Number of KCa Channels Underlying Spontaneous Miniature Outward Currents (SMOCs) in Mudpuppy Cardiac Neurons

2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiana S. Scornik ◽  
Laura A. Merriam ◽  
Rodney L. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Current Amplitude ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Single Channel Current ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Intracellular Ca ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Channel Currents

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.

scholarly journals Stoichiometry of Recombinant N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Channels Inferred from Single-channel Current Patterns

1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 485-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis S. Premkumar ◽  
Anthony Auerbach
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Current Pattern ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Single Channel Current ◽  
Aspartate Receptor ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Nr2 Subunits ◽  
Channel Currents ◽  
Straightforward Interpretation

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.

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

1986 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 635-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
T M Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Driving Force ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Ion Flow ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Channel Currents ◽  
Reversal Potentials ◽  
Patch Clamp Method

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.

scholarly journals BK Channels Are Activated by Functional Coupling With L-Type Ca2+ Channels in Cricket Myocytes

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Numata ◽  
Kaori Sato-Numata ◽  
Masami Yoshino
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Bay K 8644 ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Channel Activity ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Intracellular Ca ◽  
Patch Clamp Electrophysiology ◽  
Functional Relevance

Large-conductance calcium (Ca2+)-activated potassium (K+) (BK) channel activation is important for feedback control of Ca2+ influx and cell excitability during spontaneous muscle contraction. To characterize endogenously expressed BK channels and evaluate the functional relevance of Ca2+ sources leading to BK activity, patch-clamp electrophysiology was performed on cricket oviduct myocytes to obtain single-channel recordings. The single-channel conductance of BK channels was 120 pS, with increased activity resulting from membrane depolarization or increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Extracellular application of tetraethylammonium (TEA) and iberiotoxin (IbTX) suppressed single-channel current amplitude. These results indicate that BK channels are endogenously expressed in cricket oviduct myocytes. Ca2+ release from internal Ca2+ stores and Ca2+ influx via the plasma membrane, which affect BK activity, were investigated. Extracellular Ca2+ removal nullified BK activity. Administration of ryanodine and caffeine reduced BK activity. Administration of L-type Ca2+ channel activity regulators (Bay K 8644 and nifedipine) increased and decreased BK activity, respectively. Finally, the proximity between the L-type Ca2+ channel and BK was investigated. Administration of Bay K 8644 to the microscopic area within the pipette increased BK activity. However, this increase was not observed at a sustained depolarizing potential. These results show that BK channels are endogenously expressed in cricket oviduct myocytes and that BK activity is regulated by L-type Ca2+ channel activity and Ca2+ release from Ca2+ stores. Together, these results show that functional coupling between L-type Ca2+ and BK channels may underlie the molecular basis of spontaneous rhythmic contraction.

Effect of Prozac on whole cell ionic currents in lens and corneal epithelia

1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (1) ◽  
pp. C250-C256 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Rae ◽  
A. Rich ◽  
A. C. Zamudio ◽  
O. A. Candia
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Ionic Currents ◽  
Current Amplitude ◽  
Human Lens ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Single Channel Current ◽  
Ionic Conductances

Prozac (fluoxetine), a compound used therapeutically in humans to combat depression, has substantial effects on ionic conductances in rabbit corneal epithelial cells and in cultured human lens epithelium. In corneal epithelium, it reduces the current due to the large-conductance potassium channels that dominate this preparation. Its effects seem largely to decrease the open probability while leaving the single-channel current amplitude unaltered. In cultured human epithelium, currents from calcium-activated potassium channels and inward rectifiers are unaffected by Prozac. Delayed-rectifier potassium currents are reduced by Prozac in a complicated way that involves both gating and single-channel current amplitude. Fast tetrodotoxin-blockable sodium currents are also decreased by Prozac in this preparation. For all of these ion conductance effects, Prozac concentrations of 10(-5) to 10(-4) M are required. Whereas these levels are 10- to 100-fold higher than the plasma levels achieved in therapeutic use in humans, they are comparable to or less than levels needed for many other blockers of the ionic conductances studied here.

scholarly journals Probing the Geometry of the Inner Vestibule of BK Channels with Sugars

2005 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinatin I. Brelidze ◽  
Karl L. Magleby
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Diffusion Limited ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Diffusion Controlled ◽  
Inward Currents

