Somatostatin receptor subtype SSTR2 mediates the inhibition of high-voltage-activated calcium channels by somatostatin and its analogue SMS 201-995

Somatostatin and its analogue SMS 201-995 inhibit high voltage-activated (HVA) Ca2+ currents in the rat insulinoma cell line RINm5F which stably express cloned human somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (hSSTR2). In contrast, neither somatostatin nor SMS 201-995 suppresses the HVA Ca2+ currents in RINm5F which stably express cloned hSSTR1. These results suggest that somatostatin-induced inhibition of HVA Ca2+ currents is mediated by a specific receptor subtype and that inhibition of calcium influx through HVA Ca2+ channels is one of the mechanisms of SMS 201-995 action on inhibitory processes of hormone secretion and cell proliferation.

Functional neuronal ionotropic glutamate receptors are expressed in the non-neuronal cell line MIN6

We report that a non-neuronal cell line, MIN6, derived from insulin-secreting pancreatic beta-cells, naturally expresses functional ionotropic glutamate receptors. Electrophysiological recordings show that kainate, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA), and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) depolarize single MIN6 cells and evoke inward ionic currents. These agents also increase the intracellular calcium concentration in MIN6 cells. Furthermore, insulin secretion from MIN6 cells is stimulated by kainate, AMPA, and NMDA. The presence of AMPA/kainate and NMDA receptor subtypes is confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. These results demonstrate that ionotropic glutamate receptors with properties similar to those in neuronal cells are expressed in a non-neuronal cell line, MIN6. Thus, MIN6 provides a useful and valuable model system for biochemical, pharmacological, and physiological studies of ionotropic glutamate receptors.

Cloning and functional characterization of a third pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide receptor subtype expressed in insulin-secreting cells

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide belonging to the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide/glucagon/secretin family. It is widely distributed in the body, and a variety of biological actions have been reported. PACAP exerts its biological effects by binding to specific receptors that are coupled to GTP-binding proteins. Recent studies have shown that there is a family of PACAP receptors (PACAPRs), and two members of this family have been identified. We report here the cloning, functional expression, and tissue distribution of a third PACAPR subtype, designated PACAPR-3. The cDNA encoding PACAPR-3 has been isolated from a mouse insulin-secreting beta-cell line MIN6 cDNA library. Mouse PACAPR-3 is a protein of 437 amino acids that has 50% and 51% identity with rat PACAP type I and type II receptors, respectively. Expression of recombinant mouse PACAPR-3 in mammalian cells shows that it binds to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide as well as PACAP-38 and -27, with a slightly higher affinity for PACAP-38, and is positively coupled to adenylate cyclase. The expression of PACAPR-3 in Xenopus oocytes indicates that calcium-activated chloride currents are evoked by PACAP and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, suggesting that PACAPR-3 can also be coupled to phospholipase C. RNA blot analysis studies reveal that PACAPR-3 mRNA is expressed at high levels in MIN6, at moderate levels in pancreatic islets and other insulin-secreting cell lines, HIT-T15 and RINm5F, as well as in the lung, brain, stomach, and colon, and at low levels in the heart. Furthermore, insulin secretion from MIN6 cells is significantly stimulated by PACAP-38. These results suggest that the diverse biological effects of PACAP are mediated by a family of structurally related proteins and that PACAPR-3 participates in the regulation of insulin secretion.

Comparison of in vitro antifungal activity of itraconazole and hydroxy-itraconazole by colorimetric MTT assay

The in vitro antifungal activities of itraconazole and its active hydroxyl metabolite, hydroxy-itraconazole (R 63372), against Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans were compared by visual assessment of growth as well as by colorimetric MTT [3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide] assay using microtitre plates containing four different media. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) end points determined by the colorimetric MTT assay correlated well with those obtained by visual assay. The two drugs showed different MIC values depending on the medium used. The activity of itraconazole was equal to or greater than the activity of hydroxy-itraconazole against most of the fungi tested. Both drugs showed lower MIC values against A. fumigatus and Cr. neoformans in brain heart infusion broth (BHI) medium than in yeast nitrogen base (YNBG) medium, Sabouraud glucose broth (SAB) or "synthetic amino acid medium, fungal" (SAAMF). However, the MIC end point of these drugs against C. albicans in BHI and SAB media was difficult to determine visually as well as by MTT assay. In C. albicans, the MTT assay method using SAAMF and YNBG media is recommended for the determination of MICs.

