The effects of calcium at the crayfish neuromuscular junction

Calcium dependence of quantal release triggered by graded depolarization pulses to nerve terminals on crayfish and frog muscle

Quantal transmitter release was measured in small portions of neuromuscular junctions by means of a perfused macro-patch-clamp electrode. Release was elicited by graded current pulses through the recording electrode (excitation blocked by TTX). On increasing the stimulation current from a threshold amplitude, release rose steeply for several orders of magnitude and finally approached a saturation level of about 10 quanta/pulse. Reduction of the Ca concentration in the perfusate of the electrode, Cae, depressed the saturation level of release relatively little and had practically no effect on the threshold current amplitude, as long as the Ca concentration in the superfusion of the bath, Cab, remained high. When Cab was reduced too, the depression of release was more severe. The dependence of release on Cae was determined for a large range of Cae for saturating depolarization pulses. In crayfish, at 0 Cab, in double-logarithmic release-Cae plots the maximum slope was on average 3.9, and this slope dropped to on average 2.1 in 13.5 mM Cab. In frog, at 0 Cab, the respective double-logarithmic slope was 3.5, while in 1.8 mM Cab this slope declined dramatically, the rate of release decreasing on average only by a factor of 3.8 from 10 mM to 0.02 mM Cae. These results are interpreted by the assumption that the resting Ca concentration in the terminal, Cair, has strong influence on the rate of release due to depolarization pulses in low Cae, and that Cab has control on Cair in the terminal.

Ionic permeabilities of L-glutamate activated, excitatory synaptic channel in crayfish muscle

Excitatory single channel currents triggered by L-glutamate were measured in outside-out excised patches of crayfish muscle membrane. If an 'intracellular' solution was present in the pipette and normal extracellular solution with added glutamate (10(-3) M) passed the outside of the patch, the single channel currents, i1, had amplitudes of -8 pA at a patch potential of -70 mV. If in the extracellular solution Na+ was replaced by Li+ or Ca2+, the amplitudes of single channel currents were reduced by about 30%. Only about 20% of the channel current amplitude remained on replacement of Na+ by choline. Replacement of Na+ reduced the variance of channel amplitude distributions to the level of the baseline. Presence of Na+ thus induces an additional variance of open channel current. When the proportions of Na+/choline were varied, the resulting channel currents could be separated in Na+, Ca2+ and choline components. The amplitude of the Na+ component, i1,Na, could be described by a constant channel permeability pi Na = 110 10(-15) cm3 s-1 according to the constant field equation. Ba2+ could replace Ca2+ without change in single channel current, while replacement of Ca2+ by Mg2+ reduced the channel currents by 20%. The following permeabilities of the single channel were estimated (in 10(-15) cm3 s-1): pi Na = 110, pi K = 86, pi Ca = 30, pi Mg = 24, pi Ba = 30, pi Li = 84 and pi choline = 11. These permeabilities were obtained inserting ionic concentrations. The respective permeabilities are listed also as calculated on the basis of ionic activities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Calcium dependent gating of the L-glutamate activated, excitatory synaptic channel on crayfish muscle

Excitatory, glutamate-activated single channel currents were measured in outside-out patches of crayfish muscle. The open times of single channel openings, and the durations and rates of bursts were evaluated. These kinetic parameters were not appreciably affected by replacement of extracellular Na+ by Li+ or choline. Changes in extracellular Ca2+ concentration Cao also did not influence the duration of single openings. However the mean burst duration decreased for Cao less than 13.5 mM and the rate of bursts declined with a power of almost 2 in low Cao. At Cao less than 1 mM practically no channel openings were observed in presence of glutamate. In order to exclude more rapid desensitization of the glutamate receptors in low Cao as the cause of disappearance of channel openings, glutamate was applied in short pulses with a liquid-filament switch. In 0 Cao also a glutamate pulse did not trigger channel openings. In presence of 13.5mM Cao, the inorganic Ca-channel blockers La3+ and Cd2+ diminished the duration and rate of bursts of channel openings in a similar manner as low Cao. The effects of low Cao and of Cd2+ were tested also on quantal postsynaptic currents, EPSCs, which were recorded through a perfused macro-patch-clamp electrode. At 1.4 mM Cao in the perfused electrode tip, spontaneous EPSCs were reduced at least by a factor of 4, and elicited EPSCs by a factor of 16. Application of Cd2+ had similarly strong effects on the EPSCs. Also the decay of EPSCs was shortened substantially in 1.4 mM Cao or 5 mM Cd2+. The inhibitory Cl(-)-channel of crayfish muscle, activated by glutamate or GABA, also was studied in outside-out patches. The openings of this channel persisted in 0 Cao solutions; the block of channel openings in low Cao thus is a specific property of the excitatory channel. The action of Cao on the excitatory channel may be described as that of a cofactor to glutamate. A possible reaction scheme is proposed.

