Bioelectric control of ciliary activity

Effect of SERCA pump inhibitors on chemoresponses in Paramecium

Inhibitors of SERCA (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-dependent ATPase) calcium pumps were used to investigate the involvement of internal Ca2+ stores in the GTP response in Paramecium. External application of these inhibitors was found to dramatically alter the typical behavioral and electrophysiological responses of Paramecium to extracellular chemical stimulation. In particular, 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone (BHQ) strongly inhibited the backward swimming response of paramecia to externally applied GTP, though it did not inhibit the associated whirling response. BHQ also prolonged the normally brief electro-physiological response of these cells to GTP. BHQ completely blocked the behavioral and electrophysiological responses of Paramecium to extracellular Ba2+, but had no measurable effect on the behavioral or electrophysiological responses of these cells to another depolarizing stimulus, elevated external K+ concentration. These results suggest the involvement of nonciliary Ca2+ ions in the GTP and Ba2+ responses.

Purinergic stimulation of rabbit ciliated airway epithelia: control by multiple calcium sources

1. Simultaneous measurements of average intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and ciliary beat frequency (CBF) were carried out on ciliated rabbit tracheal cells in order to determine quantitatively the role of calcium in the regulation of mucus-transporting cilia. 2. Extracellular ATP caused a rapid increase in both [Ca2+]i and CBF in the 0.1-1000 microM concentration range. The rise in [Ca2+]i levelled off to an elevated [Ca2+]i plateau while the cilia remained in a high activation state. The magnitude of the rise in [Ca2+]i and CBF as well as the value of the elevated [Ca2+]i plateau and the value of the sustained CBF were dependent on the concentration of ATP in the solution. 3. No correlation was found between the mean values of [Ca2+]i and CBF at rest but a sigmoidal relationship was found to exist between the maximal rises of these parameters following excitation with extracellular ATP. This sigmoidal correlation incorporated the experiments where [Ca2+]i rise was induced by depletion of internal calcium stores with thapsigargin or by entry of calcium induced by ionomycin. 4. Extracellular ATP caused both the release of calcium from internal stores and calcium influx from the extracellular solution. The release of calcium was identified as originating from a thapsigargin-sensitive and a thapsigargin-insensitive calcium store. It is suggested that the release of calcium from these stores induces the initial rise in CBF. 5. The sustained activation of the cilia and elevated calcium plateau were found to be the result of the extracellular ATP-induced calcium influx. This calcium influx was insensitive to the voltage-gated calcium channel inhibitors verapamil and diltiazem, but was completely eliminated by lowering the extracellular calcium concentration to 0.1 microM. 6. We propose that the initial jump in the CBF is mediated by the calcium released from a thapsigargin-insensitive calcium store adjacent to the cilia, while the later, and longer, rise in CBF is the result of the calcium emanating from the thapsigargin-sensitive store which is positioned further away from the cilia within the cell cytoplasm. The calcium influx that follows is responsible for sustaining the cilia at a high level of excitation.

Pharmacological prevention of acute lead poisoning in Paramecium

To understand how lead (Pb2+) and other metals and chelating agents effect living cells, behavioral experiments in the marine ciliate Paramecium calkinsi were carried out. The duration of Backward Swimming Behavior (BSB) of Paramecium was partially reduced when cells were exposed to 100 microM of Ni2+, CD2+ and Co2+. In contrast, Pb2+ increased Paramecium BSB in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, 1, 10, 20, 50 and 100 microM of Pb2+ increased the duration of BSB by 20.4, 83.9, 143.2, 163.2 and 185.2%, respectively. The naphthalenesulphonamide W-7, a calcium channel blocker in lower organisms, abolished the increase of Paramecium BSB initially produced by Pb2+. Paramecium, poisoned with 10 MicroM of Pb2+, were also treated with putative Pb2+ chelating agents, such as meso-2-3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), Ca-Na2-EDTA and ascorbic acid. These compounds inhibited the increase of the duration of BSB initially produced by Pb2+ in a dose-dependent manner. The potency of these antidotes in blocking the effects of Pb2+ was as follows: DMSA >> Ca-Na2-EDTA > ascorbic acid. These results provide evidence for a membrane-based mechanism of lead poisoning and support the use of DMSA as a lead antidote.