Isolation of a metastasizing cancer cell line from an aflatoxin B1-induced rat liver tumor

An attempt was made to isolate cancer cell lines from liver tumors that had been induced by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in rats. A clonal cell line named AFB-1 was isolated from a liver tumor that was histologically diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma. When AFB-1 cells were inoculated into the subcutaneous tissue at the dorsal region of syngenic animals, they metastasized from the site of inoculation into the abdominal cavity to form many tumor nodules throughout the serous membrane and metastatic foci in the kidney and pancreas. They also metastasized into the thoracic cavity to form metastatic foci in the lung. This is the first instance where a metastasizing AFB1-induced cancer cell line has been isolated.

Induction of inward rectifiers in mouse skeletal muscle fibres in culture

The whole-cell voltage-clamp technique was used to study the physicochemical nature and regulatory mechanisms of inward rectifier K+ currents in skeletal muscle fibres (flexor digitorum brevis muscle) of newborn mice. The inward rectifier K+ currents were at hardly discernible levels (less than or equal to 15 microA/cm2) in fibres acutely isolated from 1-day-old (P1) mice or P1 fibres cultured without any added reagents for 1-3 days. When A23187 (1 microM), ionomycin (3 microM) or ryanodine (greater than or equal to 0.03 microM) was added to a culture medium, a significant increase of the inward rectifier current (-106 +/- 46 microA/cm2 at a membrane potential of -100 mV and an extracellular K+ concentration of 20 mM for the case of A23187) was observed within 1 day after the addition of the reagents. The inward rectifier current decreased to the level of control cultures within 11 h after a removal of A23187. The increase of the current with A23187 was inhibited with actinomycin D, cycloheximide or colchicine, but not with tunicamycin or cytochalasin B. We suggest that the functional inward rectifiers are induced in skeletal muscle fibres by elevation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in a transcription and protein synthesis dependent manner and that the microtubular system is necessary for this induction.

Postnatal induction and neural regulation of inward rectifiers in mouse skeletal muscle

The whole-cell voltage-clamp technique was used to examine developmental changes of inward rectifier currents in fibres of the flexor digitorum brevis muscle acutely isolated from mice on postnatal day 0 (P0) to P36. Neither a steady-state component (Is-s) nor a slowly activated component (Irise) of inward rectifier currents were observed in fibres of P0 and P4 mice. Both Is-s and Irise became apparent between days P8 and P16. The specific amplitudes of Is-s and Irise measured at a test-pulse potential of -100 mV at 20 mM extracellular K+ [( K+]o) increased to their respective platcau values of -68 +/- 10 and -15 +/- 7 microA/cm2 at P20. In fibres denervated on day P4 the developmental increase of Is-s was suppressed, its specific amplitude at P20 being one-tenth of that in the corresponding normal fibres. Irise did not appear in P4-denervated fibres throughout the development. In muscle fibres denervated at P16 or P20, the specific amplitudes of Is-s and Irise decreased, reaching the levels of P4-denervated fibres in 2-4 days after denervation. We conclude that Is-s and Irise develop within 3 weeks after birth, and suggest that innervation plays a key role in their induction.

Geographutoxin-sensitive and insensitive sodium currents in mouse skeletal muscle developing in situ

