Exposure to low temperature prepares the turtle brain to withstand anoxic environments during overwintering

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebrahim Lari ◽  
Leslie T. Buck
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Action Potential ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Cellular Damage ◽  
Severe Hypoxia ◽  
Painted Turtle ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
The Impact

In most vertebrates, anoxia drastically reduces the production of the essential adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to power its many necessary functions, and consequently, cell death occurs within minutes. However, some vertebrates, such as the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii), have evolved the ability to survive months without oxygen by simultaneously decreasing ATP supply and demand, surviving the anoxic period without any apparent cellular damage. The impact of anoxia on the metabolic function of painted turtles has received a lot of attention. Still, the impact of low temperature has received less attention and the interactive effect of anoxia and temperature even less. In the present study, we investigated the interactive impacts of reduced temperature and severe hypoxia on the electrophysiological properties of pyramidal neurons in painted turtle cerebral cortex. Our results show that an acute reduction in temperature from 20 to 5°C decreases membrane potential, action potential width and amplitude, and whole-cell conductance. Importantly, acute exposure to 5°C considerably slows membrane repolarization by voltage-gated K+ channels. Exposing pyramidal cells to severe hypoxia in addition to an acute temperature change slightly depolarized membrane potential but did not alter action potential amplitude or width and whole-cell conductance. These results suggest that acclimation to low temperatures, preceding severe environmental hypoxia, induces cellular responses in pyramidal neurons that facilitate survival under low oxygen concentration. In particular, our results show that temperature acclimation invokes a change in voltage-gated K+ channel kinetics that overcomes the acute inhibition of the channel.

scholarly journals Scavenging reactive oxygen species mimics the anoxic response in goldfish pyramidal neurons

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varshinie Pillai ◽  
Leslie Buck ◽  
Ebrahim Lari
Keyword(s):  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Action Potential ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Reactive Oxygen ◽  
Severe Hypoxia ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Ros Scavenging ◽  
Patch Clamp Recording ◽  
Whole Cell

Goldfish are one of a few species able to avoid cellular damage during month-long periods in severely hypoxic environments. By suppressing action potentials in excitatory glutamatergic neurons, the goldfish brain decreases its overall energy expenditure. Co-incident with reductions in O2 availability is a natural decrease in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which has been proposed to function as part of a low oxygen signal transduction pathway. Therefore, using live-tissue fluorescence microscopy, we found that ROS production decreased by 10% with the onset of anoxia in goldfish telencephalic brain slices. Employing whole-cell patch-clamp recording, we found that like severe hypoxia the ROS scavengers N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and MitoTEMPO, added during normoxic periods, depolarized membrane potential (severe hypoxia -73.6 to – 61.4 mV; NAC -76.6 to -66.2 mV; and MitoTEMPO -71.5 mV to -62.5 mV) and increased whole-cell conductance (severe hypoxia 5.7 to 8.0 nS; NAC 6 nS to 7.5 nS; and MitoTEMPO 6.0 nS to 7.6 nS). Also, in a subset of active pyramidal neurons these treatments reduced action potential firing frequency (severe hypoxia 0.18 Hz to 0.03 Hz; NAC 0.27 Hz to 0.06 Hz and MitoTEMPO 0.35 Hz to 0.08 Hz ). Neither severe hypoxia nor ROS scavenging impacted action potential threshold. The addition of exogenous hydrogen peroxide could reverse the effects of the antioxidants. Taken together, this supports a role for a reduction in [ROS] as a low oxygen signal in goldfish brain.