Purinergically induced membrane fluidization in ciliary cells: characterization and control by calcium and membrane potential

To examine the role of membrane dynamics in transmembrane signal transduction, we studied changes in membrane fluidity in mucociliary tissues from frog palate and esophagus epithelia stimulated by extracellular ATP. Micromolar concentrations of ATP induced strong changes in fluorescence polarization, possibly indicating membrane fluidization. This effect was dosage dependent, reaching a maximum at 10-microM ATP. It was dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+ (or Mg2+), though it was insensitive to inhibitors of voltage-gated calcium channels. It was inhibited by thapsigargin and by ionomycin (at low extracellular Ca2+ concentration), both of which deplete Ca2+ stores. It was inhibited by the calcium-activated potassium channel inhibitors quinidine, charybdotoxin, and apamine and was reduced considerably by replacement of extracellular Na+ with K+. Hyperpolarization, or depolarization, of the mucociliary membrane induced membrane fluidization. The degree of membrane fluidization depended on the degree of hyperpolarization or depolarization of the ciliary membrane potential and was considerably lower than the effect induced by extracellular ATP. These results indicate that appreciable membrane fluidization induced by extracellular ATP depends both on an increase in intracellular Ca2+, mainly from its internal stores, and on hyperpolarization of the membrane. Calcium-dependent potassium channels couple the two effects. In light of recent results on the enhancement of ciliary beat frequency, it would appear that extracellular ATP-induced changes both in ciliary beat frequency and in membrane fluidity are triggered by similar signal transduction pathways.

Electrodynamics of microtubular motors: the building blocks of a new model

Microtubules are ubiquitous components of the cytoskeleton. They participate in many motility processes ranging from intracellular transport or chromosome movement during mitosis to ciliary and flagellar beating. The biophysical mechanism inherent in the generation and control of movement in all these motility phenomena has not yet been entirely elucidated. The authors propose a new model based on a charge transfer mechanism capable of shedding a new light on the molecular foundations of all motility processes. Electron transfer along the microtubular lattice is responsible for activation and control of all microtubule-associated ATPases (i.e. force generating enzymes). Microtubules are thus shown to be the basic motors of cell dynamics. The model is first applied to intracellular transport and ciliary and flagellar beating. Through two additional examples, the authors show the heuristic capabilities of the suggested hypothesis. The application of charge transfer control to the Protozoan Euglena gracilis leads to a plausible model capable of accounting for its phototactic response mechanism. Furthermore, the model allows a new interpretation of the electrophysiological response in vertebrate photoreceptors.

Direct visualization of a vast cortical calcium compartment in Paramecium by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) microscopy: possible involvement in exocytosis

The plasma membrane of ciliates is underlaid by a vast continuous array of membrane vesicles known as cortical alveoli. Previous work had shown that a purified fraction of these vesicles actively pumps calcium, suggesting that alveoli may constitute a calcium-storage compartment. Here we provide direct confirmation of this hypothesis using in situ visualization of total cell calcium on sections of cryofixed and cryosubstituted cells analyzed by SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry) microscopy a method never previously applied to protists. A narrow, continuous, Ca-emitting zone located all along the cell periphery was observed on sections including the cortex. In contrast, Na and K were evenly distributed throughout the cell. Various controls confirmed that emission was from the alveoli, in particular, the emitting zone was still seen in mutants totally lacking trichocysts, the large exocytotic organelles docked at the cell surface, indicating that they make no major direct contribution to the emission. Calcium concentration within alveoli was quantified for the first time in SIMS microscopy using an external reference and was found to be in the range of 3 to 5 mM, a value similar to that for sarcoplasmic reticulum. After massive induction of trichocyst discharge, this concentration was found to decrease by about 50%, suggesting that the alveoli are the main source of the calcium involved in exocytosis.

Flagellar quiescence response in sea urchin sperm induced by electric stimulation

To investigate the mechanism of the flagellar quiescence in sperm, we examined the effect of electric stimulation of individual spermatozoa of the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. Stimulation with a suction electrode attached to the sperm head elicited a flagellar quiescence response, in which the sperm showed a typical cane-shaped bend in the proximal region of the flagellum when the electrode was used as anode. Cathodic stimulation also induced quiescence, but was much less effective than anodic stimulation. During the quiescence response, which lasted for 1-3 s, no new bend was initiated, and subsequently the flagellum resumed normal beating. The quiescence response required the presence of Ca2+ (> 2 mM) in sea water, and was inhibited by Co2+ and La3+. At low Ca2+ concentrations (2-5 mM), the angle of the cane-shaped bend was smaller than that at 10 mM Ca2+; thus the angle of the cane-shaped bend, characteristic of the quiescence response is dependent on Ca2+ concentration. These results suggest that the quiescence response is triggered by a depolarization of the flagellar membrane, followed by an influx of Ca2+ into the flagellum through Ca2+ channels. The increase in Ca2+ concentration within the flagellum affects the amount of sliding and thus produces a cane-shaped proximal bend of various angles, while inhibiting both the propagation of the proximal bend (principal bend) and the formation of a new reverse bend.

