The selectivity of ion channels in nerve and muscle

Metal mixtures are associated with increased anxiety during pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Exposure to low-dose toxic metals in the environment is ubiquitous. Several murine studies have shown metals induce anxiety-like behaviors, and mechanistic research supports that metals disrupt neurotransmitter signaling systems implicated in the pathophysiology of anxiety. In this study, we extend prior research by examining joint exposure to six metals in relation to maternal anxiety symptoms during pregnancy.

METHODS

The sample includes 380 participants enrolled in the PRogramming of Intergenerational Stress Mechanisms (PRISM) pregnancy cohort. Spot urine was collected during pregnancy (mean ± standard deviation: 31.1 ± 6.1 weeks), and concentrations of six metals (barium [Ba], cadmium [Cd], chromium [Cr], cesium [Cs], lead [Pb], antimony [Sb]) were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry. Trait anxiety symptoms were measured during pregnancy using a short version of the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) and information on covariates was collected by questionnaire. We used weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression as the primary modeling approach to examine metals, treated as a mixture, in relation to higher (≥20) vs. lower anxiety symptoms while adjusting for urinary creatinine and key sociodemographic variables.

RESULTS

The sample is socioeconomically and racially/ethnically diverse. Urinary metal concentrations were log-normally distributed and 25% of the sample had an STAI-T score ≥20. Joint exposure to metals was associated with elevated anxiety symptoms (OR_WQS = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.24, 1.96); Cd (61.8%), Cr (14.7%), and Cs (12.7%) contributed the greatest weight to the mixture effect.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to metals in the environment may be associated with anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. This is a public health concern, as anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and associated with significant co-morbidities, especially during pregnancy when both the mother and developing fetus are susceptible to adverse health outcomes.

Sodium Handling and Interaction in Numerous Organs

Salt (NaCl) is a prerequisite for life. Excessive intake of salt, however, is said to increase disease risk, including hypertension, arteriosclerosis, heart failure, renal disease, stroke, and cancer. Therefore, considerable research has been expended on the mechanism of sodium handling based on the current concepts of sodium balance. The studies have necessarily relied on relatively short-term experiments and focused on extremes of salt intake in humans. Ultra-long-term salt balance has received far less attention. We performed long-term salt balance studies at intakes of 6, 9, and 12 g/day and found that although the kidney remains the long-term excretory gate, tissue and plasma sodium concentrations are not necessarily the same and that urinary salt excretion does not necessarily reflect total-body salt content. We found that to excrete salt, the body makes a great effort to conserve water, resulting in a natriuretic-ureotelic principle of salt excretion. Of note, renal sodium handling is characterized by osmolyte excretion with anti-parallel water reabsorption, a state-of-affairs that is achieved through the interaction of multiple organs. In this review, we discuss novel sodium and water balance concepts in reference to our ultra-long-term study. An important key to understanding body sodium metabolism is to focus on water conservation, a biological principle to protect from dehydration, since excess dietary salt excretion into the urine predisposes to renal water loss because of natriuresis. We believe that our research direction is relevant not only to salt balance but also to cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms.

Oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy: the preventive effect of a new super-oxide dismutase modulator

By using the differential in level of oxidative status between normal and cancer cells, SuperOxide Dismutase (SOD) mimetics can have anti-tumor efficacy and prevent oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy. Our objective was to evaluate the neuroprotective efficacy of MAG, a new SOD mimic.

In vitro, the effects of MAG alone or with oxaliplatin were studied on colon cancer cells (HT29 and CT26) and on normal fibroblast cells (NIH3T3). The cell viability (by crystal violet) as well as the production of reactive forms of oxygen and glutathione (by spectrofluorimetric assay) was measured. In vivo, efficacy on tumor growth was assessed in mice grafted with CT26 colon cancer cells. The effects on induced neurotoxicity were measured by specific behavioral Von Frey nociception, cold-plate tests, specific functional neuromuscular assay and electron microscopy.

In vitro, MAG induced a production of hydrogen peroxide in all cells. At 24 h-incubation, MAG exhibits a cytotoxic activity in all cell lines. A cytotoxic additive effect of MAG and oxaliplatin was observed through oxidative burst. In vivo, oxaliplatin-treated mice associated with MAG did not counteract oxaliplatin’s antitumoral efficacy. After 4 weeks of treatment with oxaliplatin combined with MAG, behavioral and functional tests showed a decrease in peripheral neuropathy induced by oxaliplatin in vivo. Electron microscopy analyses on sciatic nerves revealed an oxaliplatin-induced demyelination which is prevented by the association of MAG to this chemotherapy.

In conclusion, MAG prevents the appearance of sensitive axonal neuropathy and neuromuscular disorders induced by oxaliplatin without affecting its antitumor activity.

Sodium channel currents in rat hippocampal NG2 glia: characterization and contribution to resting membrane potential

We have recently reported that most of NG2 glycoprotein expressing glial cells, or NG2 glia, in rat hippocampus persistently express sodium channel currents (I(Na)) during development, but little is known about its function. We report here that hippocampal NG2 glia recorded in either acute slices or freshly isolated preparations from postnatal days (P) 7-21 rats express low density I(Na) (9.5-15.7 pA/pF) that is characterized by a fast activation and rapid inactivation kinetics with a tetrodotoxin (TTX) IC(50) value of 39.3 nM. The I(Na) expression correlated with a approximately 25 mV more depolarized resting membrane potential (RMP) as compared with non-I(Na)-expressing GLAST(+) astrocytes in situ at the same age. In the presence of the sodium channel blocker TTX (0.1 microM), these depolarized RMPs were negatively shifted by an average of 19 mV and 16 mV for I(Na)-expressing glia recordings from in situ and freshly isolated preparations, respectively. The I(Na) expressing glia actually showed a positive RMP (+12 mV) in the absence of potassium conductance that was inhibited to 0 mV by 0.1 microM TTX. Analysis of the I(Na) activation/inactivation curves yields an I(Na) "window current" at -40+/-20 mV, implying a persistent I(Na) component being active around the NG2 glia RMP of approximately -45 mV. According to the constant-field equation analysis, this active I(Na) component leads to a pNa/pK ratio of 0.14 at RMP which is approximately threefold higher than astrocytes (0.05). These results indicate that a TTX sensitive I(Na) component in NG2 glia contributes significantly to the depolarized NG2 glia RMP in the developing brain.

Electrogenic Na+/Ca2+-exchange of nerve and muscle cells

The plasma membrane Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchanger is a bi-directional electrogenic (3Na(+):1Ca(2+)) and voltage-sensitive ion transport mechanism, which is mainly responsible for Ca(2+)-extrusion. The Na(+)-gradient, required for normal mode operation, is created by the Na(+)-pump, which is also electrogenic (3Na(+):2K(+)) and voltage-sensitive. The Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchanger operational modes are very similar to those of the Na(+)-pump, except that the uncoupled flux (Na(+)-influx or -efflux?) is missing. The reversal potential of the exchanger is around -40 mV; therefore, during the upstroke of the AP it is probably transiently activated, leading to Ca(2+)-influx. The Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchange is regulated by transported and non-transported external and internal cations, and shows ATP(i)-, pH- and temperature-dependence. The main problem in determining the role of Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchange in excitation-secretion/contraction coupling is the lack of specific (mode-selective) blockers. During recent years, evidence has been accumulated for co-localisation of the Na(+)-pump, and the Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchanger and their possible functional interaction in the "restricted" or "fuzzy space." In cardiac failure, the Na(+)-pump is down-regulated, while the exchanger is up-regulated. If the exchanger is working in normal mode (Ca(2+)-extrusion) during most of the cardiac cycle, upregulation of the exchanger may result in SR Ca(2+)-store depletion and further impairment in contractility. If so, a normal mode selective Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchange inhibitor would be useful therapy for decompensation, and unlike CGs would not increase internal Na(+). In peripheral sympathetic nerves, pre-synaptic alpha(2)-receptors may regulate not only the VSCCs but possibly the reverse Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchange as well.

Sources of axonal calcium loading during in vitro ischemia of rat dorsal roots

A detailed understanding of injury mechanisms in peripheral nerve fibers will help guide successful design of therapies for peripheral neuropathies. This study was therefore undertaken to examine the ionic mechanisms of Ca2+ overload in peripheral myelinated fibers subjected to chemical inhibition of energy metabolism. Myelinated axons from rat dorsal roots were co-loaded with Ca2+-sensitive (Oregon Green BAPTA-1) and Ca2+-insensitive (Alexa Fluor 594) dextran-conjugated fluorophores and imaged using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Axoplasmic regions were clearly outlined by the Ca2+-insensitive dye, from which axonal Ca2+-dependent fluorescence changes (FCa.ax) were measured. Block of Na+-K+ ATPase (ouabain), opening of Na+ channels (veratridine), and inhibiting energy metabolism (iodoacetate + NaN3) caused a rapid rise in FCa.ax to 96% above control after 30 min. Chemical ischemia (iodoacetate + NaN3) caused a more gradual increase in FCa.ax (54%), which was almost completely dependent on bath Ca2+, indicating that most of the Ca2+ accumulation occurred via influx across the axolemma. Na+ channel block (tetrodotoxin) reduced ischemic FCa.ax rise (14%); however, inhibition of L-type Ca2+ channels (nimodipine) had no effect (60%). In contrast, Na+-Ca2+ exchange inhibition (KB-R7943) significantly reduced ischemic FCa.ax rise (18%). Together our results indicate that the bulk of Ca2+ overload in injured peripheral myelinated axons occurs via reverse Na+-Ca2+ exchange, driven by axonal Na+ accumulation through voltage-gated tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ channels. This mechanism may represent a viable therapeutic target for peripheral neuropathies.