Dichotomy of Action-Potential Backpropagation in CA1 Pyramidal Neuron Dendrites

2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 2998-3010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nace L. Golding ◽  
William L. Kath ◽  
Nelson Spruston
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Resting Potential ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Voltage Sensitivity ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Ca1 Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Whole Cell Recordings

In hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, action potentials are typically initiated in the axon and backpropagate into the dendrites, shaping the integration of synaptic activity and influencing the induction of synaptic plasticity. Despite previous reports describing action-potential propagation in the proximal apical dendrites, the extent to which action potentials invade the distal dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons remains controversial. Using paired somatic and dendritic whole cell recordings, we find that in the dendrites proximal to 280 μm from the soma, single backpropagating action potentials exhibit <50% attenuation from their amplitude in the soma. However, in dendritic recordings distal to 300 μm from the soma, action potentials in most cells backpropagated either strongly (26–42% attenuation; n = 9/20) or weakly (71–87% attenuation; n = 10/20) with only one cell exhibiting an intermediate value (45% attenuation). In experiments combining dual somatic and dendritic whole cell recordings with calcium imaging, the amount of calcium influx triggered by backpropagating action potentials was correlated with the extent of action-potential invasion of the distal dendrites. Quantitative morphometric analyses revealed that the dichotomy in action-potential backpropagation occurred in the presence of only subtle differences in either the diameter of the primary apical dendrite or branching pattern. In addition, action-potential backpropagation was not dependent on a number of electrophysiological parameters (input resistance, resting potential, voltage sensitivity of dendritic spike amplitude). There was, however, a striking correlation of the shape of the action potential at the soma with its amplitude in the dendrite; larger, faster-rising, and narrower somatic action potentials exhibited more attenuation in the distal dendrites (300–410 μm from the soma). Simple compartmental models of CA1 pyramidal neurons revealed that a dichotomy in action-potential backpropagation could be generated in response to subtle manipulations of the distribution of either sodium or potassium channels in the dendrites. Backpropagation efficacy could also be influenced by local alterations in dendritic side branches, but these effects were highly sensitive to model parameters. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the observed dichotomy in dendritic action-potential amplitude is conferred primarily by differences in the distribution, density, or modulatory state of voltage-gated channels along the somatodendritic axis.

Hormonal Signaling Actions on Kv7.1 (KCNQ1) Channels

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 381-400
Author(s):  
Emely Thompson ◽  
Jodene Eldstrom ◽  
David Fedida
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Action Potential ◽  
Cardiac Action Potential ◽  
Resting Membrane Potential ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
M Current ◽  
Kv7 Channels ◽  
Cardiac Action ◽  
Repolarization Phase ◽  
And Control

Kv7 channels (Kv7.1–7.5) are voltage-gated K+ channels that can be modulated by five β-subunits (KCNE1–5). Kv7.1-KCNE1 channels produce the slow-delayed rectifying K+ current, IKs, which is important during the repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential. Kv7.2–7.5 are predominantly neuronally expressed and constitute the muscarinic M-current and control the resting membrane potential in neurons. Kv7.1 produces drastically different currents as a result of modulation by KCNE subunits. This flexibility allows the Kv7.1 channel to have many roles depending on location and assembly partners. The pharmacological sensitivity of Kv7.1 channels differs from that of Kv7.2–7.5 and is largely dependent upon the number of β-subunits present in the channel complex. As a result, the development of pharmaceuticals targeting Kv7.1 is problematic. This review discusses the roles and the mechanisms by which different signaling pathways affect Kv7.1 and KCNE channels and could potentially provide different ways of targeting the channel.

Modification of Current Transmitted From Apical Dendrite to Soma by Blockade of Voltage- and Ca2+-Dependent Conductances in Rat Neocortical Pyramidal Neurons

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. Schwindt ◽  
Wayne E. Crill
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Reversal Potential ◽  
Apical Dendrite ◽  
Axial Current ◽  
Resting Potential ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Distal Site ◽  
Neocortical Pyramidal Neurons

