Interaction of permeant ions with channels activated by acetylcholine in Aplysia neurones

Two salt bridges differentially contribute to the maintenance of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel function

Previous studies have identified two salt bridges in human CFTR chloride ion channels, Arg(352)-Asp(993) and Arg(347)-Asp(924), that are required for normal channel function. In the present study, we determined how the two salt bridges cooperate to maintain the open pore architecture of CFTR. Our data suggest that Arg(347) not only interacts with Asp(924) but also interacts with Asp(993). The tripartite interaction Arg(347)-Asp(924)-Asp(993) mainly contributes to maintaining a stable s2 open subconductance state. The Arg(352)-Asp(993) salt bridge, in contrast, is involved in stabilizing both the s2 and full (f) open conductance states, with the main contribution being to the f state. The s1 subconductance state does not require either salt bridge. In confirmation of the role of Arg(352) and Asp(993), channels bearing cysteines at these sites could be latched into a full open state using the bifunctional cross-linker 1,2-ethanediyl bismethanethiosulfonate, but only when applied in the open state. Channels remained latched open even after washout of ATP. The results suggest that these interacting residues contribute differently to stabilizing the open pore in different phases of the gating cycle.

Chloride ions in the pore of glycine and GABA channels shape the time course and voltage dependence of agonist currents

In the vertebrate CNS, fast synaptic inhibition is mediated by GABA and glycine receptors. We recently reported that the time course of these synaptic currents is slower when intracellular chloride is high. Here we extend these findings to measure the effects of both extracellular and intracellular chloride on the deactivation of glycine and GABA currents at both negative and positive holding potentials. Currents were elicited by fast agonist application to outside-out patches from HEK-293 cells expressing rat glycine or GABA receptors. The slowing effect of high extracellular chloride on current decay was detectable only in low intracellular chloride (4 mm). Our main finding is that glycine and GABA receptors "sense" chloride concentrations because of interactions between the M2 pore-lining domain and the permeating ions. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that the sensitivity of channel gating to intracellular chloride is abolished if the channel is engineered to become cation selective or if positive charges in the external pore vestibule are eliminated by mutagenesis. The appropriate interaction between permeating ions and channel pore is also necessary to maintain the channel voltage sensitivity of gating, which prolongs current decay at depolarized potentials. Voltage dependence is abolished by the same mutations that suppress the effect of intracellular chloride and also by replacing chloride with another permeant ion, thiocyanate. These observations suggest that permeant chloride affects gating by a foot-in-the-door effect, binding to a channel site with asymmetrical access from the intracellular and extracellular sides of the membrane.

Ion-dependent gating of kainate receptors

Ligand-gated ion channels are an important class of signalling protein that depend on small chemical neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, l-glutamate, glycine and gamma-aminobutyrate for activation. Although numerous in number, neurotransmitter substances have always been thought to drive the receptor complex into the open state in much the same way and not rely substantially on other factors. However, recent work on kainate-type (KAR) ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) has identified an exception to this rule. Here, the activation process fails to occur unless external monovalent anions and cations are present. This absolute requirement of ions singles out KARs from all other ligand-gated ion channels, including closely related AMPA- and NMDA-type iGluR family members. The uniqueness of ion-dependent gating has earmarked this feature of KARs as a putative target for the development of selective ligands; a prospect all the more compelling with the recent elucidation of distinct anion and cation binding pockets. Despite these advances, much remains to be resolved. For example, it is still not clear how ion effects on KARs impacts glutamatergic transmission. I conclude by speculating that further analysis of ion-dependent gating may provide clues into how functionally diverse iGluRs families emerged by evolution. Consequently, ion-dependent gating of KARs looks set to continue to be a subject of topical inquiry well into the future.

Intracellular chloride ions regulate the time course of GABA-mediated inhibitory synaptic transmission

The time-dependent integration of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic currents is an important process for shaping the input-output profiles of individual excitable cells, and therefore the activity of neuronal networks. Here, we show that the decay time course of GABAergic inhibitory synaptic currents is considerably faster when recorded with physiological internal Cl(-) concentrations than with symmetrical Cl(-) solutions. This effect of intracellular Cl(-) is due to a direct modulation of the GABA(A) receptor that is independent of the net direction of current flow through the ion channel. As a consequence, the time window during which GABAergic inhibition can counteract coincident excitatory inputs is much shorter, under physiological conditions, than that previously measured using high internal Cl(-). This is expected to have implications for neuronal network excitability and neurodevelopment, and for our understanding of pathological conditions, such as epilepsy and chronic pain, where intracellular Cl(-) concentrations can be altered.

Voltage-dependent gating of NR1/2B NMDA receptors

Ligand-gated ion channels are activated by agonist binding, but may also be modulated by membrane voltage. N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) exhibit especially strong voltage dependence due to channel block by external Mg(2+) (Mg(o)(2+)). Here we demonstrate that activity of NMDARs composed of NR1 and NR2B subunits (NR1/2B receptors) is enhanced by depolarization even in 0 Mg(o)(2+), causing slow current relaxations in response to rapid voltage changes. We present a kinetic model of receptor activation that incorporates voltage-dependent gating-associated NR2B subunit conformational changes. The model accurately reproduces current relaxations during depolarizations and subsequent repolarizations in 0 Mg(o)(2+). Model simulations in physiological Mg(o)(2+) concentrations show that voltage-dependent receptor gating also underlies the slow component of Mg(o)(2+) unblock, a phenomenon that previously was shown to influence Mg(o)(2+) unblock kinetics during dendritic spikes. We propose that voltage-dependent gating of NR1/2B receptors confers enhanced voltage and time dependence on NMDAR-mediated signalling.

Modulation of proton-induced current fluctuations in the human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channel

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a ligand-gated ion channel that switches upon activation from a closed state to a full conducting state. We found that the mutation delta S268K, located at 12' position of the second transmembrane domain of the delta subunit of the human nAChR generates a long-lived intermediate conducting state, from which openings to a wild-type like conductance level occur on a submillisecond time scale. Aiming to understand the interplay between structural changes near the 12' position and channel gating, we investigated the influence of various parameters: different ligands (acetylcholine, choline and epibatidine), ligand concentrations, transmembrane voltages and both fetal and adult nAChRs. Since sojourns in the high conductance state are not fully resolved in time, spectral noise analysis was used as a complement to dwell time analysis to determine the gating rate constants. Open channel current fluctuations are described by a two-state Markov model. The characteristic time of the process is markedly influenced by the ligand and the receptor type, whereas the frequency of openings to the high conductance state increases with membrane hyperpolarization. Conductance changes are discussed with regard to reversible transfer reaction of single protons at the lysine 12' side chain.

Intersubunit interactions in EAAT4 glutamate transporters

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) play a central role in the termination of synaptic transmission and in extracellular glutamate homeostasis in the mammalian CNS. A functional transporter is assembled as oligomer consisting of three subunits, each of which appears to transport glutamate independently from the neighboring subunits. EAATs do not only sustain a secondary-active glutamate transport but also function as anion channel. We here address the question whether intersubunit interactions play a role in pore-mediated anion conduction. We expressed a neuronal isoform, EAAT4, heterologously in Xenopus oocytes and mammalian cells and measured glutamate flux and anion currents under various concentrations of Na+ and glutamate. EAAT4 anion channels are active in the absence of both substrates, and increasing concentrations activate EAAT4 anion currents with a sigmoidal concentration dependence. Because only one glutamate molecule is cotransported per uptake cycle, the cooperativity between glutamate binding sites most likely arises from an interaction between different carrier domains. This interaction is modified by two point mutations close to the putative glutamate binding site, G464S and Q467S. Both mutations alter the dissociation constants and Hill coefficient of the substrate dependence of anion currents, leaving the concentration dependence of glutamate uptake unaffected. Our results demonstrate that glutamate carriers cooperatively interact during anion channel activation.