A physiologically based biokinetic model for cesium in the human body

A physiologically descriptive model of the biological behavior of cesium in the human body has been constructed around a detailed blood flow model. The rate of transfer from plasma into a tissue is determined by the blood perfusion rate and the tissue-specific extraction fraction of Cs during passage from arterial to venous plasma. Information on tissue-specific extraction of Cs is supplemented with information on the Cs analogues, K and Rb, and known patterns of discrimination between these metals by tissues. The rate of return from a tissue to plasma is estimated from the relative contents of Cs in plasma and the tissue at equilibrium as estimated from environmental studies. Transfers of Cs other than exchange between plasma and tissues (e.g. secretions into the gastrointestinal tract) are based on a combination of physiological considerations and empirical data on Cs or related elements. Model predictions are consistent with the sizable database on the time-dependent distribution and retention of radiocesium in the human body.

Astroglial cell death induced by excessive influx of sodium ions

Na(+) influx has been implicated to play an important role in the mechanisms of neuronal cell damage under ischemia as well as in neurodegenerative disorders. Thus far, however, the effects of Na(+) influx on astrocytic damage have not been studied extensively. In the present study, we have examined the effects of Na(+) influx induced by veratridine (Na(+) channel opener), monensin (Na(+) ionophore), and glutamate (co-transportation with Na(+)) on rat cultured astroglial damage. Cells were incubated with bicarbonate buffer with 25 mM glucose containing either 100 microM veratridine, 10 microM monensin, or 1 mM glutamate with or without 1 mM ouabain for 20 h. Cellular damage was evaluated quantitatively by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release or 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction. Veratridine, monensin, or glutamate alone did not induce significant astroglial damage. Veratridine and monensin co-incubated with ouabain, which inhibits active extrusion of Na(+) by Na(+),K(+)-ATPase, thereby enhances intracellular Na(+) accumulation, caused significant cell death (P<0. 001, approximately 50% cell damage), whereas glutamate did not. Na(+)-free solution substituted by choline (impermeable cation) attenuated cell damage induced by veratridine and monensin markedly, while Li(+) substitution (permeable cation) rather exacerbated. Nifedipine (100 microM), a blocker of L-type Ca(2+) channel, reduced veratridine-induced glial damage by 50%. Neither bepridil nor benzamil, a blocker of Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger, had any protection. Cyclosporin A (1 or 10 microM), an inhibitor of mitochondrial permeability transition or 10 microM N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-(O-methyl)fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD-fmk), which inhibits a broad range of caspases, did not show protective effects.

Role of sodium ion influx in depolarization-induced neuronal cell death by high KCI or veratridine

Intracellular Na+ concentration plays an important role in the regulation of cellular energy metabolism; i.e., increased intracellular Na+ concentration stimulates glucose utilization both in cultured neurons and astrocytes. Both high KCI and veratridine, which have been known to cause neuronal damage, elicit increased glucose utilization, presumably via increased intracellular Na+ concentration. In the present study, we examined the role of intracellular Na+ influx in the mechanisms of neuronal cell damage induced by high KCl or veratridine assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric method. Rat primary cultures of striatal neurons were incubated with high KCl (final concentrations: 25, 50 mM) or veratridine (0.1-100 microM) with or without various inhibitors. High KCl depolarizes cell membrane, thus, leading to Na+ influx through an activation of voltage-sensitive Na+ channels, while veratridine elicits Na+ influx by directly opening these channels. After 24-h incubation with elevated [K+]o or veratridine, glucose contents in the medium decreased significantly (approximately by 7 mM), but remained higher than 18 mM. High [K+]o reduced percent cell viability significantly (approximately 50% at 25 mM, approximately 40% at 50 mM [K+]o, P<0.01), but tetrodotoxin (100 nM) had no protective effect, indicating that Na+ influx was not essential to high K+ -induced cell death. DL-2-Amino-5-phosponovaleric acid (APV) (1 mM) completely blocked cell death induced by elevated [K+]o, while 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) (10 microM) did not. In contrast, veratridine (>10 microM) caused cell damage in a dose-dependent and tetrodotoxin-sensitive manner, but none of APV, CNQX, or bepridil (Na+ -Ca2+ exchanger blocker) had any protective effect. Nifedipine (50 approximately 100 microM), however, reduced percent cell damage induced by veratridine.

Extracellular chloride and the maintenance of spontaneous epileptiform activity in rat hippocampal slices

Previous studies showed that furosemide blocks spontaneous epileptiform activity without diminishing synaptic transmission or reducing hyperexcited field responses to electrical stimuli. We now test the hypothesis that the antiepileptic effects of furosemide are mediated through its blockade of the Na+,K+,2Cl- cotransporter and thus should be mimicked by a reduction of extracellular chloride ([Cl-]o). In the first set of experiments, field recordings from the CA1 cell body layer of hippocampal slices showed that spontaneous bursting developed within 10-20 min in slices perfused with low-[Cl-]o (7 mM) medium but that this spontaneous epileptiform activity ceased after a further 10-20 min. Intracellular recordings from CA1 pyramidal cells showed that normal action potential discharge could be elicited by membrane depolarization, even after the tissue was perfused with low-[Cl-]o medium for >2 h. In a second set of experiments, spontaneous bursting activity was induced in slices by perfusion with high-[K+]o (10 mM), bicuculline (100 microM), or 4-aminopyridine (100 microM). In each case, recordings from the CA1 region showed that reduction of [Cl-]o to 21 mM reversibly blocked the bursting within 1 h. Similar to previous observations with furosemide treatment, low-[Cl-]o medium blocked spontaneous hypersynchronous discharges without reducing synaptic hyperexcitability (i.e., hyperexcitable field responses evoked by electrical stimulation). In a third set of experiments, prolonged exposure (>1 h after spontaneous bursting ceased) of slices to systematically varied [Cl-]o and [K+]o resulted in one of three types of events: 1) spontaneous, long-lasting, and repetitive negative field potential shifts (7 mM [Cl-]o; 3 mM [K+]o); 2) oscillations consisting of 5- to 10-mV negative shifts in the field potential, with a period of approximately 1 cycle/40 s (16 mM [Cl-]o; 12 mM [K+]o); and 3) shorter, infrequently occurring negative field shifts lasting 20-40 s (21 mM [Cl-]o; 3 mM [K+]o). Our observations indicate that the effects of low [Cl-]o on neuronal synchronization and spontaneous discharge are time dependent. Similar effects were seen with furosemide and low [Cl-]o, consistent with the hypothesis that the antiepileptic effect of furosemide is mediated by the drug's effect on chloride transporters. Finally, the results of altering extracellular potassium along with chloride suggest that blockade of the Na+, K+,2Cl- cotransporter, which normally transports chloride from the extracellular space into glial cells, is key to these antiepileptic effects.

Hypoxia induced by Na2S2O4 increases [Na+]i in mouse glomus cells, an effect depressed by cobalt. Experiments with Na+-selective microelectrodes and voltage-clamping

The intracellular sodium concentration ([Na+]i) and resting potential (Em) of cultured mouse glomus cells (clustered and isolated) were simultaneously measured with intracellular Na+-sensitive and conventional, KCl-filled, microelectrodes. Results obtained in clustered and isolated cells were similar. During normoxia (PO2 122 Torr), [Na+]i was 12-13 mM corresponding to a Na+ equilibrium potential (ENa) of about 58 mV. Em was about -42 mV. Hypoxia, induced by Na2S2O4 1 mM (PO2 10 Torr), depolarized the cells by about 20 mV, [Na+]i increased by 21 mM and ENa dropped to about 35 mV. One millimolar of CoCl2 depressed, or blocked, the effects of Na2S2O4 on [Na+]i but did not affect hypoxic depolarization. Voltage-clamping at -70 mV, while delivering pulses of different amplitudes, produced only small (about 10 pA) and slow TTX-insensitive inward currents. Fast and large (TTX-sensitive) inward currents were not detected. The cell conductance (measured with voltage ramps) was less than 1 nS. It was not affected by hypoxia but was depressed by cobalt. Voltage ramps elicited small inward currents in control and hypoxic solutions that were much smaller than those induced by barium (presumably enhancing calcium currents). Also, normoxic and hypoxic currents had lower thresholds and their troughs were at more negative voltages than in the presence of Ba2+. All currents were blocked by 1 mM CoCl2 suggesting that, at this concentration, cobalt exerted a nonspecific effect on glomus membrane channels. Hypoxia induced a large [Na+]i increase (presumably through inflow), but very small voltage-gated inward currents. Thus, Na+ increases (inflow) probably occurred by disturbing a Na+/K+ exchange mechanism and not by activation of voltage-gated channels.