Chemorepellents in Paramecium and Tetrahymena

Although Paramecium has been widely used as a model sensory cell to study the cellular responses to thermal, mechanical and chemoattractant stimuli, little is known about their responses to chemorepellents. We have used a convenient capillary tube repellent bioassay to describe 4 different compounds that are chemorepellents for Paramecium and compared their response with those of Tetrahymena. The classical Paramecium t-maze chemokinesis test was also used to verify that this is a reliable chemorepellent assay. The first two compounds, GTP and the oxidant NBT, are known to be depolarizing chemorepellents in Paramecium but this is the first report of them as repellents in Tetrahymena. The second two compounds, the secretagogue alcian blue and the dye cibacron blue, have not previously been described as chemorepellents in either of these ciliates. Two other compounds, the secretagogue AED and the oxidant cytochrome c, were found to be repellents to Paramecium but not to Tetrahymena. The repellent nature of each of these compounds is not related to toxicity because cells are completely viable in all of them. More importantly, all of these repellents are effective at micromolar to nanomolar concentrations, providing an opportunity to use them as excitatory ligands in future works concerning their membrane receptors and possible receptor operated ion channels.

Ca2+ transport and chemoreception in Paramecium

Intracellular Ca2+ levels in Paramecium must be tightly controlled, yet little is understood about the mechanisms of control. We describe here indirect evidence that a phosphoenzyme intermediate is the calmodulin-regulated plasma membrane Ca2+ pump and that a Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in pellicles (the complex of cell body surface membranes) is the enzyme correlate of the plasma membrane pump protein. A change in Ca2+ pump activity has been implicated in the chemoresponse of paramecia to some attractant stimuli. Indirect support for this is demonstrated using mutants with different modifications of calmodulin to correlate defects in chemoresponse with altered Ca2+ homeostasis and pump activity.

Antimalarial drugs inhibit calcium-dependent backward swimming and calcium currents in Paramecium calkinsi

The antimalarial drugs, quinacrine, chloroquine, quinine, primaquine, and mefloquine, share structural similarities with W-7, a compound that inhibits calcium-dependent backward swimming and calcium currents in Paramecium. Therefore, we tested whether antimalarial drugs also inhibit backward swimming and calcium currents in P. calkinsi. When the Paramecium is depolarized in high potassium medium, voltage-dependent calcium channels in the ciliary membrane open causing the cell to swim backward for 30 to 70 s. Application of calcium channel inhibitors, such as W-7, reduce the duration of backward swimming. In 0.05 mM calcium, quinacrine, mefloquine, quinine, chloroquine, primaquine and W-7 all reduced the duration of backward swimming. These effects were seen in sodium-containing and sodium-free high potassium solutions as well as sodium-free depolarizing solutions containing potassium channel blockers. In these low calcium solutions, backward swimming was inhibited by 50% at concentrations ranging from 100 nM to 30 microM. At higher calcium concentrations (1 mM or 15 mM), the effects of the antimalarials and W-7 were reduced. The effects of quinacrine and W-7 were tested directly on calcium currents using the two microelectrode voltage clamp technique. In 15 mM calcium, 100 microM quinacrine and 100 microM W-7 reduced the peak calcium current by 51% and 42%, respectively. Thus, antimalarial drugs reduce calcium currents in Paramecium calkinsi.

Photosensory transduction in ciliates. I. An analysis of light-induced electrical and motile responses in Stentor coeruleus

Light-induced membrane potential changes and motile responses have been studied in Stentor cells with intracellular microelectrodes and video microscopy, respectively. Intracellular microelectrode recordings showed that step-up increase in light intensity induced an electrical membrane response which consisted of an initial membrane depolarization (photoreceptor potential) followed by an action potential and maintaining phase of depolarization (afterdepolarization). The amplitude of the receptor potential is dependent on the intensity of light stimulus and the action potential appears with a lag period (latency) after the onset of light stimulus. The extent of the membrane afterdepolarization is dependent on the intensity and duration of stimulus used. A close time correlation has been established between the latency for the action potential and the onset of ciliary reversal (stop response). A time correlation was also observed between the duration of the membrane afterdepolarization and the duration of backward swimming. The action spectrum for the photoreceptor potential amplitude of Stentor resembled the action spectra for the latency of ciliary reversal and the photoresponsiveness, indicating that the photomovement response and membrane potential changes are coupled through the same photosensor system. A hypothesis on the photosensory transduction chain in Stentor is discussed according to which the photoreceptors and the ciliary apparatus is mediated by the membrane potential changes.

