Activation kinetics of the acetylcholine-gated potassium current in isolated atrial cells

1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (4) ◽  
pp. C646-C650 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Inomata ◽  
T. Ishihara ◽  
N. Akaike

Processes involved in activation of the acetylcholine (ACh) receptor-operated K+ current (IK) were examined in atrial cells isolated from guinea pig using a "concentration-clamp" technique. This approach allows for the intracellular perfusion and the rapid change of external solution (time constant 4 ms) with cell-attached condition under a single-electrode voltage-clamp condition. The ACh-induced IK increased in a sigmoidal fashion with increasing concentrations of ACh. The Ka value estimated from the concentration-response curve was 3 X 10(-7) M, and the Hill coefficient was 1.0. The activation phase was accelerated not only by increasing the concentration of ACh but also by elevating the temperature. Before activation of the current, there was a brief latent period after the application of ACh. The latent period was shortened considerably with the increase in ACh concentration and in temperature, i.e., 267 +/- 20 ms at 18 degrees C, 98 +/- 11 ms at 26 degrees C, and 44 +/- 6 ms at 37 degrees C for 10(-6) M ACh. These results suggest that the latent period of ACh response seems to be the time lag needed for the activation of K+ channels using remote sensor.

1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (6) ◽  
pp. C1153-C1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kaneda ◽  
M. Wakamori ◽  
N. Akaike

Electrical and pharmacological properties of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced current in the rat isolated cerebellar Purkinje cell bodies were studied using a concentration-jump method, which is termed as a "concentration-clamp" technique. This technique enables the rapid exchange of external solution around the neurons to be perfused internally under a voltage-clamp condition. The peak amplitude of GABA response increased sigmoidally with the increase of the concentration of GABA. The value of the GABA concentration that evokes a half-maximal response (Ka) was 5 X 10(-5) M, and the Hill coefficient was 1.8. The current-voltage relationship for the GABA response showed nonlinearity at membrane potentials more negative than -40 mV. The reversal potential of GABA-evoked current was close to the equilibrium potential of Cl- (ECl), indicating that the current elicited by GABA is carried by Cl-. Both the activation and inactivation phases of GABA-induced Cl- current (ICl) consisted of fast and slow components. These time constants in both phases decreased as the concentration of GABA increased. Strychnine and bicuculline inhibited the GABA-induced ICl in a dose-dependent manner, and the inhibition of the GABA response by bicuculline was competitive. Pentobarbital sodium augmented the GABA response and modified the inactivation phase. The augmentation of the GABA response by pentobarbital was more profound at lower concentrations of GABA and was accompanied by a change in the Hill coefficient from 2 to 1. The properties of the GABA response in cerebellar Purkinje cells were thought to be basically similar to those previously reported in other preparations.


1990 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1052-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Tateishi ◽  
D. K. Kim ◽  
N. Akaike

1. The electrical and pharmacologic properties of acetylcholine (ACh)-induced current (IACh) were studied in the parasympathetic neurons isolated from bullfrog heart with the use of the concentration-clamp technique, which allows intracellular perfusion and rapid change of external solution within 2 ms under the single-electrode voltage-clamp condition. 2. The IACh consisted of an initial transient peak component and a successive steady-state plateau component. Both currents increased in a sigmoidal fashion with increasing ACh concentration. The dissociation constant (Kd value) and the Hill coefficient for each component were 2.2 X 10(-5) M and 1.6, respectively. 3. In the K(+)-free solution, the reversal potential (EACh) of IACh was close to the Na+ equilibrium potential (ENa). The current-voltage (I-V) relation showed inward rectification at positive potentials. 4. Nicotine mimicked only the peak component of IACh. However both peak and steady-state components were blocked nonselectively by the nicotinic blockers d-tubocurarine and hexamethonium. 5. Carbamylcholine (CCh) mimicked the steady-state component of IACh. The steady-state component was selectively inhibited by atropine at concentrations 1,000 times lower than that required for inhibition of the peak component. The steady state was blocked equally by either pirenzepine (M1 blocker) or AF-DX-116 (M2 blocker). 6. It was concluded that the IACh consisted of a peak component having double exponential activation and inactivation, mediated through the nicotinic actions, and a steady-state component having no inactivation, mediated through the muscarinic action.