Schwindt, Peter C. and Wayne E. Crill. Modification of current transmitted from apical dendrite to soma by blockade of voltage- and Ca2+-dependent conductances in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 187–198, 1997. The axial current transmitted to the soma during the long-lasting iontophoresis of glutamate at a distal site on the apical dendrite was measured by somatic voltage clamp of rat neocortical pyramidal neurons. Evidence for voltage- and Ca2+-gated channels in the apical dendrite was sought by examining the modification of this transmitted current resulting from the alteration of membrane potential and the application of channel-blocking agents. After N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor blockade, iontophoresis of glutamate on the soma evoked a current whose amplitude decreased linearly with depolarization to an extrapolated reversal potential near 0 mV. Under the same conditions, glutamate iontophoresis on the apical dendrite 241–537 μm from the soma resulted in a transmitted axial current that increased with depolarization over the same range of membrane potential (about −90 to −40 mV). Current transmitted from dendrite to soma was thus amplified during depolarization from resting potential (about −70 mV) and attenuated during hyperpolarization. After Ca2+ influx was blocked to eliminate Ca2+-dependent K+ currents, application of 10 mM tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA) altered the amplitude and voltage dependence of the transmitted current in a manner consistent with the reduction of dendritic voltage-gated K+ current. We conclude that dendritic, TEA-sensitive, voltage-gated K+ channels can be activated by tonic dendritic depolarization. The most prominent effects of blocking Ca2+ influx resembled those elicited by TEA application, suggesting that these effects were caused predominantly by blockade of a dendritic Ca2+-dependent K+ current. When cells were impaled with microelectrodes containing ethylene glycol-bis(β-amino-ethyl ether)- N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid to prevent a rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, blockade of Ca2+ influx altered the tonic transmitted current in different manner consistent with the blockade of a inward dendritic current carried by high-threshold-activated Ca2+ channels. We conclude that the primary effect of Ca2+ influx during tonic dendritic depolarization is the activation of a dendritic Ca2+-dependent K+ current. The hyperpolarizing attenuation of transmitted current was unaffected by blocking all known voltage-gated inward currents except the hyperpolarization-activated cation current ( I h). Extracellular Cs+ (3 mM) reversibly abolished both the hyperpolarizing attenuation of transmitted current and I h measured at the soma. We conclude that activation of I h by hyperpolarization of the proximal apical dendrite would cause less axial current to arrive at the soma from a distal site than in a passive dendrite. Several functional implications of dendritic K+ and I h channels are discussed.

Membrane properties of dentate gyrus granule cells: comparison of sharp microelectrode and whole-cell recordings

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 1346-1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Staley ◽  
T. S. Otis ◽  
I. Mody
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Action Potential ◽  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Dendritic Tree ◽  
Membrane Voltage ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Calcium Buffers ◽  
Whole Cell Recordings

1. Whole-cell and sharp electrode recordings from adult rat dentate gyrus GCs were performed in the 400-microns-thick hippocampal slice preparation maintained at 34 +/- 1 degrees C. Intrinsic membrane properties of granule cells (GCs) were evaluated with the use of a switching current-clamp amplifier. 2. With the whole-cell technique, the average resting membrane potential (RMP) of GCs was -85 mV when a potassium gluconate electrode solution was used versus -74 mV measured with potassium acetate-filled sharp microelectrodes. The membrane voltage response to injected current was linear over two membrane potential ranges, greater than 10 mV hyperpolarized from RMP and between 10 mV more negative than RMP and -62 mV. The average input resistances (RN) calculated over these ranges were 107 and 228 M omega in the whole-cell recordings versus 37 and 54 M omega in the sharp electrode recordings. There was no correlation between RMP and RN with either recording technique. The membrane time constant (tau m) determined at the RMP was 26.9 ms for whole-cell recordings and 13.9 ms for sharp electrode recordings. 3. There was no evidence of time-dependent changes in RMP, RN, and tau m in whole-cell recordings, although the slow inward rectification seen at hyperpolarized potentials decreased over 30-60 min. Addition of calcium buffers to the whole-cell recording solution did not result in a significant change in the average RMP, the average RN, or the average tau m. 4. Action potential threshold was comparable in whole-cell (-49 mV) and sharp electrode (-52 mV) recordings, but action potential amplitude was larger in whole-cell (126 mV) than in sharp electrode (106 mV) recordings. Spike frequency adaptation was present in the whole-cell recordings and could be abolished by addition of calcium buffers to the electrode solution. 5. We estimated rho, the ratio of dendritic to somatic conductance, to be 5.1 for the whole-cell records and 2.1 for sharp electrode recordings. The electrotonic length of the equivalent cylinder representing the cell processes was estimated to be 0.49 from the whole-cell data and 0.79 from the sharp electrode recordings. This implies that at rest there is only a 10% decrement in steady-state membrane voltage along the length of the dendrite due to shunting across the membrane resistance; small synaptic events occurring in the distal dendritic tree will therefore have a more substantial influence on the soma than previous analyses suggested.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals Voltage-gated sodium channels in neocortical pyramidal neurons display Cole-Moore activation kinetics