Possible mechanism of ciliary stimulation by extracellular ATP: involvement of calcium-dependent potassium channels and exogenous Ca2+

Ciliary motility was examined optically in tissue cultures from frog palate epithelium and frog's esophagus as a function of extracellular concentration of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and related compounds. The addition of micromolar concentration of ATP caused a strong enhancement of frequency and wave velocity in the direction of the effective stroke. Since adenosine 5'-[beta,gamma imido]-triphosphate (AMP-PNP), a nonhydrolyzable analog of ATP, produces the same effects, ATP hydrolysis is not required. The overall potency is ATP approximately equal to AMP-PNP greater than ADP much greater than adenosine greater than AMP. It is suggested that both the phosphate and the base moieties are involved in ATP binding. The enhancement of ciliary activity by extracellular ATP is dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+, which can be replaced by extracellular Mg2+. The effect of a number of potent inhibitors of the voltage-gated calcium channels on the stimulation of ciliary activity by ATP were examined. No effect was detected in the concentration range within which these agents are specific. On the other hand, quinidine, a potent inhibitor of K+ (calcium-dependent) channels, inhibits the effect of ATP. The following model is suggested: exogenous ATP interacts with a membrane receptor in the presence of Ca2+, a cascade of events occurs which mobilizes intracellular calcium, thereby increasing the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration which consequently opens the calcium-activated K+ channels, which then leads to a change in membrane potential. The ciliary response to these changes is the enhancement of ciliary activity.

Calcium regulation of ciliary beat frequency in human respiratory epithelium in vitro

1. The changes in ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of human nasal respiratory epithelial cells were measured in vitro with a photometric technique following exposure to either 4-bromo-calcium ionophore A23187 (4-Br-A23187) or trifluoperazine (TFP), an inhibitor of calmodulin-sensitive calcium-dependent protein kinases. Changes in intracellular free calcium concentrations in response to 4-Br-A23187 were studied using a fluorescent dye (Fura-2). 2. Addition of 10(-5) M-4-Br-A23187 caused a time-dependent (P less than 0.01) rise in CBF. The increment in CBF was statistically significant 10 min after challenge (+10%; P less than 0.01) and was sustained for at least 1 h, with maximal stimulation after 40 min (+ 18%; P less than 0.01). 3. Exposure to 10(-5) M-4-Br-A23187 caused an immediate increase in intracellular free calcium concentration, which preceded the rise in CBF. 4. TFP (10(-4) M) caused a reduction of baseline CBF (-10%; P less than 0.01) and prevented the expected rise when the cells were subsequently exposed to 10(-5) M-4-Br-A23187. 5. We conclude that: (1) calcium ionophore stimulates the CBF of human respiratory cells; (2) this effect is mediated through a calmodulin-sensitive system, since it is abolished in the presence of TFP; (3) the same pathway appears to control the basal CBF of these cells, since TFP also decreases CBF.

Messenger role of calcium in ciliary electromotor coupling: a reassessment

Electrophysiological and cell reactivation studies in Paramecium and other ciliates have established that depolarizing stimulation opens voltage-sensitive ciliary Ca2+ channels leading to an elevation in intraciliary Ca2+, a rapid 'reversal' in sliding-microtubule based ciliary activity and backward swimming. Regulation of cilia by hyperpolarization modulates the pitch and rate of forward locomotion. The control of this predominant behaviour has been a matter of controversy because ciliary conductances do not change with negative shifts from the resting potential. Recordings of ciliary responses during electrophysiological manipulation of the Ca driving force in the ciliates Stylonychia and Didinium now suggests that a crucial step in hyperpolarization-induced ciliary activation (HCA) is a reduction in intraciliary Ca2+ from a resting steady-state level. The data are discussed with respect to previous hypotheses for the regulation of HCA.

Spontaneous and electrically induced movements of ampullary kinocilia and stereovilli

In the transparent vestibular organ of young eels, isolated in toto, movements of individual kinocilia and hair bundles of the frontal ampulla were recorded by photodiodes and a video system. Flagella-like oscillations of kinocilia occurred spontaneously when preparations deteriorated and could be induced regularly in fresh preparations by pressing onto the tip of the cilium. Upon step-like electrical polarization of the epithelium hair bundles deflected in a tonic, pointer-like manner. When the apical membrane was hyperpolarized the hair bundles deflected towards the kinocilium (positive deflection) amounting to about 0.6 degrees when the polarization was made strong enough to cause saturating responses in the ampullary nerve. In response to sinusoidal voltage the amplitude of the hair bundle deflection declined by -4 dB/octave for frequencies above 1.3 Hz. When the kinocilium was disconnected from the bundle of stereovilli by transient reduction of divalent cations, voltage induced deflections occurred, of both the kinocilium and the stereovilli. Reducing the extracellular Ca-activity seemed to destabilize the electrically induced deflections; blocking the oxidative metabolism (CN-) had no effect. The induced deflections only disappeared upon chemical fixation by glutaraldehyde or treatment with triton X-100. Surface tension and electrostriction of the cell membrane are discussed as possible force generators.

Magnetic field influence on paramecium motility

The influence of a moderately intense static magnetic field on movement patterns of free swimming Paramecium was studied. When exposed to fields of 0.126 T, these ciliated protozoa exhibited significant reduction in velocity as well as a disorganization of movement pattern. It is suggested that these findings may be explained on the basis of alteration in function of ion specific channels within the cell membrane.