Interaction of calcium-permeable non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels with voltage-activated potassium and calcium currents in rat retinal ganglion cells in vitro

Calcium-permeable non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels are now characterized in much detail, but still little is known about the consequences of Ca2+ influx through these channels in specific neuron types. We are interested in the role of Ca2+-permeable non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels during differentiation of retinal ganglion cells. However, in view of the conflicting data on the relative Ca2+ permeability of non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels in these neurons, a more systematic evaluation of permeation properties of different Na+ substitutes was necessary before proceeding with the main goal of the present study evaluating the effects of non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation on repetitive firing and voltage-activated K+ and Ca2+ conductances. Retinal ganglion cells were dissociated from the rat retina on postnatal day 5. They were selected by vital anti-Thy-1 immunostaining and repetitive firing behaviour and submitted to patch-clamp recording in the whole-cell configuration. Non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels were activated by application of amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid or kainate. It was found that they were essentially impermeable to N-methyl-D-glucamine (P(NMDG)/P(Cs)<0.02), but not to choline (P(choline)/P(Cs)=0.24) and tetramethylammonium (P(TMA)/P(Cs)=0.23). When using N-methyl-D-glucamine as a substitute for Na+ to obtain bi-ionic conditions P(Ca)/P(Cs) varied between 0.08 to 1.40. Linear current voltage relation or little outward rectification corresponded to a low Ca2+ permeability (P(Ca)/P(Cs)=0.14). In about one third of the cells kainate-induced currents showed inward rectification and non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor agonists induced a substantially higher Ca2+ influx (P(Ca)/P(Cs)=0.64). Activation of non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors by kainate profoundly altered the repetitive discharge of retinal ganglion cells. In contrast to the continuously firing controls, cells generated only a few spikes at the beginning of a steady depolarization after kainate exposure. Among the candidates regulating the firing behaviour of retinal ganglion cells voltage-activated Ca2+ and K+ conductances were tested for their sensitivity to kainate application. It was found that even short conditioning pulses of kainate decreased the peak amplitudes of both voltage-activated K+ and voltage-activated Ca2+ currents. Only the latter effect required extracellular Ca2+ and was antagonized by increasing the intracellular Ca2+ buffering strength. Thus, suppression of calcium currents was induced by a non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated rise of the intracellular calcium concentration. The reduction of K+ currents did not depend on extracellular calcium and was insensitive to experimental manipulation of intracellular Ca2+ buffer strength. The interaction between Ca2+-permeable non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels and voltage-activated Ca2+ and K+ currents may represent an important regulatory mechanism to control the repetitive firing of developing retinal ganglion cells.

Effects of micromolar concentrations of Mn, Mo, and Si on alpha1-adrenoceptor-mediated contraction in porcine coronary artery

We studied the effects of trace elements, Mn, Mo, and Si, on vasoconstriction induced by norepinephrine (NE) or electrical field stimulation in isolated porcine right coronary arteries. Alpha1-adrenoceptor (AR) antagonist prazosin dose-despondently suppressed vasoconstriction in response to NE or field stimulation indicating an alpha1-AR mediated response. Mn, Mo, and Si at 0.3-3 micromol/L dose-despondently inhibited NE mediated contraction (all p < 0.05). In contrast, Mn, Mo, and Si at the same concentrations (0.3-3 micromol/L) enhanced the maximal contractile response to field stimulation in a dose-dependent manner (all p < 0.05), but these elements at 10 micromol/L suppressed the vasoconstrictive response. The results indicate that in porcine right coronary arteries, the alpha1-AR-mediated vasoconstriction by NE or electrical field stimulation was affected differently by micromolar concentrations of Mn, Mo, and Si and that the elements might facilitate NE release presynaptically but inhibit the contractile response postsynaptically.

Anoxic and ischemic injury of myelinated axons in CNS white matter: from mechanistic concepts to therapeutics

White matter of the brain and spinal cord is susceptible to anoxia and ischemia. Irreversible injury to this tissue can have serious consequences for the overall function of the CNS through disruption of signal transmission. Myelinated axons of the CNS are critically dependent on a continuous supply of energy largely generated through oxidative phosphorylation. Anoxia and ischemia cause rapid energy depletion, failure of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, and accumulation of axoplasmic Na+ through noninactivating Na+ channels, with concentrations approaching 100 mmol/L after 60 minutes of anoxia. Coupled with severe K+ depletion that results in large membrane depolarization, high [Na+]i stimulates reverse Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange and axonal Ca2+ overload. A component of Ca2+ entry occurs directly through Na+ channels. The excessive accumulation of Ca2+ in turn activates various Ca(2+)-dependent enzymes, such as calpain, phospholipases, and protein kinase C, resulting in irreversible injury. The latter enzyme may be involved in "autoprotection," triggered by release of endogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid and adenosine, by modulation of certain elements responsible for deregulation of ion homeostasis. Glycolytic block, in contrast to anoxia alone, appears to preferentially mobilize internal Ca2+ stores; as control of internal Ca2+ pools is lost, excessive release from this compartment may itself contribute to axonal damage. Reoxygenation paradoxically accelerates injury in many axons, possibly as a result of severe mitochondrial Ca2+ overload leading to a secondary failure of respiration. Although glia are relatively resistant to anoxia, oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheath may be damaged by glutamate released by reverse Na(+)-glutamate transport. Use-dependent Na+ channel blockers, particularly charged compounds such as QX-314, are highly neuroprotective in vitro, but only agents that exist partially in a neutral form, such as mexiletine and tocainide, are effective after systemic administration, because charged species cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier easily. These concepts may also apply to other white matter disorders, such as spinal cord injury or diffuse axonal injury in brain trauma. Moreover, whereas many events are unique to white matter injury, a number of steps are common to both gray and white matter anoxia and ischemia. Optimal protection of the CNS as a whole will therefore require combination therapy aimed at unique steps in gray and white matter regions, or intervention at common points in the injury cascades.

Central hypertensive effects of aldosterone

The soluble mineralocorticoid receptor bound to an agonist acts as a transcription factor for several genes relevant to ion transport by kidney and colon epithelial cells and is a major regulator of electrolyte and fluid homeostasis. Mineralocorticoids, the most prominent of which is aldosterone, also influence the activity of nonepithelial target cells, including vascular smooth muscle cells, by altering intracellular ion transport and content. Evidence is summarized for mineralocorticoid modulation of neuronal activity in a center or centers within the brain, probably in the periventricular area of the anterior hypothalamus, where information on electrolyte, fluid, and cardiovascular status is received and integrated, resulting in alterations in central sympathetic efferent activity. These functions are distinct from central aldosterone effects on salt appetite and peripheral trophic effects on cardiovascular tissue. The isolated mineralocorticoid receptor binds several adrenal steroids, including aldosterone and the major glucocorticoids, with equal affinity. Ligand specificity for the mineralocorticoid receptor differs between tissues, including different organs in the brain. Specificity is conferred extrinsically by the 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzymes in transport epithelia, but mechanisms for mineralocorticoid ligand specificity have not been completely defined in the brain. The functional interaction between the mineralocorticoid receptor bound to different ligands and between the mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors is complex and as yet unresolved. Evidence is presented for the de novo synthesis of adrenal corticosteroids in the brain which may, by paracrine regulation of central control mechanisms, be relevant for certain clinical and experimental forms of hypertension characterized by low circulating levels of mineralocorticoids which respond to mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists.

The dependence of calcium-activated potassium currents on membrane potential

Previous experiments on cholinergic synapses in chick cochlear hair cells have shown that calcium entering through acetylcholine-activated synaptic channels in turn activates calcium-dependent potassium currents, resulting in synaptic inhibition. In voltage-clamp experiments such currents would be expected to increase with depolarization (as the driving force for potassium entry is increased) and then decrease towards zero as the membrane approaches the calcium equilibrium potential (when calcium entry is suppressed). In the hair cells, however, such currents approached zero at about +20 mV, more than 170 mV negative to the calcium equilibrium potential. Another feature of the synapse is its post-junctional morphology: a uniform 20 nm cleft is formed between the postsynaptic membrane and the outermost membrane of an underlying cisterna. Here we present a model in which synaptic activation results in calcium influx into the subsynaptic cleft and thence into the bulk of the cytoplasm. The model suggests that the voltage dependence of the calcium-activated potassium current can be accounted for by only two basic assumptions: (i) entry of calcium through the activated synaptic channels by simple diffusion; and (ii) activation of the potassium channels by the cooperative action of four calcium ions. In addition, the model suggests that during activation the calcium concentration in the restricted subsynaptic space can reach levels adequate to activate the potassium channels, without requiring additional, more complicated, considerations (for example, secondary calcium release from the cisterna).