The geometry of the inner vestibule of BK channels was probed by examining the effects of different sugars in the intracellular solution on single-channel current amplitude (unitary current). Glycerol, glucose, and sucrose decreased unitary current through BK channels in a concentration- and size-dependent manner, in the order sucrose > glucose > glycerol, with outward currents being reduced more than inward currents. The fractional decrease of outward current was more directly related to the fractional hydrodynamic volume occupied by the sugars than to changes in osmolality. For concentrations of sugars ≤1 M, the i/V plots for outward currents in the presence and absence of sugar superimposed after scaling, and increasing K+i from 150 mM to 2 M increased the magnitudes of the i/V plots with little effect on the shape of the scaled curves. These observations suggest that sugars ≤1 M reduce outward currents mainly by entering the inner vestibule and reducing the movement of K+ through the vestibule, rather than by limiting diffusion-controlled access of K+ to the vestibule. With 2 M sucrose, the movement of K+ into the inner vestibule became diffusion limited for 150 mM K+i and voltages >+100 mV. Increasing K+i then relieved the diffusion limitation. An estimate of the capture radius based on the 5 pA diffusion-limited current for channels without the ring of negative charge at the entrance to the inner vestibule was 2.2 Å. Adding the radius of a hydrated K+ (6–8 Å) then gave an effective radius for the entrance to the inner vestibule of 8–10 Å. Such a functionally wide entrance to the inner vestibule together with our observation that even small concentrations of sugar in the inner vestibule reduce unitary current suggest that a wide inner vestibule is required for the large conductance of BK channels.

scholarly journals Acute inhibition of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel by thyroid hormones involves multiple mechanisms

2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (8) ◽  
pp. C817-C828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Cai ◽  
Hongyu Li ◽  
Jeng-Haur Chen ◽  
David N. Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
Thyroid Hormones ◽  
Open Channel ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Current Amplitude ◽  
Transmembrane Conductance Regulator ◽  
Transmembrane Conductance ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Single Channel Current ◽  
Subconductance States ◽  
Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane

The chemical structures of the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) resemble those of small-molecules that inhibit the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel. We therefore tested the acute effects of T3, T4 and reverse T3 (rT3) on recombinant wild-type human CFTR using the patch-clamp technique. When added directly to the intracellular solution bathing excised membrane patches, T3, T4, and rT3 (all tested at 50 μM) inhibited CFTR in several ways: they strongly reduced CFTR open probability by impeding channel opening; they moderately decreased single-channel current amplitude, and they promoted transitions to subconductance states. To investigate the mechanism of CFTR inhibition, we studied T3. T3 (50 μM) had multiple effects on CFTR gating kinetics, suggestive of both allosteric inhibition and open-channel blockade. Channel inhibition by T3 was weakly voltage dependent and stronger than the allosteric inhibitor genistein, but weaker than the open-channel blocker glibenclamide. Raising the intracellular ATP concentration abrogated T3 inhibition of CFTR gating, but not the reduction in single-channel current amplitude nor the transitions to subconductance states. The decrease in single-channel current amplitude was relieved by membrane depolarization, but not the transitions to subconductance states. We conclude that T3 has complex effects on CFTR consistent with both allosteric inhibition and open-channel blockade. Our results suggest that there are multiple allosteric mechanisms of CFTR inhibition, including interference with ATP-dependent channel gating and obstruction of conformational changes that gate the CFTR pore. CFTR inhibition by thyroid hormones has implications for the development of innovative small-molecule CFTR inhibitors.

scholarly journals Single Channel Properties of P2X2 Purinoceptors

1999 ◽  
Vol 113 (5) ◽  
pp. 695-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinghua Ding ◽  
Frederick Sachs
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Excess Noise ◽  
Hill Coefficient ◽  
Inward Rectification ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Single Channel Current ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Channel Properties

The single channel properties of cloned P2X2 purinoceptors expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and Xenopus oocytes were studied in outside-out patches. The mean single channel current–voltage relationship exhibited inward rectification in symmetric solutions with a chord conductance of ∼30 pS at −100 mV in 145 mM NaCl. The channel open state exhibited fast flickering with significant power beyond 10 kHz. Conformational changes, not ionic blockade, appeared responsible for the flickering. The equilibrium constant of Na+ binding in the pore was ∼150 mM at 0 mV and voltage dependent. The binding site appeared to be ∼0.2 of the electrical distance from the extracellular surface. The mean channel current and the excess noise had the selectivity: K+ > Rb+ > Cs+ > Na+ > Li+. ATP increased the probability of being open (Po) to a maximum of 0.6 with an EC50 of 11.2 μM and a Hill coefficient of 2.3. Lowering extracellular pH enhanced the apparent affinity of the channel for ATP with a pKa of ∼7.9, but did not cause a proton block of the open channel. High pH slowed the rise time to steps of ATP without affecting the fall time. The mean single channel amplitude was independent of pH, but the excess noise increased with decreasing pH. Kinetic analysis showed that ATP shortened the mean closed time but did not affect the mean open time. Maximum likelihood kinetic fitting of idealized single channel currents at different ATP concentrations produced a model with four sequential closed states (three binding steps) branching to two open states that converged on a final closed state. The ATP association rates increased with the sequential binding of ATP showing that the binding sites are not independent, but positively cooperative. Partially liganded channels do not appear to open. The predicted Po vs. ATP concentration closely matches the single channel current dose–response curve.