Purification and properties of dyneins from Paramecium cilia

Dynein ATPases were purified from Paramecium cilia by salt extraction followed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and anion exchange chromatography. The two major dyneins sedimented in sucrose gradients as species of 22 S and 12 S. After purification by anion exchange chromatography, their specific activities were about 0.4 and 0.5 mumol/min per mg, respectively. The dyneins could be distinguished by subunit composition and immunological crossreactivity. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation revealed additional ATPase activity in the region between the 22 S and 12 S dyneins, including a 19 S activity. Mg2+-ATPase activities of the dyneins and the 19 S activity were inhibited by vanadate and Zn2+, and were activated by Triton X-100. Antibodies against the 22 S dynein from Paramecium reacted on immunoblots with most of the polypeptides of 22 S dynein, and showed that the heavy chains of 22 S dynein are not identical to those that sediment at 19 S and 12 S. Several minor ATPase activities were revealed by anion exchange chromatography of fractions from the 22 S, 19 S and 12 S regions of sucrose gradients. These minor activities were stimulated by Mg2+, inhibited by vanadate, and could be distinguished from each other by their elution positions and polypeptide compositions.

Iontophoretic localization of Ca-sensitive sites controlling activation of ciliary beating in macrocilia of Beroë: the ciliary rete

Macrocilia are thick compound ciliary organelles found on the lips of the ctenophore Beroë. Each macrocilium contains several hundred axonemes enclosed by a single common membrane around the shaft of the organelle. Macrocilia are activated to beat rapidly and continuously in the normal direction by stimulus-triggered Ca influx through voltage-dependent Ca channels (Tamm, 1988). Heat-dissociated macrociliary cells are spontaneously active without depolarizing stimuli, providing Ca is present (Tamm, 1988). Here we investigate the spatial distribution of macrociliary Ca channels by iontophoretic application of extracellular Ca to different sites along quiescent, "potentially activated" macrocilia of dissociated cells in Ca-free medium. We find that Ca sensitivity for eliciting motility is highest or resides exclusively on the basal portion of the macrociliary surface. This is the first demonstration of local differences in Ca sensitivity along living cilia or flagella. The Ca-sensitive region coincides morphologically with a reticulum of unfused ciliary membranes at the base of the macrocilium. This ciliary rete is in direct communication with the surrounding sea water. It is likely that the ciliary rete provides the necessary Ca influx to trigger beating by virtue of its greater Ca conductance (i.e., density of Ca channels) and/or greater total membrane area.

Ultrastructure and motion analysis of permeabilized Paramecium capable of motility and regulation of motility

Structural and behavioral features of intact and permeabilized Paramecium tetraurelia have been defined as a basis for study of Ca2+ control of ciliary reversal. Motion analysis of living paramecia shows that all the cells in a population swim forward with gently curving spirals at speeds averaging 369 +/- 19 microns/second. Ciliary reversal occurs in 10% of the cell population per second. Living paramecia, quick-fixed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), show metachronal waves and an effective stroke obliquely toward the posterior end of the cell. Upon treatment with Triton X-100, swimming ceases and both scanning and transmission electron microscopy reveal cilia that uniformly project perpendicularly from the cell surface. Thin sections of these cells indicate that the ciliary, cell, and outer alveolar membranes are greatly disrupted or entirely missing and that the cytoplasm is also disrupted. These permeabilized paramecia can be reactivated and are capable of motility and regulation of motility. Motion analysis of cells reactivated with Mg2+ and ATP in low Ca2+ buffer (pCa greater than 7) shows that 71% swim forward in straight or curved paths at speeds averaging 221 +/- 20 microns/second. When these cells are quick-fixed for SEM the metachronal wave patterns of living, forward swimming cells reappear. Motion analysis of permeabilized cells reactivated in high Ca2+ buffers (pCa 5.5) shows that 94% swim backward in tight spirals at a velocity averaging 156 +/- 7 microns/second. SEM reveals a metachronal wave pattern with an effective stroke toward the anterior region. Although the permeabilized cells do not reverse spontaneously, the pCa response is preserved and the Ca2+ switch remains intact. The ciliary axonemes are largely exposed to the external environment. Therefore, the behavioral responses of these permeabilized cells depend on interaction of Ca2+ with molecules that remain bound to the axonemes throughout the extraction and reactivation procedures.

Eukaryotic unicells: how useful in studying chemoreception?

The description of the chemoreception pathway in Paramecium is incomplete, but the technical means are available to study these pathways at the molecular level. The hallmark of ciliates is their versatility and their most important attribute is the availability of useful mutants. It is just this versatility and amenability to genetic manipulation that will move the study of Paramecium chemoreception forward and provide useful information for chemoreceptor cell function in general.