Sodium and potassium current in neonatal rat carotid body cells following chronic in vivo hypoxia

Chronic hypoxic acclimatization modifies ventilatory reflexes arising from carotid body stimulation. To explore this, the effects of in vivo chronic hypoxia on membrane currents were quantified in chemoreceptive carotid body glomus cells. Pregnant rats were maintained in either normoxia (NORM: inspired oxygen tension 141 mmHg), or hypoxia (CHX: inspired oxygen tension 80 mmHg) from day 3 of gestation, to day 5-10 postpartum. Whole cell patch clamp recordings were then made from the mechanically and enzymatically dissociated carotid body glomus cells of the rat pups (NORM: 41 cells, CHX: 36 cells) and comparisons of means +/- S.E.M. were made with unpaired t-tests. Glomus cells were bright under phase contrast illumination, formed clusters, were histochemically positive for catecholamines and possessed voltage-gated potassium currents that were depressed by acute hypoxia. Acclimatization to chronic hypoxia did not affect rat pup whole body mass (CHX: 12.0 +/- 0.7 g vs. NORM: 11.0 +/- 0.2 g), but it significantly increased blood hematocrit (CHX: 48.7 +/- 0.9% vs. NORM: 37.8 +/- 0.5%, P < 0.05). Sodium current was not uniformly present in glomus cells from either group, but sodium current was observed in a greater proportion of glomus cells isolated from the chronically hypoxic pups (CHX: 72% vs. NORM: 46%, P < 0.05). The mean peak tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium current evoked by -70 mV to +10 mV depolarizations was greater after hypoxic acclimatization (CHX: -100 +/- 25 pA vs. NORM: -38 +/- 15 pA, P < 0.05), but the sodium current density (pA/pF) was unchanged. In contrast, the mean peak voltage-gated potassium current (pA) evoked by -70 mV to 0 mV depolarizations was unchanged by acclimatization, but the potassium current density (pA/pF) was reduced (P < 0.05). Unchanged sodium current density coupled with decreased potassium current density may make glomus cells more excitable during exposure to chronic in vivo hypoxia.

Outward chloride/potassium co-transport in insect neurosecretory cells (DUM neurones)

The mechanism underlying outward chloride transport in the cell body and in the neuritic field of cockroach Dorsal Unpaired Median (DUM) neurones was assessed using the intracellular microelectrode technique. The chloride equilibrium potential was indirectly estimated from the reversal potentials of responses to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) pressure ejections and of inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) evoked by electrical stimulation of the anterior connectives. Changes in intracellular chloride concentration [Cl-]i following various treatments were estimated from the amplitude changes of soma GABA responses and IPSP. Decreasing external Cl- concentration reduced the amplitude of GABA-mediated inhibitory events without affecting the membrane potential. Cl-/K+ co-transport was assessed by increasing external K+ concentration. The rate of outward Cl- movement was reduced furosemide but not by SITS or DIDS. All these results suggest that Cl- is not passively distributed in DUM neurones and that an active outwardly directed Cl-/K+ co-transport is implicated in the regulation of [Cl-]i.

Use of 82Br- radiotracer to study transmembrane halide flux: the effect of a tranquilizing drug, chlordiazepoxide on channel opening of a GABAA receptor

We used the short-lived radionuclide, 82Br- to follow gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) receptor-mediated halide exchange into membrane vesicles from rat cerebral cortex in millisecond and second time regions using quench-flow technique. The radioisotope was prepared by neutron capture [81Br-(n,gamma)82Br-] on irradiation of a natural isotope of bromine, 81Br- in a neutron flux. 82Br- decays by beta-emission with secondary gamma-emission. Possible advantages of 82Br- over 36Cl- in anion tracer measurements include, (a) a short lifetime (t1/2 = 35.3 hr), which alleviates contamination and disposal problems, (b) high counting efficiency (1.54) due to the secondary radiation, (c) measurement with a gamma-counter as well as a beta-counter, (d) a simple preparation not requiring subsequent purification steps giving a specific activity depending on the irradiation time. With 6 hr irradiation time the specific activity was sufficient to make measurements with < 1 mM Br-, which is less than the bromide concentration known to affect the properties of GABAA receptor. The radiotracers, 82Br- and 36Cl- could be compared with the same solution composition. In conditions where a direct effect of binding of halide to receptor does not contribute to a difference in measured ion-flux, 82Br- was translocated only marginally faster than 36Cl-. The effect of chlordiazepoxide (CDPX) (2-250 microM) on the progress of GABA (10 microM)-mediated 82Br- uptake was measured in a time range of 200 msec to 20 sec using quench-flow technique. The two phases of anion exchange previously reported in this experimental model with GABA alone were observed. The rate of 82Br- exchange was increased 2.3-fold at 30-60 microM CDPX and was not further increased with increasing [CDPX]. The rate of halide exchange is a measure of open channel concentration. The isotope exchange rate constant, J, in a membrane vesicle preparation, is a measure of the membrane permeability per internal volume/surface area, J = PmA/V. Receptor desensitization rate was also increased by CDPX, but unlike the isotope exchange rate, it continued to increase up to at least 250 microM CDPX.

Effects of hypoxia on the intracellular K+ of clustered and isolated glomus cells of mice and rats

Carotid bodies of rats and mice were used to measure the intracellular potassium activity, ai(K), of clustered and isolated glomus cells normally oxygenated (pO2 102-139 Torr), and during hypoxia (pO2 2-82 Torr) induced by Na-dithionite. ai(K) was measured with intracellular ion-selective microelectrodes, and the resting potential (EM) with KCl-filled micropipettes. Under normoxia, the ai(K) of clustered cells in both species was higher than that of isolated cells. This resulted in more negative potassium equilibrium potentials (EK's). There was no correlation between ai(K) and EM in clustered cells, but this correlation was significant in isolated cells. Hypoxia significantly decreased ai(K) in clustered and single mouse cells, and in clustered rat cells, although its effects on single rat cells were variable. ai(K) decreases were accompanied by cell depolarization and positive shifts in EK. During hypoxia, there were significant correlations between ai(K) and EM in all cells. It is suggested that ai(K) did not influence the EM of clustered cells under normoxia because of interference by K+ pumping mechanisms toward glomus cells from surrounding sustentacular processes. This hindrance is not present when glomus cells are isolated. During hypoxia K+ pumping from sustentacular cells is disrupted, allowing the EM of clustered glomus cells to follow their ai(K) and behave like isolated cells. The different effects of hypoxia on isolated rat and mouse cells may be due to activation of different types of glomus cells.

Effects of divalent cations and La3+ on contractility and ecto-ATPase activity in the guinea-pig urinary bladder

1. Several cations (Ba2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ and La3+, all as chloride salts, 1-1000 microM) were tested in the guinea-pig urinary bladder for their ability to: (i) modify contractile responses to electrical field stimulation (EFS), ATP, alpha,beta-methylene ATP (alpha,beta-meATP), carbachol (CCh), and KCl; (ii) affect ecto-ATPase activity. 2. Ba2+ (10-1000 microM) concentration-dependently potentiated contractile responses evoked by EFS (4-16 Hz), ATP (100 microM), alpha,beta-meATP (1 microM), CCh (0.5 microM), and KCl (30 mM). Ni2+ at concentrations of 1-100 microM also potentiated contractility of the urinary bladder, but at concentrations tested its effect was not concentration-dependent. Cu2+ at a concentration of 10 microM and Cd2+ at a concentration of 1 microM potentiated responses to all stimuli, except KCl. Ni2+ at a concentration of 1000 microM and Cd2+ at a concentration of 100 microM inhibited contractions evoked by all stimuli, and at a concentration of 1000 microM Cd2+ abolished any contractions. Responses to ATP and alpha,beta-meATP were selectively inhibited by Cu2+, Zn2+ or La3+, each at a concentration of 1 mM. 3. Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ and La3+ (100-1000 microM) concentration-dependently inhibited ecto-ATPase activity in the urinary bladder smooth muscle preparations, while Ba2+ and Mn2+ were without effect, and Cd2+ and Co2+ caused significant inhibition only at a concentration of 1000 microM. 4. There was no correlation between the extent of ecto-ATPase inhibition and the effect on contractile activity of any of the cations. 5. In conclusion, the ability of some divalent cations to inhibit ecto-ATPase activity and to potentiate or inhibit contractile responses in the guinea-pig urinary bladder appear to be independent effects.

Mineralocorticoid modulation of central control of blood pressure

An association between mineralocorticoids and hypertension has been recognized for over 50 years, although the mechanisms involved are not entirely clear. In addition to the hypertension seen in cases of frank mineralocorticoid excess, such as in an aldosterone-producing adenoma, many essential hypertensive patients respond to treatments mitigating mineralocorticoid action, even though circulating levels of these steroids are within normal ranges. It has been a decade since David Bohr hypothesized that a center within the brain, probably in the AV3V area, was responsible for the orchestration of the multiple homeostatic mechanisms controlling blood pressure. It was proposed that the "set point" for such a center was dependent upon intracellular Ca + + and/or another ion content or transport across cell membranes, and was altered by mineralocorticoids and in some forms of genetic hypertension. The focus of this paper is the role of the central nervous system in mineralocorticoid hypertension. The importance of these data resides in the possibility that the central mechanisms involved in mineralocorticoid hypertension may also be operant in the pathogenesis of other forms of hypertension, as well as in the normal control of blood pressure.