Kinetic evidence that desensitized nAChR may promote transitions of active nAChR to desensitized states during sustained exposure to agonists in skeletal muscle

During prolonged exposure of postjunctional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) of skeletal muscle to acetylcholine (ACh), agonist-activated nAChR (nAChRa) gradually fall into a refractory "desensitized" state (nAChRd), which no longer supports the high-conductance channel openings characteristic of the initially active nAChRa. In the present study, the possibility was examined that nAChRd, rather than simply constituting a passive "trap" for nAChRa, may actively promote further conversions of nAChRa to nAChRd in a formally autocatalytic manner. Single-ion whole-cell voltage-clamp currents (Na+ and Li+ in separate trials) were measured using two KCl-filled capillary electrodes (5-10 MOmega) implanted at the postjunctional locus of single frog skeletal muscle fibers (Rana pipiens) equilibrated in 30 mM K+ bath media to eliminate mechanical responses. Various nAChR agonists (carbamylcholine, acetylcholine, suberyldicholine) at different concentrations were delivered focally by positive pressure microjet. It was found that the decline of postmaximal agonist-induced currents under these different conditions (driven by the growth of the subpool of nAChRd) consistently followed an autocatalytic logistic rule modified for population growth of fixed units in a planar array: [Formula: see text] (where y represents the remaining agonist-induced current at time t, A=initial maximum current, and n is a constant). Some further experimental features that might result from a self-promoting growth of nAChRd were also tested, namely, (1) the effect of increased nAChRa and (2) the effect of increased nAChRd. Increase in agonist concentration of the superfusate, by increasing the planar density of active nAChRa at the outset, should enhance the probability of autocatalytic interactions with emerging nAChRd, hence, the rate of decline of agonist-induced current, and this was a consistent finding under all conditions tested. Raising the initial level of desensitized nAChRd by pretreatment of fibers with very low concentrations of agonist would be another way to increase autocatalytic interactions with active nAChRa, and this was also found to produce increased rates of decline of agonist-induced currents when tested in additional trials. It is concluded that several kinetic features of nAChR desensitization in skeletal muscle are consistent with an action of nAChRd to promote further transitions of nAChRa to desensitized forms. This could occur by a direct effect of nAChRd on contiguous nAChRa or perhaps through some intermediary membrane component or local intracellular pathway.

External anions and cations distinguish between AMPA and kainate receptor gating mechanisms

Experiments were designed to examine if ion-flow through alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) or kainate receptors interferes with protein structures associated with the gating machinery. Gating was studied using ultra-fast drug perfusion of outside-out patches containing rat GluR-A or GluR6 subunits excised from transfected human embryonic kidney cells. Deactivation rates of GluR6 kainate receptors observed following brief L-glutamate (10 mM Glu, 1 ms) applications differed by two to threefold in high (405 mM symmetrical Na(+), tau(decay) = 2.7 ms at -100 mV) and low ionic strength (55 mM, tau(decay) = 1.1 ms) solutions. In comparison, GluR-A AMPA receptors were much less sensitive. Ion effects on GluR6 receptors did not reflect surface potential screening or ion-agonist competition at the agonist-binding site since deactivation rates were slower in high ionic strength solutions. Moreover, the apparent agonist affinity did not decrease with increasing ionic strength (e.g. 55 mM, EC(50) = 110 microM vs. 405 mM, EC(50) = 61 microM). GluR6 responses were strongly dependent on ions present on the external, but not the internal, side of the plasma membrane. Decay kinetics was regulated by the type of ion present suggesting that the chemical nature of the solution, not its ionic strength, governed channel behaviour. Both external anions and cations modulated the amplitude and decay kinetics of GluR6 responses in a concomitant manner. AMPA receptor responses recorded in identical ionic conditions did not exhibit this behaviour. These results identify a novel mechanism that distinguishes AMPA and kainate receptors. External ions regulate the gating machinery of kainate receptors through an allosteric mechanism that involves both anions and cations.

Permeant ion binding affinity in subconductance states of an L-type Ca2+ channel expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes

1. The relationship between single-channel conductance and ion binding affinity in Ca2+ channels was investigated by measuring differences in the apparent binding affinity (K'D) for Ca2+ among naturally occurring conductance states of an L-type (alpha1C) Ca2+ channel heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Using cell-attached patch recordings, three or more conductance levels were observed when Ca2+, Ba2+ or Li+ was used as the permeating ion. 2. With Li+ as the charge carrier, low concentrations of Ca2+ (0.1-3.0 microM) produced discrete blocking events in all conductance states. Measurements of open and blocked times as a function of Ca2+ concentration were used to calculate rates of block and unblock. 3. K'D was calculated for three of the conductance levels. Binding affinity for Ca2+ increased as conductance decreased (K'D: large = 7.5 microM, medium = 4.0 microM, small = 2.7 microM). The lower K'D values of the smaller conductance states arose from a combination of larger on-rates and smaller off-rates. 4. These results imply that permeant ions such as Ca2+ have both easier access to, and longer dwell time in, the Ca2+ binding locus in the pore when the channel opens to a subconductance level as compared to the fully open level. 5. The difference in K'D between the large and small conductance levels corresponds to a small difference in the free energy of binding, DeltaDeltaG approximately 1kBT, where kB is Boltzmann's constant and T is absolute temperature (kelvin). Nonetheless, an Eyring model of Ca2+ channel permeation incorporating the state-specific on- and off-rate constants for Ca2+ was able to reproduce the large difference in channel conductance, indicating that small differences in binding energy may be able to account for large differences in amplitude between conductance states.

Voltage dependence of the glycine receptor-channel kinetics in the zebrafish hindbrain

Electrophysiological recordings of outside-out patches to fast-flow applications of glycine were made on patches derived from the Mauthner cells of the 50-h-old zebrafish larva. As for glycinergic miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs), depolarizing the patch produced a broadening of the transient outside-out current evoked by short applications (1 ms) of a saturating concentration of glycine (3 mM). When the outside-out patch was depolarized from -50 to +20 mV, the peak current varied linearly with voltage. A 1-ms application of 3 mM glycine evoked currents that activated rapidly and deactivated biexponentially with time constants of approximately 5 and approximately 30 ms (holding potential of -50 mV). These two decay time constants were increased by depolarization. The fast deactivation time constant increased e-fold per 95 mV. The relative amplitude of the two decay components did not significantly vary with voltage. The fast component represented 64.2 +/- 2.8% of the total current at -50 mV and 54.1 +/- 10% at +20 mV. The 20-80% rise time of these responses did not show any voltage dependence, suggesting that the opening rate constant is insensitive to voltage. The 20-80% rise time was 0.2 ms at -70 mV and 0.22 ms at +20 mV. Responses evoked by 100-200 ms application of a low concentration of glycine (0.1 mM) had a biphasic rising phase reflecting the complex gating behavior of the glycine receptor. The time constant of these two components and their relative amplitude did not change with voltage, suggesting that modal shifts in the glycine-activated channel gating mode are not sensitive to the membrane potential. Using a Markov model to simulate glycine receptor gating behavior, we were able to mimic the voltage-dependent change in the deactivation time course of the responses evoked by 1-ms application of 3 mM glycine. This kinetics model incorporates voltage-dependent closing rate constants. It provides a good description of the time course of the onset of responses evoked by the application of a low concentration of glycine at all membrane potentials tested.