Electrophysiological evidence suggests a defective Ca2+ control mechanism in a new Paramecium mutant

A new mutant of Paramecium tetraurelia, k-shyA, was characterized behaviorally and electrophysiologically. The mutant cell exhibited prolonged backward swimming episodes in response to depolarizing conditions. Electrophysiological comparison of k-shyA with wild type cells under voltage clamp revealed that the properties of three Ca2+-regulated currents were altered in the mutant. (i) The voltage-dependent Ca2+ current recovered from Ca2+-dependent inactivation two- to 10-fold more slowly than wild type. Ca2+ current amplitudes were also reduced in the mutant, but could be restored by EGTA injection. (ii) The decay of the Ca2+-dependent K+ tail current was slower in the mutant. (iii) The decay of the Ca2+-dependent Na+ tail current was also slower in the mutant. All other membrane properties studied, including the resting membrane potential and resistance and the voltage-sensitive K+ currents, were normal in k-shyA. Considered together, these observations are consistent with a defect in the ability of k-shyA to reduce the free intracellular Ca2+ concentration following stimulation. The possible targets of the genetic lesion and alternative explanations are discussed. The k-shy mutants may provide a useful tool for molecular and physiological analyses of the regulation of Ca2+ metabolism in Paramecium.

A calcium regenerative potential controlling ciliary reversal is propagated along the length of ctenophore comb plates

We have used the giant ciliary comb plates of ctenophores to record electrical activity directly from cilia. A compound action potential was recorded extracellularly over most of the length of the comb plate cilia in response to electrical stimulation of the ectodermal nerve net. The ciliary action potential was correlated with intracellularly recorded action potentials, selectively blocked by Ca2+-channel antagonists, and correlated with ciliary reorientation and reversed beating. Dual-electrode recording from different sites on the same comb plate showed that, unlike protistan cilia, the approximately 1-mm-long cilia of comb plates are not isopotential. Rather, action potentials are generated 150-200 microns from the base and propagate to the tip of the cilia. These results indicate that voltage-dependent channels that mediate increases in intraciliary Ca2+ concentration are distributed over most of the length of the cilia. Consequently, the Ca2+-sensitive machinery controlling ciliary motor responses is also likely to be located along the length of the axoneme.

Regulation of ciliary adenylate cyclase by Ca2+ in Paramecium

In the ciliated protozoan Paramecium, Ca2+ and cyclic nucleotides are believed to act as second messengers in the regulation of the ciliary beat. Ciliary adenylate cyclase was activated 20-30-fold (half-maximal at 0.8 microM) and inhibited by higher concentrations (10-20 microM) of free Ca2+ ion. Ca2+ activation was the result of an increase in Vmax., not a change in Km for ATP. The activation by Ca2+ was seen only with Mg2+ATP as substrate; with Mn2+ATP the basal adenylate cyclase activity was 10-20-fold above that with Mg2+ATP, and there was no further activation by Ca2+. The stimulation by Ca2+ of the enzyme in cilia and ciliary membranes was blocked by the calmodulin antagonists calmidazolium (half-inhibition at 5 microM), trifluoperazine (70 microM) and W-7 (50-100 microM). When ciliary membranes (which contained most of the ciliary adenylate cyclase) were prepared in the presence of Ca2+, their adenylate cyclase was insensitive to Ca2+ in the assay. However, the inclusion of EGTA in buffers used for fractionation of cilia resulted in full retention of Ca2+-sensitivity by the ciliary membrane adenylate cyclase. The membrane-active agent saponin specifically suppressed the Ca2+-dependent adenylate cyclase without inhibiting basal activity with Mg2+ATP or Mn2+ATP. The ciliary adenylate cyclase was shown to be distinct from the Ca2+-dependent guanylate cyclase; the two activities had different kinetic parameters and different responses to added calmodulin and calmodulin antagonists. Our results suggest that Ca2+ influx through the voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels in the ciliary membrane may influence intraciliary cyclic AMP concentrations by regulating adenylate cyclase.

Ionic regulation of adenylate cyclase from the cilia of Paramecium tetraurelia

The kinetics of the ionic regulation of an adenylate cyclase associated with the excitable ciliary membrane from Paramecium tetraurelia was examined. Glycerol (30%, v/v) stabilized the enzyme, and activated by an increase in Vmax. (3-fold) and a decrease in the apparent Km for MgATP (6-fold). Kinetic analysis of Mg2+ effects showed a stimulation via a single metal-binding site separate from the substrate site, with a dissociation constant, Ks, of 0.27 mM. Analysis of Ca2+ effects showed (i) an uncompetitive inhibition with respect to substrate MgATP, and (ii) dependence of the extent of inhibition on the free Mg2+ concentration. Ki values ranged from 4 to 130 microM-Ca2+ in the presence of 0.55-2 mM-Mg2+ respectively. This indicates competition between Mg2+ and Ca2+ at the metal-binding site. The Ca2+ effect was specific; Sr2+ and Ba2+ were almost without effect, and 100 microM-Ba2+ did not interfere with the Ca2+ inhibition. The actions of Ca2+ were readily reversible after addition of EGTA. K+ activated the adenylate cyclase at concentrations around 20 mM. The stimulatory potency of K+ was dependent on the free Mg2+ concentration. At 1 mM free Mg2+, 20 mM-K+ doubled the adenylate cyclase activity. The inhibitory Ca2+ and stimulatory K+ inputs were independent of each other.