Inhibitory effects of L-glutamate on central processes of crustacean leg motoneurons

In crustaceans, glutamatergic excitation at the neuromuscular synapse has been extensively studied. Fewer reports exist of the central and possibly inhibitory actions of glutamate on neurons. The present study analyses the response of intracellularly identified motoneurons, which innervate the proximal leg muscles, to local glutamate pressure applications in the neuropil, in an in vitro thoracic preparation of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii. L-Glutamate application always inhibited motoneuron activity, with a decrease in input resistance. The resulting depolarization or hyperpolarization could usually be reversed within 10 mV of the resting potential. The response persisted in neurons pharmacologically isolated with Cd2+ or tetrodotoxin. The reversal potential of the response to glutamate was displaced in a low-chloride solution. Similar responses were obtained with GABA. Application of GABA blocked the glutamate response in a competitive manner. Both responses were suppressed by beta-guanidino-propionic acid, a competitive antagonist for GABA receptors. This indicates that glutamate activates a chloride-GABA receptor-channel. Micromolar concentrations of picrotoxin reduced both the L-glutamate and the GABA inhibitory responses, thereby unmasking a smaller, picrotoxin-resistant effect of glutamate (but not of GABA), which was excitatory and sensitive to 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX). These results suggest dual and opposite roles for motoneuron glutamatergic connections--a peripheral (well known) net excitatory one and a central net inhibitory one. Direct inhibition of motoneurons by L-glutamatergic neurons is to be expected.

A geometric sequence that accurately describes allowed multiple conductance levels of ion channels: the "three-halves (3/2) rule"

Ion channels can express multiple conductance levels that are not integer multiples of some unitary conductance, and that interconvert among one another. We report here that for 26 different types of multiple conductance channels, all allowed conductance levels can be calculated accurately using the geometric sequence gn = g(o) (3/2)n, where gn is a conductance level and n is an integer > or = 0. We refer to this relationship as the "3/2 Rule," because the value of any term in the sequence of conductances (gn) can be calculated as 3/2 times the value of the preceding term (gn-1). The experimentally determined average value for "3/2" is 1.491 +/- 0.095 (sample size = 37, average +/- SD). We also verify the choice of a 3/2 ratio on the basis of error analysis over the range of ratio values between 1.1 and 2.0. In an independent analysis using Marquardt's algorithm, we further verified the 3/2 ratio and the assignment of specific conductances to specific terms in the geometric sequence. Thus, irrespective of the open time probability, the allowed conductance levels of these channels can be described accurately to within approximately 6%. We anticipate that the "3/2 Rule" will simplify description of multiple conductance channels in a wide variety of biological systems and provide an organizing principle for channel heterogeneity and differential effects of channel blockers.

Transducer properties of the rapidly adapting stretch receptor neurone in the crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)

1. The transducer properties of the rapidly adapting stretch receptor neurone of the crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) were studied using a two-microelectrode voltage clamp technique. 2. The impulse response to ramp-and-hold extensions of the receptor muscle typically consisted of a high frequency burst followed by cessation of impulses within a relatively short time depending on the amplitude of extension. The type of adaptation was consistent with earlier studies. The stimulus-response relationship for the impulse frequency was non-linear and had a slope in a log-log plot of 2.9. 3. When impulse generation was blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX), (block of Na+ channels) the receptor potential was extension dependent and similar to that found in the slowly adapting receptor. For small extensions there was an initial peak followed by a fall to a steady potential level. For large extensions the potential response during the ramp phase consisted of a peak followed by a constant potential level lasting to the end of the ramp. When the extension changed to the hold phase the potential fell towards a steady state. The relation between extension and amplitude of receptor potential was non-linear and saturated at -40 to -30 mV (extensions > 15% of zero length, lo). 4. When potassium channels were blocked by TEA (50 mM) and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 5 mM) (and Na+ channels blocked by TTX) the shape of the generator potential become less complex with an increased amplitude for large extensions. 5. When the receptor neurone was voltage clamped at the resting potential, extension of the receptor muscle produced an inwardly directed receptor current, the stretch-induced current (SIC). The response consisted of a fast transient phase which decayed towards a steady state. The SIC peak amplitude was dependent on extension in a sigmoidal fashion and saturated at 190 nA (extensions > 25% of lo). The slope of the steepest part of the stimulus-response relation (between 10 and 20% extension) was 4.7 +/- 0.25 (mean +/- S.E.M.) in a log-log plot. 6. The peak amplitude of the SIC increased with increasing extension speed (ramp steepness), the relation between the slope of the ramp and current amplitude being a first order (hyperbolic) function. The amplitude of the receptor current was voltage dependent and had a reversal potential of +16.2 +/- 1.8 mV (mean +/- S.E.M., 32 cells). From the reversal potential the permeability ratio, PNa/PK, of the transducer permeability system was calculated to be 1.5. The I-V curve of SIC was non-linear.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Noninactivating, tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ conductance in rat optic nerve axons

The ionic current underlying the upstroke of axonal action potentials is carried by rapidly activating, voltage-dependent Na+ channels. Termination of the action potential is mediated in part by the rapid inactivation of these Na+ channels. We previously demonstrated that an influx of Na+ plays a critical role in the cascade leading to irreversible anoxic injury in central nervous system white matter. We speculated that a noninactivating Na+ conductance mediates this pathological Na+ influx and persists at depolarized membrane potentials as seen in anoxic axons. In the present study we measured the resting compound membrane potential of rat optic nerves using a modified "grease-gap" technique. Application of tetrodotoxin (2 microM) to resting nerves ([K+]o = 3 mM) or to nerves depolarized by 15 or 40 mM K+ resulted in hyperpolarizing shifts of membrane potential. We interpret these shifts as evidence for a persistent, noninactivating Na+ conductance. This conductance is present at rest and persists in nerves depolarized sufficiently to abolish classical transient Na+ currents. PK/PNa ratios were estimated at 35.5, 23.2, and 88 in 3 mM, 15 mM, and 40 mM K+, respectively. We suggest that this noninactivating Na+ conductance may provide an inward pathway for Na+ ions, necessary for the operation of Na+, K(+)-ATPase. Under pathological conditions, such as anoxia, this conductance is the likely route of Na+ influx, which causes damaging Ca2+ entry through reverse operation of the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger. The presence of this conductance in white matter axons may provide a therapeutic opportunity for diseases such as stroke and spinal cord injury.

Basal synthesis of acetylcholine in hippocampal synaptosomes is not dependent upon membrane-bound choline acetyltransferase activity

Choline acetyltransferase, the enzyme which catalyses the formation of acetylcholine within cholinergic nerve terminals, exists in both cytosolic and membrane-associated subcellular pools. In the present study, alteration in nerve terminal Cl- homeostasis was used as an experimental tool to elucidate the role of membrane-bound choline acetyltransferase in regulation of the biosynthesis of acetylcholine in rat hippocampal synaptosomes under basal or resting conditions. Reduction of extracellular Cl- concentration from 131 to 48 mM through iso-osmotic replacement with isethionate ions produced a selective decrease, to approximately 50% of control, of nerve terminal membrane-associated choline acetyltransferase activity. Under these experimental conditions, there were no changes in the activity of cytosolic enzyme or high-affinity choline uptake, or in acetylcholine synthesis. Replacement of medium Cl- with Br- supported maintenance of synaptosomal membrane-bound choline acetyltransferase activity better than did I- or isethionate ions; high-affinity choline uptake activity and acetylcholine synthesis were affected similarly. Incubation of synaptosomes with low concentrations of the Cl- channel blockers 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (50 microM) and niflumic acid (100 microM) selectively decreased activity of the membrane-bound enzyme, with no effect on cytosolic choline acetyltransferase or high-affinity choline uptake activities. Acetylcholine synthesis was unchanged, even though membrane-bound choline acetyltransferase activity was decreased in some samples (250 microM 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid) to about 10% of control. Experimental manipulations designed to alter neuronal Cl- homeostasis resulted in selective changes in membrane-bound choline acetyltransferase activity, thereby allowing the first direct examination of its physiological role in regulation of acetylcholine synthesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The GABAA receptor channel mediated chloride ion translocation through the plasma membrane: new insights from 36Cl- ion flux measurements

GABAA receptors in plasma membranes of neurons are integral oligomers which form chloride channels. The binding of GABA molecules at recognition sites for channel opening triggers a transient increase in transmembrane chloride ion flux. The multiplicity and drug specificity of GABAA receptor, kinetics of channel opening, and desensitization of GABAA receptor and its short- and long-term regulation have been investigated by the use of tracer amounts of the radioactive chloride isotope, 36Cl- ion. Results and new insights from 36Cl- ion flux measurements have been reviewed.