1990 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 805-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Akaike ◽  
O. A. Krishtal ◽  
T. Maruyama

1. The proton-induced current was examined in isolated frog dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells by the use of the "concentration-clamp" technique, which allows intracellular perfusion and rapid change of external solution with various pH (pHo) within 2 ms under single-electrode voltage-clamp condition. 2. Over one-half of the examined neurons showed no response for a "step" reduction of pHo even in a Ca2(+)-free external solution. In smaller neurons having a diameter less than 20 microns, the persistent and reliable proton-induced responses were obtained, though the current amplitude and the activation and inactivation varied considerably for each cell. 3. The decrease of external Na+ concentration ([Na+]o) reduced the proton response. The proton response reversed the direction and the Na+ equilibrium potential (ENa). 4. With decreasing pHo from 7.4, proton response increased in a sigmoidal fashion. The threshold was around pH 7.0 and the maximum response appeared at pH 5.2, whereas pKa and Hill coefficient were 6.0 and 1.97, respectively. 5. The activation and inactivation phases of the proton-induced current behaved as a single exponential function. The time constants of activation (tau a) and inactivation (tau i) were not affected by changing either the holding membrane potential (VH) or the low external Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]o) between 10(-6) and 5 X 10(-3) M. But the decrease of pHo up to 5.2 decreased both tau a and tau i in a saturable manner. 6. In the inactivation curve of proton-induced current obtained by decreasing pHo from various conditioning pHo to 5.5, half inactivation occurred at pHo 7.45.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 1880-1888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Tomaru ◽  
Takashi Kurahashi

Spike discharges of single olfactory receptor cells (ORCs) were recorded with the whole cell patch-clamp method applied to slice preparation. In parallel, activities of transduction channels were measured under the voltage-clamp condition. When cells were stimulated by odorants, 54 out of 306 cells exhibited inward current responses (10 mM cineole in the puffer pipette). The amplitude of the inward current was dependent on the stimulus period, reflecting the time integration for the stimulus dose, and the relation could be fitted by the Hill equation. Under the current-clamp condition, current injection induced spike discharges. In cells showing repetitive firings, the firing frequency was dependent on the amount of injected current. The relation was fitted by the Michaelis-Menten equation showing saturation. When cells were responsive to the odorant and had abilities to discharge repetitive spikes, the depolarizing responses were accompanied by repetitive spikes. In those cells, the spike frequency was dose-dependent, expressing saturation similar to the result obtained by current injection. Since both transduction channel and spike generative steps expressed saturation in their dose dependences, we explored what step(s) actually determines saturation in ORC signaling processes. By examining dose-response relations of both the current and spikes in the same cells, saturating dose was found to be dependent largely on that of the transduction step. This suggests that the dynamic range is fundamentally determined by the transduction system. In addition, a simple model derived from the nonlinearity of the plasma membrane could explain that a critical level of dynamic range was, at least in part, modified by the membrane nonlinearity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 861-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Bellelli ◽  
Emanuele Caglioti

Cooperative ligand binding is a fundamental property of many biological macromolecules, notably transport proteins, hormone receptors, and enzymes. Positive homotropic cooperativity, the form of cooperativity that has greatest physiological relevance, causes the ligand affinity to increase as ligation proceeds, thus increasing the steepness of the ligand-binding isotherm. The measurement of the extent of cooperativity has proven difficult, and the most commonly employed marker of cooperativity, the Hill coefficient, originates from a structural hypothesis that has long been disproved. However, a wealth of relevant biochemical data has been interpreted using the Hill coefficient and is being used in studies on evolution and comparative physiology. Even a cursory analysis of the pertinent literature shows that several authors tried to derive more sound biochemical information from the Hill coefficient, often unaware of each other. As a result, a perplexing array of equations interpreting the Hill coefficient is available in the literature, each responding to specific simplifications or assumptions. In this work, we summarize and try to order these attempts, and demonstrate that the Hill coefficient (i) provides a minimum estimate of the free energy of interaction, the other parameter used to measure cooperativity, and (ii) bears a robust statistical correlation to the population of incompletely saturated ligation intermediates. Our aim is to critically evaluate the different analyses that have been advanced to provide a physical meaning to the Hill coefficient, and possibly to select the most reliable ones to be used in comparative studies that may make use of the extensive but elusive information available in the literature.


