suppressed by CO2+, suggesting the presence of a Ca2(+)-activated K+ current component. Single-channel currents were recorded in cell-attached and outside-out patches of taste cell membranes. Two types of K+ channels were partially characterized, one having a mean unitary conductance of 21 pS, and the other, a conductance of 148 pS. These experiments demonstrate that tiger salamander taste cells have a variety of voltage- and ion-dependent currents including Na+ currents, Ca2+ currents and three types of K+ currents. One or more of these conductances may be modulated either directly by taste stimuli or indirectly by stimulus-regulated second messenger systems to give rise to stimulus-activated receptor potentials. Others may play a role in modulation of neurotransmitter release at synapses with taste nerve fibers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


2011 ◽  
Vol 286 (18) ◽  
pp. 16008-16017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Livesey ◽  
Michelle A. Cooper ◽  
Jeremy J. Lambert ◽  
John A. Peters

The determinants of single channel conductance (γ) and ion selectivity within eukaryotic pentameric ligand-gated ion channels have traditionally been ascribed to amino acid residues within the second transmembrane domain and flanking sequences of their component subunits. However, recent evidence suggests that γ is additionally controlled by residues within the intracellular and extracellular domains. We examined the influence of two anionic residues (Asp113 and Asp127) within the extracellular vestibule of a high conductance human mutant 5-hydroxytryptamine type-3A (5-HT3A) receptor (5-HT3A(QDA)) upon γ, modulation of the latter by extracellular Ca2+, and the permeability of Ca2+ with respect to Cs+ (PCa/PCs). Mutations neutralizing (Asp → Asn), or reversing (Asp → Lys), charge at the 113 locus decreased inward γ by 46 and 58%, respectively, but outward currents were unaffected. The D127N mutation decreased inward γ by 82% and also suppressed outward currents, whereas the D127K mutation caused loss of observable single channel currents. The forgoing mutations, except for D127K, which could not be evaluated, ameliorated suppression of inwardly directed single channel currents by extracellular Ca2+. The PCa/PCs of 3.8 previously reported for the 5-HT3A(QDA) construct was reduced to 0.13 and 0.06 by the D127N and D127K mutations, respectively, with lesser, but clearly significant, effects caused by the D113N (1.04) and D113K (0.60) substitutions. Charge selectivity between monovalent cations and anions (PNa/PCl) was unaffected by any of the mutations examined. The data identify two key residues in the extracellular vestibule of the 5-HT3A receptor that markedly influence γ, PCa/PCs, and additionally the suppression of γ by Ca2+.


1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. C948-C952 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gollasch ◽  
J. Hescheler ◽  
J. M. Quayle ◽  
J. B. Patlak ◽  
M. T. Nelson

Entry of Ca through voltage-dependent Ca channels is an important regulator of the function of smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and neurons. Although Ca channels have been extensively studied since the first descriptions of Ca action potentials (P. Fatt and B. Katz. J. Physiol. Lond. 120: 171-204, 1953), the permeation rate of Ca through single Ca channels has not been measured directly under physiological conditions. Instead, single Ca channels have typically been examined using high concentrations (80-110 mM) of another divalent charge carrier, Ba, so as to maximize the amplitude of the single-channel currents. Calculations of unitary currents at 2 mM Ca indicated that the single-channel currents would be immeasurably small (i.e., < 0.1 pA). We provide here the first direct measurements of single Ca channel currents at a physiological Ca concentration. Contrary to earlier estimates, we have found that currents through single Ca channels in arterial smooth muscle are 0.1-0.3 pA at 2 mM Ca and physiological membrane potentials. These relatively large unitary currents permit direct measurement of Ca channel properties under conditions that do not distort their function. Our data also indicate that Ca permeates these channels at relatively high rates in physiological Ca concentrations and membrane potentials.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (5) ◽  
pp. H1643-H1654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashmi Chandra ◽  
C. Frank Starmer ◽  
Augustus O. Grant

Several aspects of the effect of the KPQ deletion mutation on Na+ channel gating remain unresolved. We have analyzed the kinetics of the early and late currents by recording whole cell and single-channel currents in a human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line (HEK293) expressing wild-type and KPQ deletion mutation in cardiac Na+ channels. The rate of inactivation increased three- to fivefold between −40 and −80 mV in the mutant channel. The rate of recovery from inactivation was increased twofold. Two modes of gating accounted for the late current: 1) isolated brief openings with open times that were weakly voltage dependent and the same as the initial transient and 2) bursts of opening with highly voltage-dependent prolonged open times. Latency to first opening was accelerated, suggesting an acceleration of the rate of activation. The ΔKPQ mutation has multiple effects on activation and inactivation. The aggregate effects may account for the increased susceptibility to arrhythmias.


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