1. The whole-cell voltage-clamp technique was used to examine developmental changes of Na+ current properties in single fibres of mouse flexor digitorum brevis muscles developing in situ from birth to 20 days post-natal. 2. Geographutoxin II (GTX II), a novel polypeptide toxin from the marine snail Conus geographus, distinguished two different types of voltage-sensitive Na+ currents: GTX II-sensitive and GTX II-insensitive currents, which corresponded respectively to currents with high or low TTX sensitivity. 3. Voltage-dependent activation and inactivation of the GTX II-insensitive currents occurred at membrane potentials 10-20 mV more negative than those for the GTX II-sensitive currents. 4. The GTX II-insensitive current in fibres from mice older than 8 days inactivated more slowly than the GTX II-sensitive current. However, in fibres from younger mice, the two currents decayed with similar speed. 5. The mean specific Na+ conductance (gNa) for the total (GTX II-sensitive plus GTX II-insensitive) Na+ channels was 0.22 mS/muF at a Na+ concentration of 5 mM at birth. The total gNa increased 6-fold to 1.32 mS/muF during the first 20 days after birth. 6. The mean specific gNa for the GTX II-insensitive channels was 0.15 mS/muF at birth, remained at approximately the same level for the first 8 days, and then decreased progressively to become undetectable by day 16. 7. In muscle fibres denervated 12 days after birth, the GTX II-insensitive gNa increased over the next 8 days, whereas the total gNa increased less than normal. 8. By contrast, in fibres denervated on day 4, the total gNa increased more than normal in the following 8 days, and the GTX II-insensitive specific gNa increased above the level seen at birth. 9. Half-maximal activation and inactivation potentials of the total and the GTX II-insensitive currents shifted in the negative direction by 9-17 mV in the first 8 days after birth. 10. We conclude that the regulatory effects of innervation on the total gNa are either suppressive or enhancing depending on the stage of development. On the other hand, denervation elicits an increase in GTX II-insensitive Na+ currents at all ages studied.

Post-natal disappearance of transient calcium channels in mouse skeletal muscle: effects of denervation and culture

1. The whole-cell voltage clamp technique was used to record Ba2+ currents in voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels in mouse flexor digitorum brevis muscles developing in situ from day 1 to 30 after birth. Effects of denervation and tissue culture on the Ca2+ channel currents were also studied. 2. The muscle fibres in newborn mice showed two distinct types of Ca2+ channel currents, a low-threshold transient current and a high-threshold sustained current. 3. The specific amplitude of the transient current was 2.7 +/- 1.7 (S.D.) A/F in response to -30 mV test pulses in medium containing 30 mM-Ba2+ on day 1 after birth. The transient current decreased progressively in the post-natal days and became undetectable by day 17. In contrast, the specific amplitude of the sustained current in response to +20 mV test pulses increased 4-fold from 6.9 A/F on day 1 to 27.7 A/F on day 30. 4. The disappearance of the transient current could not be accounted for by either shifts in voltage dependence of activation and inactivation or changes in activation and inactivation times of the two types of current during development. 5. Denervating muscle fibres on day 8 after birth did not prevent the disappearance of the transient current. Denervating them on day 17 did not allow reappearance of the transient current. However, the increase of the sustained current was suppressed by the denervation either on day 8 or day 17. 6. In muscle fibres isolated on day 8 after birth and cultured thereafter, the transient current did not disappear until day 19 in culture (27 days after birth), while the sustained current was maintained at the level on day 8. 7. In muscle fibres isolated on day 17, when the transient current had become undetectable, and cultured thereafter, the transient current did not reappear until day 15 in culture (32 days after birth), while the sustained current was maintained at a level similar to that on day 17. 8. We conclude that innervation has little influence on the developmental disappearance of the transient Ca2+ channel current in mouse muscle fibres, and suggest that some influencing factors from surroundings other than the nerve may be required for the disappearance of the functional transient channels.

Actions of a polypeptide toxin from the marine snail Conus striatus on voltage-sensitive sodium channels

The effects of a polypeptide toxin of 25,000 Da from the marine snail Conus striatus (CsTx) on sodium channels in mouse neuroblastoma cells and rat brain synaptosomes were studied. CsTx slowed sodium channel inactivation without altering the time course of activation of the channels. The voltage dependence of sodium channel inactivation was shifted to more negative membrane potentials and made less steep. Peak sodium currents were increased, and the voltage dependence of activation was shifted to more negative membrane potentials. The action of the toxin was voltage-dependent. Maximum toxin effects were observed at membrane potentials in the range of -100 to -60 mV. Apparent KD values were calculated assuming a one-to-one binding interaction. At more positive membrane potentials, the apparent KD for toxin action increased e-fold for each 19-mV depolarization. Apparent KD also increased at membrane potentials more negative than -100 mV. CsTx did not have significant effects on the binding of saxitoxin or Leiurus alpha-scorpion toxin to their receptor sites on sodium channels. CsTx enhanced the binding of batrachotoxinin A 20-alpha-benzoate to sodium channels in the same concentration range as its physiological effects. It is concluded that CsTx interacts with a new receptor site on the extracellular surface of the sodium channel at which specific effects on channel inactivation can occur.