Dependence of release of [3H]noradrenaline from rabbit pulmonary artery on internal sodium

1. [3H]Noradrenaline ([3H]NA) release from the isolated main pulmonary artery of the rabbit has been measured in the presence of uptake blockers (cocaine, 3 x 10(-5) M, and corticosterone, 5 x 10(-5) M) and after blocking the monoamine oxidase enzyme by pargyline (1.2 x 10(-4) M). 2. In normal Krebs solution Mn2+ (2 mM) significantly inhibited both [3H]NA release (approximately 80%; P < 0.001) and the contraction following 2 Hz field stimulation. 3. In Ca(2+)-free, EGTA (1 mM)-containing solution, the Na+ pump was inhibited by removal of K+ from the external medium. In Na+ pump-inhibited arteries, 2 mM Mn2+ (free Mn2+, 1 mM) increased the spontaneous release of [3H]NA according to the time of Na+ loading. TTX (10(-7) M) did not inhibit significantly the Mn(2+)-induced [3H]NA release from Na(+)-loaded preparations (percentage inhibition, approximately 24; P > 0.30). 4. Without Na+ loading (Ca2+ free, EGTA alone), Mn2+ failed to promote 3H release from arteries. 5. With constant Na+ loading (120 min 'K(+)-free' perfusion in Ca(2+)-free, 1 mM EGTA-containing solution), the release of 3H was also directly dependent on free Mn2+ concentration (0.2, 0.6 and 1 mM). 6. The Mn2+ (2 mM; free Mn2+, 1 mM)-induced 3H release from Na(+)-loaded nerves (120 min 'K(+)-free', perfusion) was further enhanced, when external Na+ was simultaneously reduced from 139.2 to 26.2 mM (choline+ or sucrose substitution). 7. Diphenylhydantoin (DPH, 10(-4) M) significantly reduced the Mn(2+)-evoked 3H release (approximately 44%; P < 0.02) when it was present during 'K(+)-free', perfusion. 8. Mn2+ was ineffective in releasing 3H if the Na+ pump was previously reactivated by readmission of K+ to Na(+)-loaded arteries. 9. It is concluded that in Ca(2+)-free solution Mn2+ releases neurotransmitter in a manner which depends on the degree of loading with internal Na+. The results suggest this depends at least partly on a block of Ca2+ efflux.

Effects of muscarinic agonists and depolarizing agents on inositol monophosphate accumulation in the rabbit vagus nerve

The effects of muscarinic agonists and depolarizing agents on inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in the rabbit vagus nerve were assessed by the measurement of [3H]inositol monophosphate production in nerves that had been preincubated with [3H]inositol. After 1 h of drug action, carbachol, oxotremorine, and arecoline increased the inositol monophosphate accumulation, though the maximal increase induced by these agonists differed. Addition of the muscarinic antagonists atropine or pirenzepine shifted the carbachol dose-response curves to the right, without decreasing the carbachol maximal stimulatory effects. The KB for pirenzepine was 35 nM, which is characteristic of muscarinic high-affinity binding sites coupled to phosphoinositide turnover and often associated with the M1 receptor subtype. On the other hand, agents known to depolarize or to increase the intracellular Ca2+ concentration, e.g., elevated extracellular K+, ouabain, Ca2+, and the Ca2+ ionophore A23187, also increased inositol monophosphate accumulation. These effects were not mediated by the release of acetylcholine, as suggested by the fact that they could not be potentiated by the addition of physostigmine nor inhibited by the addition of atropine. The Ca(2+)-channel antagonist Cd2+, also known to inhibit the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, was able to block the effects of K+ and ouabain, but did not alter those of carbachol. These results suggest that depolarizing agents increase inositol monophosphate accumulation in part through elevation of the intracellular Ca2+ concentration and that muscarinic receptors coupled to phosphoinositide turnover are present along the trunk of the rabbit vagus nerve.

Intrinsic anion channel activity of the recombinant first nucleotide binding fold domain of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator protein

The first nucleotide binding fold (NBF-1) from the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) has been expressed in bacteria and found to bind ATP and to express anion channel activity when reconstituted onto a planar lipid bilayer. This evidence suggests that the NBF forms the anion-selective portion of the CFTR channel. We also found that the recombinant NBF-1 anion channel is blocked by ATP (1 mM), under which condition it appears to have a minimal conductance of approximately 9 pS and an ohmic current-voltage relationship. We further found that the recombinant NBF-1 bearing the delta F508 mutation has nearly identical anion channel activity to that of the wild-type protein but can be distinguished from wild type under bianionic conditions with chloride and gluconate. We conclude from these data that the anion channel activity of the recombinant NBF-1 could represent all or part of the anion conductance mechanism of CFTR and that the role of the ATP binding by the NBF could be to modulate this anion channel activity.

Increased calcium influx in dystrophic muscle

We examined pathways which might result in the elevated resting free calcium [( Ca2+]i) levels observed in dystrophic mouse (mdx) skeletal muscle fibers and myotubes and human Duchenne muscular dystrophy myotubes. We found that mdx fibers, loaded with the calcium indicator fura-2, were less able to regulate [Ca2+]i levels in the region near the sarcolemma. Increased calcium influx or decreased efflux could lead to elevated [Ca2+]i levels. Calcium transient decay times were identical in normal and mdx fibers if resting [Ca2+]i levels were similar, suggesting that calcium-sequestering mechanisms are not altered in dystrophic muscle, but are slowed by the higher resting [Ca2+]i. The defect appears to be specific for calcium since resting free sodium levels and sodium influx rates in the absence of Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity were identical in normal and dystrophic cells when measured with sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate. Calcium leak channels, whose opening probabilities (Po) were voltage independent, could be the major calcium influx pathway at rest. We have shown previously that calcium leak channel Po is significantly higher in dystrophic myotubes. These leak channels were selective for calcium over sodium under physiological conditions. Agents that increased leak channel activity also increased [Ca2+]i in fibers and myotubes. These results suggest that increased calcium influx, as a result of increased leak channel activity, could result in the elevated [Ca2+]i in dystrophic muscle.

Selective inhibition of K(+)-stimulation of Na,K-ATPase by bretylium

1. The effects of bretylium were investigated on purified Na,K-ATPase from guinea-pig heart and on the Na/K pump in trout erythrocytes, with a view to further identifying the mechanism(s) associated with its antiarrhythmic effects. 2. Na,K-ATPase activity of the thiocyanate-dispersed enzyme was determined by the measurement of inorganic phosphate produced by ATP hydrolysis. 3. When the concentrations of each of the Na,K-ATPase activating components were varied in turn, bretylium (1-5 mmol l-1) exhibited competitive-type effects against K+ with a Ki of 1.4 mmol l-1 and noncompetitive-type effects against Na+, Mg2+ and ATP. 4. In K+ influx studies in trout erythrocytes with 86Rb+ used as the marker, the inhibition of total influx observed with bretylium (5 and 10 mmol l-1) was attributable to the bretylium cation selectively inhibiting the Na/K pump-mediated influx with the associated tosylate anion inhibiting Na/K cotransport. 5. The observed inhibition kinetics indicated that the bretylium cation (2-15 mmol l-1) competitively inhibited K+ stimulation of the Na/K pump at 6 and 1.25 mmol l-1 external K+ with a mean K1 of 2.3 mmol l-1. 6. The effects demonstrated on the functioning Na/K pump in erythrocytes confirmed the Na,K-ATPase findings, with bretylium selectively inhibiting K+ stimulation of the pump mechanism in both cases. 7. It is suggested that Na,K-ATPase inhibition may contribute to the antiarrhythmic and positive inotropic effects of bretylium with the cardiac accumulation of bretylium also possibly being a further important factor.

Effects of external lithium on the physiology of Limulus ventral photoreceptors

We have examined some of the physiological effects associated with the replacement of extracellular Na+ with Li+ in nominally Ca(2+)-free saline in the ventral photoreceptors of the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus. We observed that replacement of Na+ saline with Li+ saline induced larger voltage-activated inward currents with similar voltage dependence. These currents were absent in Tris+ saline. Anode-break excitation was maintained in Li+ saline but blocked in Tris+ saline. Regenerative events associated with quantum bumps in dark-adapted cells illuminated with dim lights were maintained in Li+ saline. Regenerative events associated with responses to moderately bright illumination were also maintained in Li+ saline. The post-illumination hyperpolarization associated with the Na+/K(+)-exchange pump (Brown & Lisman, 1972) was present after brief exposure to Li+ saline but disappeared after longer exposure. Following return to Na+ saline, the post-illumination hyperpolarization reappeared. We conclude that (1) Li+ permeates the voltage-dependent Na+ channel, GNa(V), in the photoreceptor plasma membrane; (2) Li+ supports voltage-activated physiological events normally mediated by Na+; and (3) Li+ substitution briefly supports and later inhibits the electrogenic effects of the Na+/K(+)-exchange pump. The effects of external Li+ on cellular physiology have implications for the interpretation of other studies employing Li+ extracellularly.