Activation of large-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ channels by cannabinoids

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (1) ◽  
pp. C77-C86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroko Sade ◽  
Katsuhiko Muraki ◽  
Susumu Ohya ◽  
Noriyuki Hatano ◽  
Yuji Imaizumi
Keyword(s):  
Cell Voltage ◽  
Similar Efficacy ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Bathing Solution ◽  
Channel Activity ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Hek 293 ◽  
Intracellular Ca ◽  
Channel Currents

We have examined the effects of the cannabinoid anandamide (AEA) and its stable analog, methanandamide (methAEA), on large-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels using human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells, in which the α-subunit of the BK channel (BK-α), both α- and β1-subunits (BK-αβ1), or both α- and β4-subunits (BK-αβ4) were heterologously expressed. In a whole cell voltage-clamp configuration, each cannabinoid activated BK-αβ1 within a similar concentration range. Because methAEA could potentiate BK-α, BK-αβ1, and BK-αβ4 with similar efficacy, the β-subunits may not be involved at the site of action for cannabinoids. Under cell-attached patch-clamp conditions, application of methAEA to the bathing solution increased BK channel activity; however, methAEA did not alter channel activity in the excised inside-out patch mode even when ATP was present on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Application of methAEA to HEK-BK-α and HEK-BK-αβ1 did not change intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Moreover, methAEA-induced potentiation of BK channel currents was not affected by pretreatment with a CB1 antagonist (AM251), modulators of G proteins (cholera and pertussis toxins) or by application of a selective CB2 agonist (JWH133). Inhibitors of CaM, PKG, and MAPKs (W7, KT5823, and PD-98059) did not affect the potentiation. Application of methAEA to mouse aortic myocytes significantly increased BK channel currents. This study provides the first direct evidence that unknown factors in the cytoplasm mediate the ability of endogenous cannabinoids to activate BK channel currents. Cannabinoids may be hyperpolarizing factors in cells, such as arterial myocytes, in which BK channels are highly expressed.

scholarly journals Bidirectional control of BK channel open probability by CAMKII and PKC in medial vestibular nucleus neurons

2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 1651-1659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid van Welie ◽  
Sascha du Lac
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Medial Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Intrinsic Excitability ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Single Channel Currents

Large conductance K+ (BK) channels are a key determinant of neuronal excitability. Medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons regulate eye movements to ensure image stabilization during head movement, and changes in their intrinsic excitability may play a critical role in plasticity of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Plasticity of intrinsic excitability in MVN neurons is mediated by kinases, and BK channels influence excitability, but whether endogenous BK channels are directly modulated by kinases is unknown. Double somatic patch-clamp recordings from MVN neurons revealed large conductance potassium channel openings during spontaneous action potential firing. These channels displayed Ca2+ and voltage dependence in excised patches, identifying them as BK channels. Recording isolated single channel currents at physiological temperature revealed a novel kinase-mediated bidirectional control in the range of voltages over which BK channels are activated. Application of activated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CAMKII) increased BK channel open probability by shifting the voltage activation range towards more hyperpolarized potentials. An opposite shift in BK channel open probability was revealed by inhibition of phosphatases and was occluded by blockade of protein kinase C (PKC), suggesting that active PKC associated with BK channel complexes in patches was responsible for this effect. Accordingly, direct activation of endogenous PKC by PMA induced a decrease in BK open probability. BK channel activity affects excitability in MVN neurons and bidirectional control of BK channels by CAMKII, and PKC suggests that cellular signaling cascades engaged during plasticity may dynamically control excitability by regulating BK channel open probability.

scholarly journals Rings of Charge within the Extracellular Vestibule Influence Ion Permeation of the 5-HT3A Receptor

2011 ◽  
Vol 286 (18) ◽  
pp. 16008-16017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Livesey ◽  
Michelle A. Cooper ◽  
Jeremy J. Lambert ◽  
John A. Peters
Keyword(s):  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Ion Selectivity ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Charge Selectivity ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Flanking Sequences ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Key Residues ◽  
Channel Currents

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+.

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