Determinants of voltage-dependent gating and open-state stability in the S5 segment of Shaker potassium channels

The best-known Shaker allele of Drosophila with a novel gating phenotype, Sh(5), differs from the wild-type potassium channel by a point mutation in the fifth membrane-spanning segment (S5) (Gautam, M., and M.A. Tanouye. 1990. Neuron. 5:67-73; Lichtinghagen, R., M. Stocker, R. Wittka, G. Boheim, W. Stühmer, A. Ferrus, and O. Pongs. 1990. EMBO [Eur. Mol. Biol. Organ.] J. 9:4399-4407) and causes a decrease in the apparent voltage dependence of opening. A kinetic study of Sh(5) revealed that changes in the deactivation rate could account for the altered gating behavior (Zagotta, W.N., and R.W. Aldrich. 1990. J. Neurosci. 10:1799-1810), but the presence of intact fast inactivation precluded observation of the closing kinetics and steady state activation. We studied the Sh(5) mutation (F401I) in ShB channels in which fast N-type inactivation was removed, directly confirming this conclusion. Replacement of other phenylalanines in S5 did not result in substantial alterations in voltage-dependent gating. At position 401, valine and alanine substitutions, like F401I, produce currents with decreased apparent voltage dependence of the open probability and of the deactivation rates, as well as accelerated kinetics of opening and closing. A leucine residue is the exception among aliphatic mutants, with the F401L channels having a steep voltage dependence of opening and slow closing kinetics. The analysis of sigmoidal delay in channel opening, and of gating current kinetics, indicates that wild-type and F401L mutant channels possess a form of cooperativity in the gating mechanism that the F401A channels lack. The wild-type and F401L channels' entering the open state gives rise to slow decay of the OFF gating current. In F401A, rapid gating charge return persists after channels open, confirming that this mutation disrupts stabilization of the open state. We present a kinetic model that can account for these properties by postulating that the four subunits independently undergo two sequential voltage-sensitive transitions each, followed by a final concerted opening step. These channels differ primarily in the final concerted transition, which is biased in favor of the open state in F401L and the wild type, and in the opposite direction in F401A. These results are consistent with an activation scheme whereby bulky aromatic or aliphatic side chains at position 401 in S5 cooperatively stabilize the open state, possibly by interacting with residues in other helices.

Modulation of slow inactivation in human cardiac Kv1.5 channels by extra- and intracellular permeant cations

1. The properties and regulation of slow inactivation by intracellular and extracellular cations in the human heart K+ channel hKv1.5 have been investigated. Extensive NH2- and COOH-terminal deletions outside the central core of transmembrane domains did not affect the degree of inactivation. 2. The voltage dependence of steady-state inactivation curves of hKv1.5 channels was unchanged in Rb+ and Cs+, compared with K+, but biexponential inactivation over 10 s was reduced from approximately 100 % of peak current in Na+ to approximately 65 % in K+, approximately 50 % in Rb+ and approximately 30 % in Cs+. This occurred as a result of a decrease in both fast and slow components of inactivation, with little change in inactivation time constants. 3. Changes in extracellular cation species and concentration (5-300 mM) had only small effects on the rates of inactivation and recovery from inactivation (tau recovery approximately 1 s). Mutation of residues at a putative regulatory site at R487 in the outer pore mouth did not affect slow inactivation or recovery from inactivation of hKv1.5, although sensitivity to extracellular TEA was conferred. 4. Symmetrical reduction of both intra- and extracellular cation concentrations accelerated and augmented both components of inactivation of K+ (Kd = 34.7 mM) and Cs+ (Kd = 20.5 mM) currents. These effects could be quantitatively accounted for by unilateral reduction of intracellular K+ (K+i) (Kd = 43.4 mM) or Cs+i with constant 135 mM external ion concentrations. 5. We conclude that inactivation and recovery from inactivation in hKv1.5 were not typically C-type in nature. However, the ion species dependence of inactivation was still closely coupled to ion permeation through the pore. Intracellular ion modulatory actions were more potent than extracellular actions, although still of relatively low affinity. These results suggest the presence of ion binding sites capable of regulating inactivation located on both intracellular and extracellular sides of the pore selectivity filter.

Voltage-dependent gating of ATP-activated channels in PC12 cells

The possibility that P2X receptors exhibit voltage-dependent gating in a similar manner to nicotinic receptors was investigated in rat pheochromocytoma cells with the use of whole cell voltage-clamp techniques. In the presence of extracellular ATP, slowly activating inward currents were elicited by stepping from -50 mV to potentials more negative than -80 mV; these currents had a time constant of approximately 60 ms at -120 mV. This slowly activating component (as a fraction of the total ATP-induced current) increased with membrane hyperpolarization from -80 to -100 mV and was much increased when depolarizing prepulses were applied, although the time constant of activation was not altered by depolarizations. The fraction of the slowly activating current and its time constant were decreased as the ATP concentration was increased from 10 to 300 microM. Thus it has been demonstrated that voltage-dependent gating of ATP-activated channels does occur in PC12 cells, and that this gating is modified by agonist concentration. It is possible that such gating may serve as a postsynaptic mechanism to facilitate excitatory neurotransmission by contributing to the inward rectification of the ATP-activated currents.

Coupling of permeation and gating in an NMDA-channel pore mutant

We report a strong coupling between permeation and gating in a mutant NMDA channel (NR1 N598Q-NR2A). The channel opens to two states that differ by their conductance and, surprisingly, by their selectivity for two permeant monovalent cations, Na+ and Cs+. The two open states are linked to the closed state via a cyclic gating reaction that proceeds preferentially in one direction under biionic conditions, indicating that the gating mechanism is not at equilibrium. The direction and the magnitude of this gating asymmetry can be accounted for by assuming that ions bound to a site in the permeation pathway influence the gating of this mutant channel, and that in the closed state, the channel site is accessible to internal cations.

Kinetics of the block by intracellular Mg2+ of the NMDA-activated channel in cultured rat neurons

1. Single-channel currents activated by the glutamate agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) were recorded from outside-out patches of cultured rat cortical neurons in the presence of intracellular Mg2+ (Mgi2+). The rate constants of the block by Mgi2+ were measured using amplitude distribution analysis. 2. At a membrane potential of 0 mV, the blocking rate constant (k+) of Mgi2+ was estimated to be 2.1 x 10(7) M-1 S-1 and the unblocking rate constant (k-) 1.7 x 15(5)s-1. The very fast rate constants of the block by Mgi2+ explain why channel flicker was not fully resolvable during block of the NMDA-activated single-channel current by Mgi2+. 3. The blocking rate constant of Mgi2+ increased with increasing concentrations of Mgi2+. The unblocking rate constant was Mgi2+ concentration independent. 4. The blocking rate constant increased e-fold per 64 mV depolarization, whereas the unblocking rate constant decreased e-fold per 133 mV depolarization. The dissociation constant (KD) calculated from the blocking rates (k-/k+) decreased e-fold per 43 mV depolarization, and had a value at 0 mV of 7.8 mM. These values are consistent with previous estimates obtained from the voltage-dependent inhibition of the single-channel current amplitude. Both results predict, based on the Woodhull model, that Mgi2+ traverses about one-third of the membrane field to reach its blocking site. 5. The unblocking rate constant of Mgi2+ is one to two orders of magnitude faster than the previously reported unblocking rate constant of extracellular Mg2+ (Mgo2+) in the physiological voltage range, and their voltage dependencies are of opposite signs. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that there are separate binding sites in the channel for Mgi2+ and Mgo2+. 6. Based on the blocking kinetics of Mgi2+ and Mgo2+, an energy profile of three barriers and two binding sites for Mg2+ is proposed.