Block of current through single calcium channels by Fe, Co, and Ni. Location of the transition metal binding site in the pore

The blocking actions of Fe2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ on unitary currents carried by Ba2+ through single dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels were recorded from cell-attached patches on myotubes from the mouse C2 cell line. Adding millimolar concentrations of blocker to patch electrodes containing 110 mM BaCl2 produced discrete excursions to the closed channel level. The kinetics of blocking and unblocking were well described with a simple model of open channel block. Hyperpolarization speeded the exit of all of the blockers from the channel, as expected if the blocking site resides within the pore. The block by Ni2+ differs from that produced by Fe2+ and Co2+ because Ni2+ enters the channel approximately 20 times more slowly and exits approximately 50 times more slowly. Ni2+ also differs from the other transition metals because at millimolar concentrations it reduces the amplitude of the unitary current in a concentration-dependent manner. The results are consistent with the idea that the rate-limiting step for ion entry into the channel is water loss at its inner coordination sphere; unblocking, on the other hand, cannot be explained in terms of simple coulombic interactions arising from differences in ion size.

Characterization of the palytoxin-induced sodium conductance in frog skeletal muscle

1. The effects of palytoxin (PTX) on transmembrane potentials and currents of frog skeletal muscle were analyzed by intracellular microelectrode techniques and the double sucrose-gap voltage clamp method. 2. PTX irreversibly depolarized the membrane. The depolarization was Na-sensitive. 3. Under voltage clamp, PTX induced an inward resting current which did not inactivate, was inhibited by external Na+ removal and was a function of external Na concentration. 4. This resting current could be carried either by Na+, Li+, K+ or by guanidinium according to the permeability sequence K+ less than Li+ less than Na+ less than Gua+. 5. The PTX-induced current was only weakly sensitive to tetrodotoxin. It was reversibly and dose-dependently inhibited by amiloride with a one to one stoichiometry and a KD of 0.3 mM. 6. Acidic pH partially inhibited the current induced by PTX which was also highly sensitive to external Cd2+ and La3+. The inhibitory sequence for divalent cations was: Mg2+ less than Ca2+ = Ba2+ = Mn2+ less than Cd2+; with La3+ greater than Cd2+. 7. The amplitude of the PTX-induced I(rest) was markedly reduced in the absence of external Ca2+. 8. PTX induced a Na+ resting conductance in frog skeletal muscle. The size of the channel induced by PTX is larger than the guanidinium ion. External membrane Ca2+ might be a cofactor involved in the mode of action of PTX.

Mn2+ transport across biological membranes may be monitored spectroscopically using the Ca2+ indicator dye antipyrylazo III

The metallochromic indicator antipyrylazo III can be used for the rapid and convenient monitoring of Mn2+ transport in biological systems. The apparent KD of the Mn-antipyrylazo III complex in buffered 150 mM KCl (pH 7.2 at 20 degrees C) is approximately 2.5 x 10(-5) M. The sensitivity of antipyrylazo III to Mn2+ is comparable to that of arsenazo III to Ca2+. Mn2+ can be measured without interference from Ca2+, by using dual-wavelength spectrophotometry at the wavelength pair 510-590 nm, or 530-565 nm in cell or mitochondrial suspensions. Ca2+ can be monitored at the wavelength pair 720-790 nm without interference from Mn2+. This paper represents the first application of this technique, here used to characterize mitochondrial efflux kinetics of Mn2+. We report that Mn2+ is transported out of liver mitochondria with a Vmax of 1-2 nmol/(mg.min) and a Km of about 12 nmol/mg. These results are in close agreement with results of measurements using 54Mn.

Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid on skate retinal horizontal cells: evidence for an electrogenic uptake mechanism

In the retinae of many vertebrates, there are classes of horizontal cell that probably utilize gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as a neurotransmitter. As with other amino acid transmitter agents, the postsynaptic action of GABA is thought to be terminated by uptake into neurons and glia surrounding the release site. The present study examined whether an uptake system for GABA could be detected in isolated skate horizontal cells by means of electrophysiological methods. Pressure ejection of GABA onto voltage-clamped horizontal cells produced an inward current that showed no sign of desensitization regardless of the GABA concentration. The dose-response relationship followed simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with a half-maximal response elicited at approximately 110 microM. Nipecotic acid produced a similar current and reduced the responses to GABA when introduced in the bath solution prior to the GABA pulse. On the other hand, application of 500 microM muscimol or 1 mM baclofen, GABAA and GABAB receptor agonists, respectively, were completely without effect. The GABA-induced current was not blocked by superfusion with 500 microM bicuculline, 500 microM picrotoxin, or 500 microM phaclofen. However, the responses to GABA were abolished when the cells were superfused in Ringer's solution in which choline or lithium had been substituted for sodium, and were reduced when the extracellular chloride concentration was decreased from 266 mM to 16 mM. Current-voltage data showed a maximal response to GABA when the cells were held at or below their resting potential. At more depolarized levels, the inward current became progressively smaller until, near +50 mV, it could no longer be detected; over the range tested (-90 to +50 mV), the response never reversed into an outward current. These findings suggest that the GABA-induced currents in skate horizontal cells are mediated by an electrogenic uptake mechanism.

Mechanisms by which mitochondria transport calcium

It has been firmly established that the rapid uptake of Ca2+ by mitochondria from a wide range of sources is mediated by a uniporter which permits transport of the ion down its electrochemical gradient. Several mechanisms of Ca2+ efflux from mitochondria have also been extensively discussed in the literature. Energized mitochondria must expend a significant amount of energy to transport Ca2+ against its electrochemical gradient from the matrix space to the external space. Two separate mechanisms have been found to mediate this outward transport: a Ca2+/nNa+ exchanger and a Na(+)-independent efflux mechanism. These efflux mechanisms are considered from the perspective of available energy. In addition, a reversible Ca2(+)-induced increase in inner membrane permeability can also occur. The induction of this permeability transition is characterized by swelling of the mitochondria, leakiness to small ions such as K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+, and loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential. It has been suggested that the permeability transition and its reversal may also function as a mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux mechanism under some conditions. The characteristics of each of these mechanisms are discussed, as well as their possible physiological functions.

Postsynaptic fall in intracellular pH and increase in surface pH caused by efflux of formate and acetate anions through GABA-gated channels in crayfish muscle fibres

H(+)-selective microelectrodes and a two- or three-microelectrode voltage clamp were used to examine the influence of weak-acid, carboxylate anions on the actions of GABA on postsynaptic intracellular pH, surface pH and on membrane potential in fibres of the crayfish leg opener muscle. Substitution of 30 mM Cl- by formate or acetate promoted a GABA-induced decrease in intracellular pH, which was coupled to an increase in surface pH and to a depolarization. Such effects were not seen in the presence of an equivalent amount of lactate, methanesulphonate or glucuronate. Both the GABA-induced depolarization and the fall in internal pH promoted by formate and acetate were blocked by picrotoxin, and the fall in pH was reversibly inhibited by a K(+)-induced depolarization. The rate of the fall in intracellular pH produced by GABA (0.2 mM) was about 0.02 pH units/min in the presence of formate and 0.03 pH units/min in the presence of acetate. Under steady-state conditions, both 30 mM formate and acetate (but not lactate) induced a positive shift in the reversal potential of GABA-activated current, which was accounted for by a relative permeability vs Cl- of formate and acetate of 0.5 and 0.15, respectively. The conductance sequence of the anions was identical to the permeability sequence, i.e. Cl- greater than formate greater than acetate greater than lactate approximately equal to 0. This sequence is strictly correlated to the Stokes diameter of the anions. The relative permeabilities of the anions indicate that the effective diameter of the GABA-gated channel is about 0.5 nm. The fact that the GABA-induced acidosis was slower in the presence of formate than in the presence of acetate suggests that, in the former case, the rate-limiting step in the fall in internal pH is the entry of non-dissociated formic acid. All the above results are consistent with a scheme where GABA induces a channel-mediated efflux of permeant weak-acid anions, which gives rise to an inward (depolarizing) current and to an intracellular acidosis. A comparison of the permeability properties of crayfish and vertebrate GABA-gated channels suggests that effects similar to those seen in this work are likely to occur in mammalian and other vertebrate neurons in the presence of permeant weak-acid anions.

The topographical basis of cholinergic transmission in guinea-pig ileum myenteric plexus

Myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle strips were used to study nerve action potential propagation and transmission and their differences between the proximal and the distal regions of cholinergic terminals. Neurogenic twitches of a portion of the strip were evoked by focal electrical stimulation. Twitches mediated by the distal regions of cholinergic nerve terminals were more influenced by drugs affecting Ca2+ "utilization" (Bay K 8644, kappa opiate ligand ethylketocyclazocine, changes in extracellular Ca2+ or Co2+ concentration) in contrast to twitches mediated by proximal regions of these terminals which were more influenced by drugs affecting sodium-potassium spike (tetrodotoxin, dendrotoxin, 4-aminopyridine, tetraethylammonium). Post-tetanic potentiation of twitches was prominent with that portion of the strip where the distal regions of nerve terminals were involved. Drugs interfering with Na+/K+ spikes indiscriminately influenced both the twitch height and post-tetanic potentiation whereas changes in extracellular Ca2+ concentration affected selectively only post-tetanic potentiation. Release of [3H]acetylcholine from pre-labelled strips evoked by 1 Hz continuous stimulation or by train stimulation at 30 Hz was measured selectively from portions containing either proximal and distal or only distal regions of nerve terminals. The release from portions containing the distal regions was relatively higher when evoked by 30 Hz than by 1 Hz. The distal regions of nerve terminals might be thus recruited to participate in transmission by a frequency-dependent process. Nerve impulses were recorded from strands of nerve fibres in the myenteric plexus. At 1 and 5 mm distance from the stimulation focus nerve impulses were completely suppressed by tetrodotoxin. At 5 mm, in some strands the amplitude of nerve impulses was also subject to the effect of drugs affecting Ca2+ "utilization"; facilitation of nerve impulse amplitude during 30 Hz train stimulation was always influenced by drugs affecting Ca2+ "utilization". Propagation of nerve impulses in the distal region of cholinergic nerve terminals was found to be Ca-sensitive and frequency-dependent; this might form the basis for facilitation and post-tetanic potentiation of muscarinic transmission.