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara Almog ◽  
Tal Barkai ◽  
Angelika Lampert ◽  
Alon Korngreen
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Sodium Channels ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Action Potential Generation ◽  
Potential Generation ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Voltage Gated Sodium Channels ◽  
Gating Mechanism ◽  
Cortical Pyramidal Neurons

AbstractExploring the properties of action potentials is a crucial step towards a better understanding of the computational properties of single neurons and neural networks. The voltage-gated sodium channel is a key player in action potential generation. A comprehensive grasp of the gating mechanism of this channel can shed light on the biophysics of action potential generation. Most models of voltage-gated sodium channels assume it obeys a concerted Hodgkin and Huxley kinetic gating scheme. Here we performed high resolution voltage-clamp experiments from nucleated patches extracted from the soma of layer 5 (L5) cortical pyramidal neurons in rat brain slices. We show that the gating mechanism does not follow traditional Hodgkin and Huxley kinetics and that much of the channel voltage-dependence is probably due to rapid closed-closed transitions that lead to substantial onset latency reminiscent of the Cole-Moore effect observed in voltage-gated potassium conductances. This may have key implications for the role of sodium channels in synaptic integration and action potential generation.

scholarly journals Dendritic Voltage-Gated Ion Channels Regulate the Action Potential Firing Mode of Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Neurons

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 1895-1901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Magee ◽  
Michael Carruth
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Action Potential ◽  
Large Amplitude ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Burst Firing ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Ca1 Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Firing Mode ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels

The role of dendritic voltage-gated ion channels in the generation of action potential bursting was investigated using whole cell patch-clamp recordings from the soma and dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons located in hippocampal slices of adult rats. Under control conditions somatic current injections evoked single action potentials that were associated with an afterhyperpolarization (AHP). After localized application of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) to the distal apical dendritic arborization, the same current injections resulted in the generation of an afterdepolarization (ADP) and multiple action potentials. This burst firing was not observed after localized application of 4-AP to the soma/proximal dendrites. The dendritic 4-AP application allowed large-amplitude Na+-dependent action potentials, which were prolonged in duration, to backpropagate into the distal apical dendrites. No change in action potential backpropagation was seen with proximal 4-AP application. Both the ADP and action potential bursting could be inhibited by the bath application of nonspecific concentrations of divalent Ca2+ channel blockers (NiCl and CdCl). Ca2+ channel blockade also reduced the dendritic action potential duration without significantly affecting spike amplitude. Low concentrations of TTX (10–50 nM) also reduced the ability of the CA1 neurons to fire in the busting mode. This effect was found to be the result of an inhibition of backpropagating dendritic action potentials and could be overcome through the coordinated injection of transient, large-amplitude depolarizing current into the dendrite. Dendritic current injections were able to restore the burst firing mode (represented as a large ADP) even in the presence of high concentrations of TTX (300–500 μM). These data suggest the role of dendritic Na+ channels in bursting is to allow somatic/axonal action potentials to backpropagate into the dendrites where they then activate dendritic Ca2+ channels. Although it appears that most Ca2+ channel subtypes are important in burst generation, blockade of T- and R-type Ca2+ channels by NiCl (75 μM) inhibited action potential bursting to a greater extent than L-channel (10 μM nimodipine) or N-, P/Q-type (1 μM ω-conotoxin MVIIC) Ca2+ channel blockade. This suggest that the Ni-sensitive voltage-gated Ca2+ channels have the most important role in action potential burst generation. In summary, these data suggest that the activation of dendritic voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, by large-amplitude backpropagating spikes, provides a prolonged inward current that is capable of generating an ADP and burst of multiple action potentials in the soma of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Dendritic voltage-gated ion channels profoundly regulate the processing and storage of incoming information in CA1 pyramidal neurons by modulating the action potential firing mode from single spiking to burst firing.