Characterization of Ca2+- or Mg2+-ATPase of the excitable ciliary membrane from Paramecium tetraurelia: comparison with a soluble Ca2+-dependent ATPase

We have characterized divalent-cation-stimulated nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase activity of the excitable ciliary membrane and compared it with a soluble Ca2+-ATPase released upon deciliation of Paramecium. The membrane-bound activity is strongly dependent on a divalent cation; calcium stimulates the basal activity of this enzyme at least 10-fold; magnesium and manganese stimulate less well, and strontium and barium, although less effective, also give measurable stimulation. This membrane-bound activity prefers ATP and GTP as substrates but also hydrolyzes UTP and CTP at measurable rates. The maximum velocity at saturating ATP concentrations and optimal calcium concentrations is 0.3 mumol/min per mg. The pH optimum for the membrane-bound activity is broad and centers around pH 7. From the temperature dependence of ATP hydrolysis, we calculate activation energies of 14 and 11 kcal/mol for the Ca2+- and Mg2+-stimulated activities, respectively. The Arrhenius plot is linear over the temperature range of 4 to 25 degrees C. The membrane ATPase is relatively insensitive to ouabain, oligomycin, N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, vanadate, Ruthenium red and two calmodulin antagonists. Polyclonal antisera raised against the purified soluble ATPase from the deciliation supernatant show low reactivity with the membrane-bound ATPase. We conclude from the comparison of properties of the two activities that the ciliary membrane-bound ATPase is distinct from the soluble ATPase released by deciliation.

Voltage dependence of two inward currents carried by calcium and barium in the ciliate Stylonychia mytilus

Two voltage-dependent inward currents in the fresh-water hypotrichous ciliate Stylonychia mytilus have been investigated, using two intracellular micro-electrodes, when either Ca ions or Ba ions are the charge carriers. In cells bathed in Ca-free Ba solution the two inward currents, named current I and current II, could be identified and studied in the absence of outward currents. The two inward currents could also be separated by addition of the plant lectin concanavalin A (0.5 microgram/ml) to the external medium, which resulted in the selective inhibition of current I. When the holding potential was set at values between -45 and -65 mV (normal resting potential is -50 mV), current I was shifted parallel to the holding potential along the voltage axis. This shift was 7.6 mV per 10 mV change in holding potential. The amplitude and voltage relationship of current II was not affected by these changes in the holding potential. The amplitude of current I in Ba solution was maximal when the membrane potential was held at -55 mV; it decreased with higher and lower holding potentials. The rate of activation of current I remained virtually unaffected at holding potentials between -45 and -60 mV, and was somewhat reduced at a holding potential of -65 mV. When the extracellular Ca concentration was varied between 0.1 and 5.0 mM, or when the cells were loaded with EGTA to reduce the intracellular level of ionized Ca, the resting membrane potential and the voltage relationships of both current I and II and of the outward current were shifted along the voltage axis according to the expected changes in membrane surface potential. Double-pulse experiments with varying interval potentials suggested voltage-dependent inactivation of current I and Ca-dependent inactivation of current II. Pre-hyperpolarizing steps of only 1 mV amplitude and 30 ms duration could result in the activation of current I, indicating that the activation voltage of current I closely followed the actual membrane potential. Hence, the same voltage steps elicited similar current I amplitudes with holding potentials between -45 and -60 mV. The results indicate that current II displays voltage properties described for Ca channels in other ciliates and many multicellular preparations, while current I shows an unusual voltage behaviour, which might be regarded as an 'adaptive type of excitation'.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Electrophysiological control of ciliary motor responses in the ctenophore Pleurobrachia