The Conus toxin geographutoxin IL distinguishes two functional sodium channel subtypes in rat muscle cells developing in vitro

Sodium currents in cultured rat muscle cells converted to myoballs by treatment with colchicine were recorded using a giga-ohm seal voltage-clamp procedure in the whole-cell configuration. Geographutoxin II (GTX II), a novel polypeptide toxin from the piscivorous marine snail Conus geographus, reduces sodium currents in rat myoballs without marked alteration of the time course or voltage dependence of activation of the remaining current. Titration of the inhibition of sodium currents by GTX II showed that, in individual myoballs, a fraction of the sodium current averaging 49 +/- 9% (SEM) was inhibited by saturating (25 microM) concentrations of GTX II. The concentration-effect curve fit a noncooperative, 1:1 binding isotherm with a single KD for GTX II of 19 nM characteristic of inhibition of the TTX-sensitive sodium channels of adult rat muscle. Titration of the sodium current remaining in the presence of 2.5 microM GTX II with TTX gave complete inhibition. The dose-response curve fit a noncooperative, 1:1 binding isotherm with a single KD for TTX of 1.3 microM characteristic of TTX-insensitive sodium channels of embryonic muscle. The action of GTX II was not frequency dependent. The all-or-none inhibition of these 2 sodium channel subtypes by GTX II suggests substantial structural differences in the region of neurotoxin receptor site 1 on TTX-sensitive and -insensitive sodium channels and provides definitive evidence that these 2 sodium channel subtypes function in parallel in muscle cells developing in the absence of innervation.

Gating of Na channels. Inactivation modifiers discriminate among models

Macroscopic Na currents were recorded from N18 neuroblastoma cells by the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. Inactivation of the Na currents was removed by intracellular application of proteolytic enzymes, trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, papain, or ficin, or bath application of N-bromoacetamide. Unlike what has been reported in squid giant axons and frog skeletal muscle fibers, these treatments often increased Na currents at all test pulse potentials. In addition, removal of inactivation gating shifted the midpoint of the peak Na conductance-voltage curve in the negative direction by 26 mV on average and greatly prolonged the rising phase of Na currents for small depolarizations. Polypeptide toxins from Leiurus quinquestriatus scorpion and Goniopora coral, which slow inactivation in adult nerve and muscle cells, also increase the peak Na conductance and shift the peak conductance curve in the negative direction by 7-10 mV in neuroblastoma cells. Control experiments argue against ascribing the shifts to series resistance artifacts or to spontaneous changes of the voltage dependence of Na channel kinetics. The negative shift of the peak conductance curve, the increase of peak Na currents, and the prolongation of the rise at small depolarization after removal of inactivation are consistent with gating kinetic models for neuroblastoma cell Na channels, where inactivation follows nearly irreversible activation with a relatively high, voltage-independent rate constant and Na channels open only once in a depolarization. As the same kind of experiment does not give apparent shifting of activation and prolongation of the rising phase of Na currents in adult axon and muscle membranes, the Na channels of these other membranes probably open more than once in a depolarization.

Mechanism of action of a polypeptide neurotoxin from the coral Goniopora on sodium channels in mouse neuroblastoma cells

Goniopora toxin (GPT), a polypeptide toxin of 9700 Da isolated from coral, markedly slows inactivation of sodium currents recorded under voltage clamp in mouse neuroblastoma cells. The voltage dependence of sodium channel activation is shifted to more negative membrane potentials by 9.8 +/- 2.1 mV, and the voltage dependence of channel inactivation is shifted to more positive membrane potential by 6.0 +/- 2.5 mV. These actions of GPT are voltage dependent with an e-fold increase in K0.5 for toxin action for each 48.3-mV depolarization between -80 and +40 mV. GPT requires Na+ or another alkali metal cation in the extracellular medium for its effect on sodium channels. The relative effectiveness of the different cations tested is Na+ greater than K+ greater than Rb+ greater than Li+ greater than Cs+ much greater than choline+. Like other polypeptide neurotoxins that slow inactivation of sodium channels, GPT enhances persistent activation of sodium channels by veratridine. However, GPT does not block the binding of 125I-labeled Leiurus scorpion toxin to neurotoxin receptor site 3 on sodium channels at concentrations which effectively slow channel inactivation. Therefore, our results define a new site on the sodium channel at which specific effects on inactivation can occur.