Interaction of Na+ and Mg2+ ions in acetylcholine receptor channels of frog skeletal muscle changes in character with an increase in agonist concentration

Measurements of agonist-induced single-channel currents of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channels (nAChR) have shown that addition of divalent metal cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Ba2+) in millimolar amounts causes a decrease of 40% or more in currents carried by monovalent cations (Na+, Cs+). Conventional voltage-clamp measurements were made at frog (Rana pipiens) sartorius endplates to determine if this occlusive interaction between mono- and divalent cations is preserved in macroscopic currents produced by higher concentrations of nAChR agonists, as would be expected on the basis of simple summation of unitary currents. Single ion nAChR currents of Na+ (INa+ ) and Mg2+(IMg2+ ) and the composite current when both cations were present (INa+, Mg2+ ) were measured in high-K+, low ionic strength bathing media during local superfusion with various concentrations of carbamylcholine. It was found that, at lower test carbamylcholine levels of 27 and 54 microM, peak values of INa+, Mg2+ were 40% and 53% of the respective INa+ , in agreement with the effects observed from single-channel measurements. At all higher carbamylcholine levels, however, peak INa+, Mg2+ exceeded INa+ and increased instead with the sum of INa+ and IMg2+ as if there was an independent movement of these ions through the channels rather than the occlusive interaction found at lower carbamylcholine levels. This suggests that with exposure to increasing agonist concentrations above those commonly used in single-channel measurements there are changes in the open state of nAChR affecting cation selectivity possibly in the narrow pore region of the channels.

Permeation and gating properties of a cloned renal K+ channel

The renal K+ channel (ROMK2) was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the patch-clamp technique was used to assess its conducting and gating properties. In cell-attached patches with 110 mM K+ in the bath and pipette, the reversal potential was near zero and the inward conductance (36 pS) was larger than the outward conductance (17 pS). In excised inside-out patches the channels showed rectification in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+ on the cytoplasmic side but not in Mg(2+)-free solution. Inward currents were also observed when K+ was replaced in the pipette by Rb+, NH4+, or thallium (Tl+). The reversal potentials under these conditions yielded a selectivity sequence of Tl+ > K+ > Rb+ > NH4+. On the other hand, the slope conductances for inward current gave a selectivity sequence of K+ = NH4+ > Tl+ > Rb+. The differences in the two sequences can be explained by the presence of cation binding sites within the channel, which interact with Rb+ and Tl+ more strongly and with NH4+ less strongly than with K+. Two other ions, Ba2+ and Cs+, blocked the channel from the outside. The effect of Ba2+ (1 mM) was to reduce the open probability of the channels, whereas Cs+ (10 mM) reduced the apparent single-channel current. The effects of both blockers are enhanced by membrane hyperpolarization. The kinetics of the channel were also studied in cell-attached patches. With K+ in the pipette the distribution of open times could be described by a single exponential (tau 0 = 25 ms), whereas two exponentials (tau 1 = 1 ms, tau 2 = 30 ms) were required to describe the closed-time distribution. Hyperpolarization of the oocyte membrane decreased the open probability and tau 0, and increased tau 1, tau 2, and the number of long closures. The presence of Tl+ in the pipette significantly altered the kinetics, reducing tau 0 and eliminating the long-lived closures. These results suggest that the gating of the channel may depend on the nature of the ion in the pore.

A molecular dynamics study of gating in dioxolane-linked gramicidin A channels

The gating transition of the RR and SS dioxolane ring-linked gramicidin A channels were studied with molecular dynamics simulations using a detailed atomic model. It was found that the probable reaction path, describing the transition of the ring from the exterior to the interior of the channel where it blocked the permeation pathway, involved several steps including the isomerization of the transpeptide plane dihedral angle of Val1. Reaction coordinates along this pathway were defined, and the transition rates between the stable conformers were calculated. It was found, in good accord with experimental observations, that the calculated blocking rate for the RR-linked channel was 280/s with a mean blocking time of 0.04 ms, whereas such blocking did not occur in the case of the SS-linked channel. An important observation is that the resulting lifetime for the blocked state of the RR-linked channel was in good accord with the experimental observations only when the calculations were performed in the presence of a potassium ion inside the channel.

Omega-conotoxin-sensitive and -resistant transmitter release from the chick ciliary presynaptic terminal

1. Synaptically evoked responses to stimulation of the oculomotor nerve were recorded from the ciliary nerve in chick embryos. The postsynaptic currents in response to presynaptic stimulation (EPSCs) were also recorded under whole-cell voltage clamp of the ciliary cell. 2. The ciliary nerve response was dependent on the extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o). omega-Conotoxin GVIA (omega-CgTX, 100 nM) increased the [Ca2+]o necessary to evoke the half-maximal response by a factor of 1.7 without changing the slope of [Ca2+]o dependence. Dihydropyridine (DHP) derivatives, nifedipine or Bay K 8644, did not affect the [Ca2+]o sensitivity of ciliary nerve response. 3. The EPSC was usually preceded by the capacitive coupling response of the presynaptic action potential. In some records, the EPSCs were also preceded by the electrical coupling responses which were the mirror images of the presynaptic action potentials. The current-voltage relation of the EPSCs showed inward rectification. 4. The EPSC was potentiated by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) as a result of prolongation of the falling phase of presynaptic action potential. In the presence of high [Ca2+]o and 4-AP, a small fraction of EPSC was resistant to omega-CgTX. 5. The resting potential of the presynaptic terminal was changed from -69 to -57 mV by increasing [K+]o from 1 to 10 mM. The same procedure decreased the omega-CgTX-resistant EPSC by 30%, whereas the omega-CgTX-untreated EPSC in low-Ca2+ saline was not affected by the change in [K+]o. 6. The nerve-evoked increase in intracellular Ca2+ was recorded from the presynaptic terminal (delta[Ca2+]pre). The delta[Ca2+]pre was larger in a solution containing 10 mM Ca2+ and 1 mM K+ after treating with omega-CgTX than in a solution containing 2 mM Ca2+ and 16 mM Mg2+ before treating with omega-CgTX. The EPSC was, in contrast, smaller in the 10 mM Ca(2+)-1 mM K+ solution after omega-CgTX treatment than in the 2 mM Ca(2+)-16 mM Mg2+ solution before omega-CgTX treatment. 7. Similarly, the EPSC was smaller in the 10 mM Ca(2+)-1 mM K+ solution containing 5 microM La3+ than in the 2 mM Ca(2+)-16 mM Mg2+ solution, whereas the delta [Ca2+]pre was larger in the 10 mM Ca(2+)-1 mM K+ solution containing 5 micrograms La3+ than in the 2 mM Ca(2+)-16 mM Mg2+ solution. 8. It is concluded that the omega-CgTX-sensitive Ca2+ conductance of the presynaptic terminal is the principal source of Ca2+ involved in transmitter release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Ion permeation properties of the glutamate receptor channel in cultured embryonic Drosophila myotubes