Antagonistic effects of perilymphatic calcium and magnesium on the activity of single cochlear afferent neurons

The dependence of the spontaneous and sound driven activity of single cochlear nerve fibers on the calcium and magnesium content of the perilymph was studied by perfusion of the perilymphatic space. It was possible to study these effects under steady-state conditions by continuously perfusing scala tympani at low rates while simultaneously recording from units in the chinchilla auditory nerve. Preparations were stable for many hours. As previously reported [Robertson and Johnstone (1979) Pflügers Arch. 380, 7-12], perfusion with solutions containing elevated concentrations of magnesium reduces both the spontaneous and driven activity. When calcium was eliminated from the perfusate, activity was completely abolished for stimuli with sound pressure levels below 100 dB. During partial blocks, a relatively frequency-independent threshold elevation was seen for frequencies well below the characteristic frequency (CF) of the unit, with greater elevations closer to CF. When the threshold elevation at CF was 30-40 dB, the width of the 'tip' portion of the tuning curve was reduced, resembling that of naturally-occurring units with low spontaneous rates of discharge. These effects are similar to that of raising the criterion for response during threshold measurement and are probably related to a frequency-dependent nonlinearity exhibited by the motion of the basilar membrane. The dynamic range for the growth of average rate with level was increased and saturation was shifted to higher stimulus levels during elevated magnesium perfusion. Raising the calcium content of the perfusate increased both spontaneous and driven rates, even in the saturated portion of the rate-intensity plot. Under these conditions, the response of the unit may more directly correspond to the intracellular potential of the presynaptic hair cell. It is argued that the primary site of divalent cation interaction is in the control of transmitter release. Inner hair cells of the mammalian cochlea apparently do not release transmitter in the absence of a calcium influx. The size of the pool of 'readily-available' transmitter appears to be influenced by divalent cations. Even though this synapse is probably specialized for the transmission of auditory signals, the mechanism of synaptic transmission is probably not fundamentally different from that of other well-characterized synapses.

Concanavalin A blocks the Ca2+ -dependence of crayfish muscle fiber responses to glutamate

(1) The response of crayfish muscle fibers to bath-applied glutamate is strongly inhibited when the Ca concentration of the physiological solution is reduced. Other divalent cations cannot substitute for Ca. The trivalent impermeant cation La can at low concentration replace Ca. Moreover, decreasing the Ca concentration in the presence of La potentiates the glutamate response. (2) The time course of responses to ionophoretically applied glutamate suggests a faster desensitization in low Ca solutions. The lectin concanavalin A, which blocks desensitization, also eliminates the decrease of the glutamate response in low Ca solutions. (3) The above results are compared to available data concerning Ca-dependence, desensitization and effects of concanavalin A.

Neurotransmitter release and its facilitation in crayfish. I. Saturation kinetics of release, and of entry and removal of calcium

Release and facilitated release of transmitter at neuromuscular junctions of the crayfish Astacus were measured as a function of [Ca]0 at single junctions using a patch clamp technique. Tests were made of a quantitative model that relates release of transmitter to [Ca]i. The model assumes three processes, entry of Ca during the action potential, release of transmitter as a function of [Ca]i, and removal of Ca after the action potential. Each process is described alternatively by linear kinetics or saturation kinetics, and predictions for different combinations of the equations are given. The main findings were in agreement with those predicted by the "saturation" model. The amplitude of synaptic current varies non-linearly with [Ca]0, log-log plot yielding a slope of about 1.6. The degree of facilitation at long intervals is an increasing function of [Ca]0. In addition, the duration of facilitation is prolonged as [Ca]0 is increased, to saturate at [Ca]0 of 9 mM.

The effect of reduced calcium on quantal unit current and release at the crayfish neuromuscular junction

Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were recorded extracellularly from large muscle fibers by means of 'patch clamp' electrodes. Compared to usual extracellular recordings, better signal/noise ratio and temporal stability were achieved. In the range of extracellular calcium concentrations [Ca]0 between 2.7 and 13.5 mmol/l (normal), the average amplitude of the EPSC increased more than proportional to [Ca]0. The unit quantum current, C1, and the average release rate, m, were determined from EPSCs and also from spontaneous sEPSCs, using both Poisson and binomial statistics. The main effect of [Ca]0 was on m: at different synaptic sites m depended on the second to fourth power of [Ca]0. In terms of binomial parameters, the release probability p is the [Ca]0-dependent one. In addition, reduction of [Ca]0 from 13.5 to 2.7 mmol/l decreased the unit quantum C1 consistently to 60%; simultaneously the rise and decay of EPSCs and sEPSCs were shortened by 10-20%. [Ca]0 thus has strong presynaptic effects on the release probability, but in addition smaller ones on the postsynaptic channel characteristics.