Voltage clamp analysis of tetrodotoxin-sensitive and -insensitive sodium channels in rat muscle cells developing in vitro

Sodium currents in cultured rat muscle cells converted to myoballs by treatment with colchicine were recorded using a giga-ohm seal voltage clamp procedure in the whole cell configuration. The mean peak Na+ conductance of the myoballs was 90 pS/microns2 of surface membrane. Half-maximal activation of Na+ currents was observed for test pulses to -31 mV and half-maximal inactivation was observed for prepulses to -74 mV. Titration of the inhibition of Na+ currents by tetrodotoxin (TTX) yielded a biphasic inhibition curve consistent with the presence of two classes of Na+ channels differing in affinity for TTX. The TTX-sensitive channels carried 28% of the Na+ current and had an apparent KD for TTX of 13 nM at 20 degrees C. The TTX-insensitive Na+ channels had an apparent KD for TTX of 3.2 microns. Inhibition of TTX-insensitive Na+ channels by TTX was enhanced by repetitive stimulation of the myoballs at 2 Hz, whereas the inhibition of TTX-sensitive Na+ channels by TTX was not frequency dependent. We conclude that rat muscle cells developing in vitro synthesize physiologically functional, TTX-sensitive Na+ channels in the absence of innervation. These channels, which are characteristic of adult skeletal muscle, function in parallel with TTX-insensitive Na+ channels that are present in embryonic muscle.

Properties of voltage-sensitive sodium channels in neuroblastoma cells grown in chemically defined and serum-supplemented media

The saxitoxin binding properties and sodium currents were compared in N18 neuroblastoma cells grown in serum-supplemented and chemically defined serum-free media. There was no alteration in either maximal binding capacity or receptor affinity and the kinetics or voltage dependency of sodium channel activation and inactivation. It is concluded that sodium channels expressed by neuroblastoma cells grown in the chemically defined media were functionally identical to those in cells grown in serum-supplemented medium.

Voltage clamp analysis of the inhibitory actions of diphenylhydantoin and carbamazepine on voltage-sensitive sodium channels in neuroblastoma cells

The actions of diphenylhydantoin (DPH) and carbamazepine (CBZ) on sodium channels in mouse neuroblastoma cells (clone N18) were analyzed using the patch voltage clamp procedure in the whole cell configuration. DPH and CBZ reduced sodium currents without effect on the voltage dependence of sodium channel activation. Half-maximal inhibition was observed with approximately 30 microM of each drug. Depolarization increased and hyperpolarization reversed channel block by these two drugs in the voltage range from -90 to -45 mV. Repetitive stimulation at 2 Hz or greater enhanced inhibition of sodium channels. The half-time for recovery from voltage-dependent inhibition was greater for DPH (1.36 sec) than for CBZ (0.38 sec). A combination of prolonged depolarizing pulses of 15 mV with superimposed brief maximal depolarizations designed to mimic the electrical activity in an epileptic focus gave additive effects of voltage-dependent and frequency-dependent inhibition. The results support the previous proposal that DPH and CBZ are sodium channel-selective anticonvulsants and provide a potential basis for specific inhibition of neurons in epileptic foci. The mechanism of DPH and CBZ action is considered in terms of an allosteric or modulated receptor model of drug binding and action.