Prey capture by a tentacle of the ctenophore Pleurobrachia elicits a reversal of beat direction and increase in beat frequency of comb plates in rows adjacent to the catching tentacle (Tamm and Moss 1985). These ciliary motor responses were elicited in intact animals by repetitive electrical stimulation of a tentacle or the midsubtentacular body surface with a suction electrode. An isolated split-comb row preparation allowed stable intracellular recording from comb plate cells during electrically stimulated motor responses of the comb plates, which were imaged by high-speed video microscopy. During normal beating in the absence of electrical stimulation, comb plate cells showed no changes in the resting membrane potential, which was typically about -60 mV. Trains of electrical impulses (5/s, 5 ms duration, at 5-15 V) delivered by an extracellular suction electrode elicited summing facilitating synaptic potentials which gave rise to graded regenerative responses. High K+ artificial seawater caused progressive depolarization of the polster cells which led to volleys of action potentials. Current injection (depolarizing or release from hyperpolarizing current) also elicited regenerative responses; the rate of rise and the peak amplitude were graded with intensity of stimulus current beyond a threshold value of about -40 mV. Increasing levels of subthreshold depolarization were correlated with increasing rates of beating in the normal direction. Action potentials were accompanied by laydown (upward curvature of nonbeating plates), reversed beating at high frequency, and intermediate beat patterns. TEA increased the summed depolarization elicited by pulse train stimulation, as well as the size and duration of the action potentials. TEA-enhanced single action potentials evoked a sudden arrest, laydown and brief bout of reversed beating. Dual electrode impalements showed that cells in the same comb plate ridge experienced similar but not identical electrical activity, even though all of their cilia beat synchronously. The large number of cells making up a comb plate, their highly asymmetric shape, and their complex innervation and electrical characteristics present interesting features of bioelectric control not found in other cilia.

Inhibition of a voltage-dependent Ca current by concanavalin A

Incubation of the hypotrichous ciliate Stylonychia mytilus in fluorescein-labeled concanavalin A (Con A, 0.1-0.5 microgram/ml) produced a strong fluorescence of its membranelles, but comparatively weak fluorescence of the other compound cilia and of the somatic membrane. Compared to untreated cells, the frequency of spontaneous backward movements was reduced in the presence of 0.5 microgram/ml ConA. In electrophysiological experiments Con A altered the excitability of the cell membrane. The two-peak action potential lost its second component which is associated with voltage-dependent Ca channels in the membranelles. The corresponding Ca current (Ca current I) was inhibited by low concentrations of Con A (0.2-0.5 microgram/ml). A second voltage-dependent Ca current (Ca current II) was not affected. Reducing the K outward current by intracellular Cs and/or extracellular tetraethylammonium, or changing the holding potential, did not restore the Con A-sensitive Ca current I. Con A also inhibited this current when Ca was replaced by Ba. The inhibitory effect of Con A on the voltage-dependent Ca current I was prevented by 10-30 mM alpha-methyl-D-mannoside, and the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (20 micrograms/ml) did not affect the Ca currents, indicating that the Con A effect was mediated by binding to specific sugar residues on the excitable membrane. The succinylated dimeric derivative of Con A did not inhibit Ca current I up to concentrations of 5 micrograms/ml. It is concluded that the two voltage-dependent Ca currents in Stylonychia can be chemically isolated due to their different sensitivity to Con A, which appears to bind preferentially to sites near or at the Ca channel in the membranellar membrane.

Regulation of ciliary motility by membrane potential in Paramecium: a role for cyclic AMP

The membrane potential of Paramecium controls the frequency and direction of the ciliary beat, thus determining the cell's swimming behavior. Stimuli that hyperpolarize the membrane potential increase the ciliary beat frequency and therefore increase forward swimming speed. We have observed that 1) drugs that elevate intracellular cyclic AMP increased swimming speed 2-3-fold, 2) hyperpolarizing the membrane potential by manipulation of extracellular cations (e.g., K+) induced both a transient increase in, and a higher sustained level of cyclic AMP compared to the control, and 3) the swimming speed of detergent-permeabilized cells in MgATP was stimulated 2-fold by the addition of cyclic AMP. Our results suggest that the membrane potential can regulate intracellular cAMP in Paramecium and that control of swimming speed by membrane potential may in part be mediated by cAMP.

A gamma ray-induced non-excitable membrane mutant in Paramecium caudatum: a behavioral and genetic analysis

A new CNR (caudatumnon-reversal) mutant ofParamecium caudatumwas isolated after gamma ray mutagenesis. This CNR lacks not only the transient inward Ca2+current but also the sustained Ca2+current. It was shown to complement the three known CNR mutants ofP. caudatum(cnrA, cnrBandcnrC) by crossbreeding analyses. Thus, this new mutant belongs to a 4th CNR locus, designatedcnrD. The defect ofcnrDcan be partially rescued by microinjection of cytoplasm from any of the three CNR mutants or the three Pawns (pwA, pwBandpwC) inP. tetraurelia. Since the three CNR genes have been shown to be different from the three Pawn genes by cytoplasmic complementation test (Hagaet al.1983), this result suggests thatcnrDis the 7th non-excitable mutant inParamecium. Thus, there are at least seven genes controlling Ca2+channel function inParamecium.