GABA and glycine channels in isolated ganglion cells from the goldfish retina

1. Adult goldfish retinas were enzymatically dissociated and ganglion cells were maintained in culture for periods of 1-5 days. Ganglion cells could be identified by their morphology, and this identification was confirmed by retrograde transport of the fluorescent dye Fast Blue injected into the optic nerve stub. 2. All the ganglion cells tested responded to 30 microM-GABA or 100 microM-glycine between 2 and 30 h after enzymatic dissociation of the retina. 3. Whole-cell responses to 30 microM-GABA or glycine declined over a period of seconds during sustained applications of the agonists, probably as a result of desensitization. There was an irreversible decline in the peak whole-cell response to repeated applications of 30 microM-GABA unless the pipette-filling solution contained 2 mM-ATP, 4 mM-Mg2+, 10 mM-EGTA and no added Ca2+. Both GABA and glycine responses also showed an irreversible decline in outside-out patches but, in this case, Mg2+, ATP, and very low Ca2+ failed to stabilize the response. 4. Whole-cell currents activated by both GABA and glycine were demonstrated to be chloride-selective by investigating the dependence of reversal potential (Vr) on internal chloride concentration ([Cl-]i). For GABA responses, the dependence of Vr on [Cl-]i could not be distinguished from that predicted by the Nernst relation. For glycine, deviations from Nernstian dependence were observed, but the permeability to Cl- was at least 20 times greater than to isethionate, SO4(2-), or monovalent cations (Na+ and Cs+). 5. Bicuculline methochloride (10 microM) selectively blocked responses to 3-30 microM-GABA without affecting responses to 30 microM-glycine. Bicuculline itself was not as selective. At agonist concentrations of 30 microM, 3 microM-bicuculline partially blocked the response to GABA but not that to glycine, but bicuculline at 10 microM blocked responses to both GABA and glycine. Strychnine (0.3-1 microM) blocked responses to 30 microM-glycine but also competitively antagonized GABA responses. Picrotoxinin (10 microM) blocked responses to 3 microM-GABA in some cells but also partially antagonized responses to 30 microM-glycine. 6. GABA channels had at least two conductance states at 10-12 degrees C in nearly symmetrical (141 mM in, 142 mM out) chloride. The slope conductance of the most frequently observed (main) state was 16 +/- 2 pS. The reversal potential for the main state was not significantly different from the chloride equilibrium potential (0 mV).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Effects of buffer magnesium on positive inotropic agents in guinea pig cardiac muscle

Experiments examined effects of extracellular Mg2+ concentration (Mgo2+) on dose-dependent actions of strophanthidin, norepinephrine, Bay K-8644 and extracellular Ca2+ (Cao2+) in electrically stimulated atrial and ventricular muscle isolated from guinea pig heart. Mgo2+ itself elicited a concentration-dependent negative inotropic effect. Elevation of Mgo2+ between 0.6 and 12 mM increased the concentration of strophanthidin necessary to produce its toxic effects without affecting the maximum developed tension prior to toxicity. Similarly, Mgo2+ did not alter the maximum contractile force elicited by cumulative addition of norepinephrine, Bay K-8644 or Cao2+, but increased their ED50 values. These data suggest that interactions between Mgo2+ and the four positive inotropic agents were not mediated by effects on receptor binding or Na+,K+-ATPase, but rather by alterations at one or more steps involved in excitation-contraction coupling.

Electrophysiological characterization of a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor on leech neuropile glial cells

Ion-selective double-barrelled microelectrodes were used to measure the activities of intracellular K+, Na+, Cl-, and H+ (aiK, aiNa, aiCl, pHi) and membrane potential (Em) in neuropile glial cells as well as extracellular K+ activity (aeK) in the neuropile of the leech, Hirudo medicinalis, during bath application of carbachol. As measured with conventional single-barrelled microelectrodes, acetylcholine (ACh), nicotine, carbachol, tetramethylammonium (TMA), and choline elicited concentration-dependent (10(-6)-5 X 10(-3) M) transient membrane depolarizations of up to 60 mV amplitude whereas muscarine (10(-6)-10(-3) M) did not affect Em. alpha-Bungarotoxin (10(-7) M), decamethonium (10(-5) M), d-tubocurarine (5 X 10(-5) M), and strychnine (5 X 10(-5) M) blocked the carbachol depolarization by about 90%. Atropine (5 X 10(-5) M) blocked the response by about 75%, whereas hexamethonium was only effective at millimolar concentrations. Average baseline levels of aeK in the neuropile and of aiK, aiNa, and aiCl in the neuropile glial cells were about 3, 70, 10, and 7 mM, respectively. During the carbachol depolarization aeK and aiNa transiently increased, whereas aiK decreased. In contrast, a rise of aiK and a fall of aiNa were observed during glial depolarizations in solutions with elevated K+ concentration. aiCl increased during both the carbachol- and the K+-induced depolarization. During carbachol, pHi transiently fell by about 0.2 units from its average baseline level of 6.9, whereas an alkalinization of small amplitude was observed in high-K+ solutions. Bath-applied choline, TMA, and decamethonium rapidly accumulated in the neuropile glial cells as intracellularly monitored with double-barrelled microelectrodes filled with Corning K+ exchanger resin, which is highly selective for these agents. The results suggest that leech neuropile glial cells have a nicotinic ACh receptor coupled to a cation channel. It is hypothesized that this channel might also be permeable to choline, TMA, and decamethonium.

The effects of anions on fluid reabsorption from the proximal convoluted tubule of the rat

1. Fluid reabsorption from surface proximal tubules of the rat was measured in vivo using stationary microperfusion techniques. Reabsorptive rate (Jv) was measured from droplets containing chloride as the main reabsorbable anion and when chloride was substituted by bromide, iodide, nitrate, acetate, isethionate or methylsulphate in either the tubular lumen alone or in both lumen and peritubular capillaries. 2. In tubules with an intact blood supply, droplet volume decreased in a manner best described by a single exponential and substitution of chloride by nitrate or bromide had no effect on Jv. Substitution by iodide or acetate inhibited Jv by approximately 17% but substitution by methylsulphate or isethionate caused droplets to transiently increase in volume before shrinkage which was itself inhibited by approximately 50%. The inhibitory action of isethionate was found to be concentration dependent. 3. Recollection and analysis of droplets which were initially free of chloride, containing either nitrate or isethionate, showed that chloride entered these droplets, but that the initial rate of chloride entry was greater for nitrate than isethionate droplets. 4. When tubules and capillaries were perfused with chloride solutions containing no bicarbonate, Jv was reduced to about 20% of the value when peritubular capillary blood flow was intact. Substituting chloride in the tubular and capillary perfusion revealed a sequence for supporting fluid reabsorption that was identical to that when chloride was substituted in tubule fluid alone: bromide = nitrate greater than iodide = acetate greater than isethionate. Addition of 2.0 mmol l-1 NaCN reduced the reabsorptive flux to zero. 5. The results of this study are consistent with transcellular transport of anions across the proximal tubular epithelium. The pathways for anion transport are likely to involve a series of non-selective mechanisms such as anion exchangers.

5-(N,N-dimethyl)amiloride-sensitive Na-Li exchange in isolated specimens of human atrium

To examine if a transmembrane Na-Li exchange similar to that reported to occur in human blood cells can be demonstrated in the heart, we incubated specimens of human atrium in cold (2-3 degrees C) Li-Tyrode's solution. The Li-loaded, Na-depleted specimens were then transferred to warm (30 degrees C) Na-Tyrode's solution. After transfer the membrane potential hyperpolarized to a level more negative than the equilibrium potential for K+. The hyperpolarization was inhibited by acetylstrophanthidin or K+-free solution indicating that it was due to current produced by the Na, K-pump responding to a Na load. This suggested that intracellular Li+ had been exchanged for Na+. The hyperpolarization was abolished by 10 microM 5-(N,N-dimethyl)amiloride while 10 microM bumetanide had no effect, findings that are consistent with the notion that the exchange of intracellular Li+ for extracellular Na+ occurs via an operational mode of the Na-H exchanger rather than being mediated through a mechanism involving the Na/K/2Cl cotransporter.