Ion permeation properties of the glutamate receptor channel in cultured myotubes of Drosophila embryos were studied using the inside-out configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Lowering the NaCl concentration in the bath (intracellular solution), while maintaining that of the external solution constant, caused a shift of the reversal potential in the positive direction, thus indicating a higher permeability of the channel to Na+ than to Cl- (PCl/PNa < 0.04), and suggesting that the channel is cation selective. With 145 mM Na+ on both sides of the membrane, the single-channel current-voltage relation was almost linear in the voltage range between -80 and +80 mV, the conductance showing some variability in the range between 140 and 170 pS. All monovalent alkali cations tested, as well as NH4+, permeated the channel effectively. Using the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation for the reversal potential, the permeability ratios with respect to Na+ were estimated to be: 1.32 for K+, 1.18 for NH4+, 1.15 for Rb+, 1.09 for Cs+, and 0.57 for Li+. Divalent cations, i.e. Mg2+ and Ca2+, in the external solution depressed not only the inward but also the outward Na+ currents, although reversal potential measurements indicated that both ions have considerably higher permeabilities than Na+ (PMg/PNa = 2.31; PCa/PNa = 9.55). The conductance-activity relation for Na+ was described by a hyperbolic curve. The maximal conductance was about 195 pS and the half-saturating activity 45 mM. This result suggests that Na+ ions bind to sites in the channel. All data were fitted by a model based on the Eyring's reaction rate theory, in which the receptor channel is a one-ion pore with three energy barriers and two internal sites.

Shaker potassium channel gating. II: Transitions in the activation pathway

Voltage-dependent gating behavior of Shaker potassium channels without N-type inactivation (ShB delta 6-46) expressed in Xenopus oocytes was studied. The voltage dependence of the steady-state open probability indicated that the activation process involves the movement of the equivalent of 12-16 electronic charges across the membrane. The sigmoidal kinetics of the activation process, which is maintained at depolarized voltages up to at least +100 mV indicate the presence of at least five sequential conformational changes before opening. The voltage dependence of the gating charge movement suggested that each elementary transition involves 3.5 electronic charges. The voltage dependence of the forward opening rate, as estimated by the single-channel first latency distribution, the final phase of the macroscopic ionic current activation, the ionic current reactivation and the ON gating current time course, showed movement of the equivalent of 0.3 to 0.5 electronic charges were associated with a large number of the activation transitions. The equivalent charge movement of 1.1 electronic charges was associated with the closing conformational change. The results were generally consistent with models involving a number of independent and identical transitions with a major exception that the first closing transition is slower than expected as indicated by tail current and OFF gating charge measurements.

Shaker potassium channel gating. III: Evaluation of kinetic models for activation

Predictions of different classes of gating models involving identical conformational changes in each of four subunits were compared to the gating behavior of Shaker potassium channels without N-type inactivation. Each model was tested to see if it could simulate the voltage dependence of the steady state open probability, and the kinetics of the single-channel currents, macroscopic ionic currents and macroscopic gating currents using a single set of parameters. Activation schemes based upon four identical single-step activation processes were found to be incompatible with the experimental results, as were those involving a concerted, opening transition. A model where the opening of the channel requires two conformational changes in each of the four subunits can adequately account for the steady state and kinetic behavior of the channel. In this model, the gating in each subunit is independent except for a stabilization of the open state when all four subunits are activated, and an unstable closed conformation that the channel enters after opening. A small amount of negative cooperativity between the subunits must be added to account quantitatively for the dependence of the activation time course on holding voltage.

Structure, diversity, and ionic permeability of neuronal and muscle acetylcholine receptors

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) form a family of ligand-gated, cation-selective channels that are concentrated at cholinergic synapses on vertebrate neurons and muscle cells. At the neuromuscular endplate, muscle nAChRs bind acetylcholine released by the presynaptic motor neuron. The receptors then undergo a conformational change that opens their ion channels. Cations move passively through the water-filled pores down their electrochemical gradients, completing synaptic transmission by depolarizing the postsynaptic muscle. The channel only weakly discriminates among permeant cations, which include all monovalent and divalent cations that are small enough to fit through the narrowest cross section. The membrane-spanning region of the pore is lined by uncharged domains that are bracketed by residues with net negative charge. The pore has large entrance vestibules, especially facing extracellularly. The narrowest cross-section is located near the cytoplasmic end of the membrane-spanning region, and this short narrow region probably provides the main cation binding site that is directly in the permeation pathway. Neuronal nAChRs share many of the properties of muscle nAChRs, but the neuronal receptor subtypes are more heterogenous genetically, pharmacologically, and functionally. There are especially important functional differences between muscle and neuronal nAChRs. For example, neuronal nAChRs are more highly permeable to Ca2+ and physiological levels of Ca2+ very potently modulate neuronal nicotinic currents. This variety of nAChRs suggests that these receptor/channels serve many roles in the excitable tissues of vertebrates.

Interactions between divalent cations and the gating machinery of cyclic GMP-activated channels in salamander retinal rods

The effects of divalent cations on the gating of the cGMP-activated channel, and the effects of gating on the movement of divalent cations in and out of the channel's pore were studied by recording macroscopic currents in excised membrane patches from salamander retinal rods. The fractional block of cGMP-activated Na+ currents by internal and external Mg2+ as well as internal Ca2+ was nearly independent of cGMP concentration. This indicates that Mg2+ and Ca2+ bind with similar affinity to open and closed states of the channel. In contrast, the efficiency of block by internal Cd2+ or Zn2+ increased in proportion to the fraction of open channels, indicating that these ions preferentially occupy open channels. The kinetics of block by internal Ni2+, which competes with Mg2+ but blocks more slowly, were found to be unaffected by the fraction of channels open. External Ni2+, however, blocked and unblocked much more rapidly when channels were mostly open. This suggests that within the pore a gate is located between the binding site(s) for ions and the extracellular mouth of the channel. Micromolar concentrations of the transition metal divalent cations Ni2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Mn2+ applied to the cytoplasmic surface of a patch potentiated the response to subsaturating concentrations of cGMP without affecting the maximum current induced by saturating cGMP. The concentration of cGMP that opened half the channels was often lowered by a factor of three or more. Potentiation persisted after the experimental chamber was washed with divalent-free solution and fresh cGMP was applied, indicating that it does not result from an interaction between divalent cations and cGMP in solution; 1 mM EDTA or isotonic MgCl2 reversed potentiation. Voltage-jump experiments suggest that potentiation results from an increase in the rate of cGMP binding. Lowering the ionic strength of the bathing solution enhanced potentiation, suggesting that it involves electrostatic interactions. The strong electrostatic effect on cGMP binding and absence of effect on ion permeation through open channels implies that the cGMP binding sites on the channel are well separated from the permeation pathway.

Ion effects on gating of the Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel correlate with occupancy of the pore

We studied the effects of permeant ions on the gating of the large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel from rat skeletal muscle. Rb+ blockade of inward K+ current caused an increase in the open probability as though Rb+ occupancy of the pore interferes with channel closing. In support of this hypothesis, we directly measured the occupancy of the pore by the impermeant ion Cs+ and found that it strongly correlates with its effect on gating. This is consistent with the "foot-in-the-door" model of gating, which states that channels cannot close with an ion in the pore. However, because Rb+ and Cs+ not only slow the closing rate (as predicted by the model), but also speed the opening rate, our results are more consistent with a modified version of the model in which the channel can indeed close while occupied, but the occupancy destabilizes the closed state. Increasing the occupancy of the pore by the addition of other permeant (K+ and Tl+) and impermeant (tetraethylammonium) ions did not affect the open probability. To account for this disparity, we used a two-site permeation model in which only one of the sites influenced gating. Occupancy of this "gating site" interferes with channel closing and hastens opening. Ions that directly or indirectly increase the occupancy of this site will increase the open probability.