Voltage clamp analysis of sodium channels in normal and scorpion toxin-resistant neuroblastoma cells

Sodium currents mediated by voltage-sensitive sodium channels in normal and scorpion toxin-resistant neuroblastoma cells were measured using a giga-ohm seal recording method in the whole cell patch configuration. The voltage and time dependence of sodium currents were similar in normal and mutant cell lines. Half-maximal activation occurred for test depolarizations in the range of -7 to -11 mV. Half-maximal inactivation occurred for pre-pulses in the range of -62 to -69 mV. Scorpion toxin from Leiurus quinquestriatus (100 to 200 nM) increased the time constant for sodium channel inactivation 6- to 9-fold, increased the peak sodium current 2.0 +/- 0.5-fold, shifted the voltage dependence of sodium channel activation 7 to 11 mV to more negative potentials, and made the voltage dependence of inactivation less steep. These effects were observed for both normal and scorpion toxin-resistant neuroblastoma cells. However, the effect of Leiurus toxin on the rate of inactivation was half-maximal at 1.7 nM for the parental cell line N18, in contrast to 5.4 or 39 nM for the scorpion toxin-resistant clone LV30 and 24 or 51 nM for LV10. These results show that scorpion toxin resistance results from a specific change in channel properties that does not impair normal function but causes an increase in the apparent KD for Leiurus toxin action on sodium channels.

Neurotrophic substance develops tetrodotoxin-sensitive action potential and increases curare-sensitivity of acetylcholine response in cultured rat myotubes

We examined the trophic effects of a partially purified trophic substance from mouse spinal cord extract on the tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitivity of action potentials and on acetylcholine-sensitivity of rat skeletal myotubes in 7- and 8-day-old cultures. Many myotubes grown in control medium generate action potentials in the presence of TTX (10(-6) M). The addition of fraction E (Fr.E) from a Biogel P2 column, which exhibited trophic activity on adult denervated muscle in organ culture, decreased TTX-resistivity of action potentials of myotubes in cell culture. The trophic substance was also effective when further purified by paper chromatography and electrophoresis. The response to iontophoretically applied acetylcholine of Fr.E-treated myotubes was much more reduced by D-tubocurarine (10(-7) g/ml) than those of control cultured myotubes. No difference in morphological differentiation, protein synthesis, creatine phosphokinase activity or specific binding of [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin was observed between control and Fr.E-treated cultures. These results suggest that the trophic substance in Fr.E may be involved in the normal development of TTX-sensitive sodium channels and of acetylcholine receptor properties.

Changes in cholinergic and adrenergic responses of organ-cultured chick smooth muscle

Chick expansor secundariorum muscles were organ-cultured soon after hatching. Various contraction agonists or other agents were added to the nutrient medium to examine their effects on muscle chemosensitivity. The presence of noradrenaline, acetylcholine or barium chloride in the nutrient medium progressively reduced the maximum acetylcholine contraction, while the maximum noradrenaline contraction remained unaltered as compared to the BaCl2 or KCl contraction. The desensitizing effect of acetylcholine was abolished by adding atropine to the nutrient medium; the effect of noradrenaline was abolished by adding phentolamine or verapamil. Although 40 days are required after hatching for the acetylcholine response of this muscle to disappear in situ, the present findings suggest that already upon hatching, the acetylcholine response is susceptible to disappearance. Furthermore, the mechanism which abolishes the acetylcholine response of this smooth muscle may be closely related to muscle contraction.

Partial purification and characterization of neutrophic substance affecting tetrodotoxin sensitivity of organ-cultured mouse muscle

From mouse spinal cord homogenate, we isolated a trophic substance which reverses the post-denervation decrease in tetrodotoxin sensitivity of action potential in organ-cultured extensor digitorum longus muscle of mouse and characterized its physicochemical properties. The trophic substance was separated from macromolecules in homogenate by gel filtration on Biogel P2 column. The partially purified trophic substance was heat-stable, acid-stable and alkaline-labile. The trophic activity was destroyed by lyophilization at neutral pH but not at acidic pH. The trophic activity was abolished by incubation with pronase or leucine aminopeptidase, but not by trypsin, chymotrypsin, thermolysin or carboxypeptidase A. The trophic substance passed through an ultrafiltration membrane UM10 freely. A small part of the trophic activity passed through a UM2 or UM05, and the rest was retained on the membranes. The trophic substance adsorbed on CM-Sephadex at pH 7.2 but passed through DEAE-Sephadex at pH 8.4. These results suggest that the trophic substance regulating tetrodotoxin sensitivity of action potential in mouse skeletal muscle is a peptide with a rather low molecular weight of less than 10,000 and that while the N-terminus of the peptide is free, the C-terminus is probably blocked. This peptide differs from other trophic substances reported previously by other investigators.