scholarly journals Small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels modulate action potential-induced Ca2+ transients in hippocampal neurons

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (6) ◽  
pp. 1514-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaella Tonini ◽  
Teresa Ferraro ◽  
Marisol Sampedro-Castañeda ◽  
Anna Cavaccini ◽  
Martin Stocker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Apical Dendrite ◽  
Channel Blockers ◽  
Sk Channels ◽  
Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Small Conductance

In hippocampal pyramidal neurons, voltage-gated Ca2+ channels open in response to action potentials. This results in elevations in the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ that are maximal in the proximal apical dendrites and decrease rapidly with distance from the soma. The control of these action potential-evoked Ca2+ elevations is critical for the regulation of hippocampal neuronal activity. As part of Ca2+ signaling microdomains, small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels have been shown to modulate the amplitude and duration of intracellular Ca2+ signals by feedback regulation of synaptically activated Ca2+ sources in small distal dendrites and dendritic spines, thus affecting synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. In this study, we investigated the effect of the activation of SK channels on Ca2+ transients specifically induced by action potentials in the proximal processes of hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Our results, obtained by using selective SK channel blockers and enhancers, show that SK channels act in a feedback loop, in which their activation by Ca2+ entering mainly through L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels leads to a reduction in the subsequent dendritic influx of Ca2+. This underscores a new role of SK channels in the proximal apical dendrite of hippocampal pyramidal neurons.

Endurance training alters outward K+current characteristics in rat cardiocytes

2001 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 1327-1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Korinne N. Jew ◽  
M. Charlotte Olsson ◽  
Eric A. Mokelke ◽  
Bradley M. Palmer ◽  
Russell L. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Action Potential ◽  
Primary Culture ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Resting Membrane Potential ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Time To Peak ◽  
Time Required ◽  
In Cells

The effect of endurance run training on outward K+ currents with rapidly inactivating ( I to) and sustained or slowly inactivating ( I sus) characteristics was examined in left ventricular (LV) cardiocytes isolated from sedentary (Sed) and treadmill-trained (Tr) female Sprague-Dawley rats. Isolated LV cardiocytes were used in whole cell patch-clamp studies to characterize whole cell I to and I sus. Peak I to was greatest in cells isolated from the Tr group. When I to was corrected for cell capacitance to yield a current density, most, but not all, of the Sed vs. Tr differences in I to magnitude were eliminated. Regardless of how I to was expressed (e.g., I to or I todensity), the time required to achieve a peak value was markedly shortened in the cardiocytes isolated from the Tr group. Training elicited a reduction in I sus density. Action potential characteristics were determined in Sed and Tr cardiocytes in primary culture. Training did not affect resting membrane potential, whereas peak membrane potential was reduced and time to peak membrane potential was prolonged in the Tr group. In addition, time to 50% repolarization was significantly increased in cells from the Tr group. Collectively, these data indicate that I to and I sus characteristics are altered by training in isolated LV cardiocytes. These alterations in I to and I sus may be responsible, at least in part, for the training-induced alterations in action potential configuration in cardiocytes in primary culture.

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