Permeant ion effects on the gating kinetics of the type L potassium channel in mouse lymphocytes

Permeant ion species was found to profoundly affect the gating kinetics of type l K+ currents in mouse T lymphocytes studied with the whole-cell or on-cell patch gigaohm-seal techniques. Replacing external K+ with Rb+ (as the sole monovalent cation, at 160 mM) shifted the peak conductance voltage (g-V) relation by approximately 20 mV to more negative potentials, while NH4+ shifted the g-V curve by 15 mV to more positive potentials. Deactivation (the tail current time constant, tau tail) was slowed by an average of 14-fold at -70 mV in external Rb+, by approximately 8-fold in Cs+, and by a factor of two to three in NH4+. Changing the external K+ concentration, [K+]o, from 4.5 to 160 mM or [Rb+]o from 10 to 160 mM had no effect on tau tail. With all the internal K+ replaced by Rb+ or Cs+ and either isotonic Rb+ or K+ in the bath, tau tail was indistinguishable from that with K+ in the cell. With the exception of NH4+, activation time constants were insensitive to permeant ion species. These results indicate that external permeant ions have stronger effects than internal permeant ions, suggesting an external modulatory site that influences K+ channel gating. However, in bi-ionic experiments with reduced external permeant ion concentrations, tau tail was sensitive to the direction of current flow, indicating that the modulatory site is either within the permeation pathway or in the outer vestibule of the channel. The latter interpretation implies that outward current through an open type l K+ channel significantly alters local ion concentrations at the modulatory site in the outer vestibule, and consequently at the mouth of the channel. Experiments with mixtures of K+ and Rb+ in the external solution reveal that deactivation kinetics are minimally affected by addition of Rb+ until the Rb+ mole fraction approaches unity. This relationship between mole fraction and tau tail, together with the concentration independence of tau tail, was hard to reconcile with simple models in which occupancy of a site within the permeation pathway prevents channel closing, but is consistent with a model in which a permeant ion binding site in the outer vestibule modulates gating depending on the species of ion occupying the site. A description of the ionic selectivity of the type l K+ channel is presented in the companion paper (Shapiro and DeCoursey, 1991b).

A protein-conducting channel in the endoplasmic reticulum

The existence of a protein-conducting channel in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane was demonstrated by electrophysiological techniques. Pancreatic rough microsome (RM) vesicles were fused to one side (cis) of a planar lipid bilayer separating two aqueous compartments of 50 mM salt. This exposed the cytoplasmic surface of the RMs, with its attached ribosomes, to the cis chamber. Addition of 100 microM puromycin to the cis side caused a large increase in membrane conductance, presumably the result of puromycin-induced clearance of nascent protein chains from the lumen of protein-conducting channels. When puromycin was added at low concentrations (0.33 microM), single channels of 220 pS were observed. These closed when the salt concentration was raised to levels at which ribosomes detach from the membrane (150-400 mM), indicating that the attached ribosome keeps the channel in an open conformation. A mechanism for a complete cycle of opening and closing of the protein-conducting channel is suggested.

Multi-ion occupancy alters gating in high-conductance, Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels

In this study, single-channel recordings of high-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels from rat skeletal muscle inserted into planar lipid bilayer were used to analyze the effects of two ionic blockers, Ba2+ and Na+, on the channel's gating reactions. The gating equilibrium of the Ba(2+)-blocked channel was investigated through the kinetics of the discrete blockade induced by Ba2+ ions. Gating properties of Na(+)-blocked channels could be directly characterized due to the very high rates of Na+ blocking/unblocking reactions. While in the presence of K+ (5 mM) in the external solution Ba2+ is known to stabilize the open state of the blocked channel (Miller, C., R. Latorre, and I. Reisin. 1987. J. Gen. Physiol. 90:427-449), we show that the divalent blocker stabilizes the closed-blocked state if permeant ions are removed from the external solution (K+ less than 10 microM). Ionic substitutions in the outer solution induce changes in the gating equilibrium of the Ba(2+)-blocked channel that are tightly correlated to the inhibition of Ba2+ dissociation by external monovalent cations. In permeant ion-free external solutions, blockade of the channel by internal Na+ induces a shift (around 15 mV) in the open probability--voltage curve toward more depolarized potentials, indicating that Na+ induces a stabilization of the closed-blocked state, as does Ba2+ under the same conditions. A kinetic analysis of the Na(+)-blocked channel indicates that the closed-blocked state is favored mainly by a decrease in opening rate. Addition of 1 mM external K+ completely inhibits the shift in the activation curve without affecting the Na(+)-induced reduction in the apparent single-channel amplitude. The results suggest that in the absence of external permeant ions internal blockers regulate the permeant ion occupancy of a site near the outer end of the channel. Occupancy of this site appears to modulate gating primarily by speeding the rate of channel opening.

Characterization of stretch-activated ion channels in Xenopus oocytes

1. The gating and permeation properties of endogenous stretch-activated (SA) ion channels in Xenopus oocytes have been studied using the patch-clamp single channel recording technique. 2. As estimated from the probability of being open (Po), SA channels were equally sensitive to suction or pressure. The Po was also weakly sensitive to voltage, increasing with depolarization. Channel activation did not require Ca2+. 3. Kinetic analysis of single-channel records indicated that there are three closed states and one open state. Among three closed-time distributions, the longest was the most sensitive to both pipette pressure and membrane voltage. The open time was independent of both pressure and voltage under a wide variety of ionic conditions, but was sensitive to the species of extracellular ion as follows: Na+ greater than Cs+ greater than K+ greater than Rb+ greater than Li+. The open time had a monotonic mole fraction relationship in mixtures of Li+ and K+. 4. The SA channels were cation-selective inward rectifiers. The selectivity for permeation, based on slope conductance, was: K+ greater than NH4+ greater than Cs+ greater than Rb+ greater than Na+ greater than Li+ greater than Ca2+. 5. Tetraethylammonium (TEA+) was impermeable but was not a channel blocker. 6.Open-channel current amplitude saturated with increasing extracellular K+, and was a monotonic function of the mole fraction of Li+ and K+ in mixtures of the two ions. 7. The channel has at least two separate ion binding sites: an intra-channel site suggested by the permeation data, and an allosteric site suggested by the voltage-independent effects of permeant ions on open time. A symmetric two-barrier, one-site model can quantitatively describe the permeation data. A kinetic model is proposed to quantify the gating kinetics and the effect of ion binding at the allosteric site.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in porcine hypophyseal intermediate lobe cells

1. Acetylcholine (ACh) was found to depolarize isolated porcine intermediate lobe cells maintained in primary cells culture. We investigated the ACh-induced responses in both whole-cell and cell-attached configurations of the patch-clamp technique. 2. From noise analysis of ACh-evoked whole-cell currents, we estimated an elementary conductance of 20 pS and a channel open duration of about 1.7 ms at -60 mV. From single-channel recordings, we obtained a slope conductance of 26 pS and a mean open time of 1.8 ms at membrane potentials between -60 and -80 mV. 3. ACh-evoked responses were blocked by d-tubocurarine (d-TC), hexamethonium and mecamylamine, but were insensitive to alpha-bungarotoxin. These characteristics define a neuronal type of nicotinic receptors. 4. The whole-cell current induced by ACh showed a strong inward rectification with no outward current being obtained. This phenomenon was observed when the intracellular ion is either sodium or caesium, and even when Ca2+ and Mg2+ were totally removed from the intracellular medium. 5. ACh-gated channels in intermediate lobe cells were cation selective and were permeable to Na+ and Cs+. In Ca2(+)-free extracellular solution, single-channel conductances were much larger (46 pS) than in the presence of 2 mM-Ca2+ (26 pS). 6. The possibility of an excitatory cholinergic control of intermediate lobe cells is discussed.