2001 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris HILLIER ◽  
Mark C. PETRIE ◽  
Michael P. LOVE ◽  
Fiona JOHNSTON ◽  
Margaret R. MACLEAN ◽  
...  

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and adrenomedullin (ADM) are both produced in the arterial wall, but have opposing biological actions. Evidence from experimental animals suggests a functional interaction between ET-1 and ADM. We have tested this in humans. Small resistance arteries were obtained from gluteal biopsies taken from patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) due to coronary heart disease (CHD), or with CHD and preserved ventricular function. The contractile responses to big ET-1 and to ET-1 in both sets of vessels were studied in the absence (control) and presence of ADM at 20 pmol/l (low ADM) or 200 pmol/l (high ADM), using wire myography. ADM did not affect the conversion of big ET-1 into ET-1 in vessels from patients with either CHD or CHF. Low ADM did not alter the contractile response to ET-1 in vessels from patients with CHF. Low ADM was not tested in vessels from patients with CHD, but high ADM did not affect this response in arteries from these patients. High ADM did, however, significantly reduce the vasoconstrictor effect of ET-1 in vessels from patients with CHF. The maximum response, as a percentage of the response to high potassium, was 199% (S.E.M. 25%) in the control experiments (n = 14), 205% (27%) in the low-ADM (n = 7) studies and 150% (17%) in the high-ADM (n = 6) experiments (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the Hill coefficient increased from 0.57±0.05 in the absence of ADM to 1.16±0.15 in the high-ADM experiments, indicating that ADM at 200 pmol/l specifically antagonized one receptor type in vessels from patients with CHF. We conclude that there is a one-site receptor interaction between ADM and ET-1 that is specific for vessels from patients with CHF. This functional interaction between ADM and ET-1 in resistance arteries may be of pathophysiological importance in CHF.


1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izumi Sugihara

Effects of internal Sr2+ on the activity of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels were studied in inside-out membrane patches from goldfish saccular hair cells. Sr2+ was approximately one-fourth as potent as Ca2+ in activating these channels. Although the Hill coefficient for Sr2+ was smaller than that for Ca2+, maximum open-state probability, voltage dependence, steady state gating kinetics, and time courses of activation and deactivation of the channel were very similar under the presence of equipotent concentrations of Ca2+ and Sr2+. This suggests that voltage-dependent activation is partially independent of the ligand. Internal Sr2+ at higher concentrations (&gt;100 μM) produced fast and slow blockade both concentration and voltage dependently. The reduction in single-channel amplitude (fast blockade) could be fitted with a modified Woodhull equation that incorporated the Hill coefficient. The dissociation constant at 0 mV, the Hill coefficient, and zd (a product of the charge of the blocking ion and the fraction of the voltage difference at the binding site from the inside) in this equation were 58–209 mM, 0.69–0.75, 0.45–0.51, respectively (n = 4). Long shut events (slow blockade) produced by Sr2+ lasted ∼10–200 ms and could be fitted with single-exponential curves (time constant, τl−s) in shut-time histograms. Durations of burst events, periods intercalated by long shut events, could also be fitted with single exponentials (time constant, τb). A significant decrease in τb and no large changes in τl−s were observed with increased Sr2+ concentration and voltage. These findings on slow blockade could be approximated by a model in which single Sr2+ ions bind to a blocking site within the channel pore beyond the energy barrier from the inside, as proposed for Ba2+ blockade. The dissociation constant at 0 mV and zd in the Woodhull equation for this model were 36–150 mM and 1–1.8, respectively (n = 3).