Divalent ion trapping inside potassium channels of human T lymphocytes

Using the patch-clamp whole-cell recording technique, we investigated the influence of external Ca2+, Ba2+, K+, Rb+, and internal Ca2+ on the rate of K+ channel inactivation in the human T lymphocyte-derived cell line, Jurkat E6-1. Raising external Ca2+ or Ba2+, or reducing external K+, accelerated the rate of the K+ current decay during a depolarizing voltage pulse. External Ba2+ also produced a use-dependent block of the K+ channels by entering the open channel and becoming trapped inside. Raising internal Ca2+ accelerated inactivation at lower concentrations than external Ca2+, but increasing the Ca2+ buffering with BAPTA did not affect inactivation. Raising [K+]o or adding Rb+ slowed inactivation by competing with divalent ions. External Rb+ also produced a use-dependent removal of block of K+ channels loaded with Ba2+ or Ca2+. From the removal of this block we found that under normal conditions approximately 25% of the channels were loaded with Ca2+, whereas under conditions with 10 microM internal Ca2+ the proportion of channels loaded with Ca2+ increased to approximately 50%. Removing all the divalent cations from the external and internal solution resulted in the induction of a non-selective, voltage-independent conductance. We conclude that Ca2+ ions from the outside or the inside can bind to a site at the K+ channel and thereby block the channel or accelerate inactivation.

Voltage-gated potassium channels in brown fat cells

We studied the membrane currents of isolated cultured brown fat cells from neonatal rats using whole-cell and single-channel voltage-clamp recording. All brown fat cells that were recorded from had voltage-gated K currents as their predominant membrane current. No inward currents were seen in these experiments. The K currents of brown fat cells resemble the delayed rectifier currents of nerve and muscle cells. The channels were highly selective for K+, showing a 58-mV change in reversal potential for a 10-fold change in the external [K+]. Their selectivity was typical for K channels, with relative permeabilities of K+ greater than Rb+ greater than NH+4 much greater than Cs+, Na+. The K currents in brown adipocytes activated with a sigmoidal delay after depolarizations to membrane potentials positive to -50 mV. Activation was half maximal at a potential of -28 mV and did not require the presence of significant concentrations of internal calcium. Maximal voltage-activated K conductance averaged 20 nS in high external K+ solutions. The K currents inactivated slowly with sustained depolarization with time constants for the inactivation process on the order of hundreds of milliseconds to tens of seconds. The K channels had an average single-channel conductance of 9 pS and a channel density of approximately 1,000 channels/cell. The K current was blocked by tetraethylammonium or 4-aminopyridine with half maximal block occurring at concentrations of 1-2 mM for either blocker. K currents were unaffected by two blockers of Ca2+-activated K channels, charybdotoxin and apamin. Bath-applied norepinephrine did not affect the K currents or other membrane currents under our experimental conditions. These properties of the K channels indicate that they could produce an increase in the K+ permeability of the brown fat cell membrane during the depolarization that accompanies norepinephrine-stimulated thermogenesis, but that they do not contribute directly to the norepinephrine-induced depolarization.

Gating kinetics of ATP-sensitive single potassium channels in myocardial cells depends on electromotive force

ATP-sensitive single-channel potassium currents were studied in the membrane of rat ventricular myocytes. With an internal K+ concentration of [K+]i = 140 mM, the outwardly directed currents saturated at approximately 1.8 pA in the region of positive potentials independently of the external K+ concentration [K+]o, whereas an increase in [K+]i of up to 300 mM caused a positive shift in the region of current saturation (from approximately +40 mV to approximately +100 mV) and an increase in the level of the saturation up to approximately 4 pA. The openings of the channels appeared in bursts. Gating kinetics within the bursts were investigated. It was shown that the channel mean open (tau o) and closed (tau c) times during a burst depended primarily on the electromotive force (V-Vk) for potassium ions. For different [K+]o, tau o was maximal and tau c was minimal in the region of reversal potentials (Vrev); tau o decreased and tau c increased gradually with deviation of V from Vrev. Therefore we conclude that the gating properties of the ATP-sensitive K channels depend on the ion flux parameters.

Modulation of gramicidin A open channel lifetime by ion occupancy

The hypothesis that the gramicidin A channel stability depends on the level of ion occupancy of the channel was used to derive a mathematical model relating channel lifetime to channel occupancy. Eyring barrier permeation models were examined for their ability to fit the zero-voltage conductance, current-voltage, as well as lifetime data. The simplest permeation model required to explain the major features of the experimental data consists of three barriers and four sites (3B4S) with a maximum of two ions occupying the channel. The average lifetime of the channel was calculated from the barrier model by assuming the closing rate constant to be proportional to the probability of the internal channel sites being empty. The link between permeation and lifetime has as its single parameter the experimentally determined averaged lifetime of gramicidin A channels in the limit of infinitely dilute solutions and has therefore no adjustable parameters. This simple assumption that one or more ions inside the channel completely stabilize the dimer conformation is successful in explaining the experimental data considering the fact that this model for stabilization is independent of ion species and configurational occupancy. The model is used to examine, by comparison with experimental data, the asymmetrical voltage dependence of the lifetime in asymmetrical solutions, the effects of blockers, and the effects of elevated osmotic pressure.

Monovalent and divalent cation permeation in acetylcholine receptor channels. Ion transport related to structure

Single channel patch-clamp techniques were used to study nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in cultured rat myotubes. The single channel conductance in pure cesium and sodium levels off at high concentrations, as if a binding site within the channel were saturating. The conductances at very low concentrations, however, are larger than predicted by the simplest one-site transport model fitted to the high-concentration data. At low concentrations, the current-voltage relations are inwardly rectifying, but they become more ohmic if a small amount of divalent cations is added externally. Magnesium and barium are good permeants that have rather high affinities for the channel. Upon adding low millimolar concentrations of these divalent cations externally to a membrane bathed in pure cesium, the inward current carried by cesium is decreased. As more divalent cations are added, the inward-going currents continued to decrease and the divalent cation replaces cesium as the main current carrier. The ion transport data are described by considering the size, shape, and possible net charge of the channel. In that way, even the complex features of transport are explained in a realistic physical framework. The results are consistent with the channel having long, wide, multiply occupied vestibules that serve as transition zones to the short, selective, singly occupied narrow region of the channel. A small amount of net negative charge within the pore could produce concentration-dependent potentials that provide a simple explanation for the more complicated aspects of the permeation properties.

External monovalent cations that impede the closing of K channels

We have examined the effects of a variety of monovalent cations on K channel gating in squid giant axons. The addition of the permeant cations K, Rb, or Cs to the external medium decreases the channel closing rate and causes a negative shift of the conductance-voltage relationship. Both of these effects are larger in Rb than in K. The opening kinetics of the K channel are, on the other hand, unaffected by these monovalent cations. Other permeant species, like NH4 and Tl, slightly increase the closing rate, whereas the relatively impermeant cations Na, Li, and Tris have little or no effect on K channel gating. The permeant cations have different effects on the reversal potential and the shape of the instantaneous current-voltage relationship. These effects give information about entry and binding of the cations in K channels. Rb, for example, enters the pore readily (large shift of the reversal potential), but binds tightly to the channel interior, inhibiting current flow. We find a correlation between the occupancy of the channel by a monovalent cation and the closing rate, and conclude that the presence of a monovalent cation in the pore inhibits channel closing, and thereby causes a leftward shift in the activation-voltage curve. In causing these effects, the cations appear to bind near the inner surface of the membrane.