2000 ◽  
Vol 352 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lixia TANG ◽  
Yong ZHANG ◽  
Zhongming QIAN ◽  
Xun SHEN

The mechanism of Fe2+-initiated lipid peroxidation in a liposomal system was studied. It was found that a second addition of ferrous ions within the latent period lengthened the time lag before lipid peroxidation started. The apparent time lag depended on the total dose of Fe2+ whenever the second dose of Fe2+ was added, which indicates that Fe2+ has a dual function: to initiate lipid peroxidation on one hand and suppress the species responsible for the initiation of the peroxidation on the other. When the pre-existing lipid peroxides (LOOH) were removed by incorporating triphenylphosphine into liposomes, Fe2+ could no longer initiate lipid peroxidation and the acceleration of Fe2+ oxidation by the liposomes disappeared. However, when extra LOOH were introduced into liposomes, both enhancement of the lipid peroxidation and shortening of the latent period were observed. When the scavenger of lipid peroxyl radicals (LOOP), N,N´-diphenyl-p-phenylene-diamine, was incorporated into liposomes, neither initiation of the lipid peroxidation nor acceleration of the Fe2+ oxidation could be detected. The results may suggest that both the pre-existing LOOH and LOOP are necessary for the initiation of lipid peroxidation. The latter comes initially from the decomposition of the pre-existing LOOH by Fe2+ and can be scavenged by its reaction with Fe2+. Only when Fe2+ is oxidized to such a degree that LOOP is no longer effectively suppressed does lipid peroxidation start. It seems that by taking the reactions of Fe2+ with LOOH and LOOP into account, the basic chemistry in lipid peroxidation can explain fairly well the controversial phenomena observed in Fe2+-initiated lipid peroxidation, such as the existence of a latent period, the critical ratio of Fe2+ to lipid and the required oxidation of Fe2+.


1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1418-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Ju Kim ◽  
Jeong-Seop Rhee ◽  
Norio Akaike

Kim, Chang-Ju, Jeong-Seop Rhee, and Norio Akaike. Modulation of high-voltage activated Ca2+ channels in the rat periaqueductal gray neurons by μ-type opioid agonist. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 1418–1424, 1997. The effect of μ-type opioid receptor agonist, D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly5-ol-enkephalin (DAMGO), on high-voltage-activated (HVA) Ca2+ channels in the dissociated rat periaqueductal gray (PAG) neurons was investigated by the use of nystatin-perforated patch recording mode under voltage-clamp condition. Among 118 PAG neurons tested, the HVA Ca2+ channels of 38 neurons (32%) were inhibited by DAMGO (DAMGO-sensitive cells), and the other 80 neurons (68%) were not affected by DAMGO (DAMGO-insensitive cells). The N-, P-, L-, Q-, and R-type Ca2+ channel components in DAMGO-insensitive cells shared 26.9, 37.1, 22.3, 7.9, and 5.8%, respectively, of the total Ca2+ channel current. The channel components of DAMGO-sensitive cells were 45.6, 25.7, 21.7, 4.6, and 2.4%, respectively. The HVA Ca2+ current of DAMGO-sensitive neurons was inhibited by DAMGO in a concentration-, time-, and voltage-dependent manner. Application of ω-conotoxin-GVIA occluded the inhibitory effect of DAMGO ∼70%. So, HVA Ca2+ channels inhibited by DAMGO were mainly the N-type Ca2+ channels. The inhibitory effect of DAMGO on HVA Ca2+ channels was prevented almost completely by the pretreatment of pertussis toxin (PTX) for 8–10 h, suggesting that DAMGO modulation on N-type Ca2+ channels in rat PAG neurons is mediated by PTX-sensitive G proteins. These results indicate that μ-type opioid receptor modulates N-type HVA Ca2+ channels via PTX-sensitive G proteins in PAG neurons of rats.


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