Interactions of divalent cations with single calcium channels from rat brain synaptosomes

Voltage-dependent calcium channels from a rat brain membrane preparation ("synaptosomes") were incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. The effects of calcium, barium, strontium, manganese, and cadmium ions on the amplitudes and kinetics of single channel currents were examined. The order of single channel conductances was gBa greater than gSr greater than gMn, which was the inverse of the order of the mean channel open times: TMn greater than TCa = TSr greater than TBa. In contrast, the identity of the charge carrier had little or no effect on the mean closed times of the channel. Manganese, in the absence of other permeant ions, can pass through single channels (gMn = 4 pS). However, when added to a solution that contained another type of permeant divalent cation, manganese reduced the single channel current in a voltage-dependent manner. Cadmium, a potent blocker of macroscopic "ensemble" calcium currents in many preparations, reduced the current through an open channel in a manner consistent with Cd ions both not being measurably permeant and interacting with a single site. The permeant ions competed with cadmium for this site with the following order: Mn greater than Sr = Ca greater than Ba. These results are consistent with the existence of no less than one divalent cation binding site in the channel that regulates ion permeation.

Kinetic properties and selectivity of calcium-permeable single channels in Aplysia neurones

Two kinds of single channels, carrying inward currents even above the Na and Cl ion equilibrium potentials, were observed in outside-out patches from Aplysia neurones bathed in K-free internal and external solutions. The channel carrying the larger elementary current has been studied in detail. When the internal solution contained mainly CsCl, this channel usually inactivated during the first minutes following isolation of the membrane patch. However, when the internal solution contained NaCl instead of CsCl, the channel remained functional during several hours, thus allowing the present study. Na-Tris, NaCl-mannitol and Ca-Ba external substitution experiments showed that the channel studied is much more permeable to divalent cations than to sodium ions. Mono-exponential open-time distributions obtained under identical conditions from different membrane patches indicated either slow (in the order of 100 ms at 0 mV) or rapid (a few milliseconds at 0 mV) mean open-times. Biphasic open-time distributions could be obtained from other membrane patches under the same conditions. These results suggest the existence of two different gating modes. Both the open-time distribution and the closed-time distribution are voltage sensitive: membrane depolarization activates the channel by lengthening the openings and shortening the closures. The threshold of activation if any, is very low and the inactivation, if present, is never complete. Ca-Ba, Ca-Sr and Ca-Mg external substitution experiments showed that the elementary current amplitude is not very sensitive to the nature of the external divalent cation. The elementary current can be slightly larger when carried by Ba ions rather than by Ca ions, but is nearly identical whether carried by Ca, Sr or even Mg ions, which leads to the elementary conductance sequence: Ba greater than or equal to Ca = Sr congruent to Mg. In contrast, the mean open-time of the channel is very sensitive to the nature of the external permeant ion. The longest mean open-time is observed in the presence of Ca ions, and the mean open-time sequence is: Ca greater than Sr greater than Ba greater than Mg. The closed-time distribution is also affected by the nature of the external divalent cation. The above results show that the nature of the permeant ion affects the kinetic properties of the channel much more than its elementary current.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The K+ channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum. A new look at Cs+ block

K+-selective ion channels from mammalian sarcoplasmic reticulum were inserted into planar phospholipid bilayers, and single-channel currents measured in solutions containing Cs+. Current through this channel can be observed in symmetrical solutions containing only Cs+ salts. At zero voltage, the Cs+ conductance is approximately 15-fold lower than the corresponding K+ conductance. The open channel rectifies strongly in symmetrical Cs+ solutions, and the Cs+ currents are independent of Cs+ concentration in the range 18-600 mM. Biionic (Cs+/K+) reversal potentials are only 10 mV, showing that Cs+ is nearly as permeant as K+, though much less conductive. Addition of Cs+ to symmetrical K+ solutions reduces current through the channel in a voltage-dependent way. The results can be explained by a free energy profile in which the channel's selectivity filter acts in two ways: to provide binding sites for the conducting ions and to serve as a major rate-determining structure. According to this picture, the main difference between high-conductance K+ and low-conductance Cs+ is that Cs+ binds to an asymmetrically positioned site approximately 20-fold more tightly than does K+.

Monovalent cation permeabilities of the potassium systems in the crab giant axon

Permeability ratios for pairs of monovalent cations permeating the two potassium systems proposed for the giant axon of the crab Carcinus maenas (M.E. Quinta-Ferreira, E. Rojas & N. Arispe, J. Membrane Biol. 66:171-181, 1982b) were estimated from measurements of the reversal potential of the currents under voltage-clamp conditions. With K+ inside the axon, permeability ratios from the reversal potential of the currents through the late channel are: PRb/PK = 0.9, PNH4/PK less than 0.2 and PCS/PK = 0.18. With CS+ inside the ratios are: PK/PCS = 8.7, PRb/PCS = 7.1 and PNH4/PCS = 2.4. The analysis of the inward currents carried by Rb+ or NH+4 showed similar reversal potentials for the early transient component and the late sustained component. Whence, the sequence of permeabilities for the two types of potassium channels is: PK greater than PRb greater than PNH4 greater than PNa = PCS. The time constants for the activation of the two components recorded either in K-, Rb-, or NH4-artificial seawater are twice as large as the corresponding time constants measured in Na-artificial seawater.

Single-channel analysis of a potassium inward rectifier in myocytes of newborn rat heart

Unitary K+ currents in single cells isolated from ventricular muscle of newborn rat hearts were measured in response to different potentials and [K]o. The I/V curves were linear for potentials more negative than the zero-current voltage; especially in high [K]o (150 mM KCl), no clear outward currents could be detected indicating a drastic rectification in the inward direction. The channel is mainly selective to K+ but Na+ ions are also carried (PNa/PK = 0.056). The channel conductance is proportional to the square root of [K]o but Na+ ions seem to have a facilitatory effect on gamma K, the single-channel conductance. The channel activity, measured as Po, i.e. the probability to find the channel in open state, decreased as the membrane was hyperpolarized. This behavior was tentatively explained by an inactivation process as the membrane becomes more negative. The rate constants of the transitions between the different states were calculated according to a C-O-C model. A control of the gating process by permeant ion K+ was postulated, based on the increase of one of the rate constants from the closed to the open state with [K]o. Finally, the macroscopic I/V curves calculated from Po and delta i, the unit current, were found to be characteristic of a ion-blocked inward rectifier.

Ionic channels with conformational substates

Recent studies of protein dynamics suggest that ionic channels can assume many conformational substates. Long-lived substates have been directly observed in single-channel current records. In many cases, however, the lifetimes of conformational states will be far below the theoretical limit of time resolution of single-channel experiments. The existence of such hidden substates may strongly influence the observable (time-averaged) properties of a channel, such as the concentration dependence of conductance. A channel exhibiting fast, voltage-dependent transitions between different conductance states may behave as an intrinsic rectifier. In the presence of more than one permeable ion species, coupling between ionic fluxes may occur, even when the channel has only a single ion-binding site. In special situations the rate of ion translocation becomes limited by the rate of conformational transitions, meaning that the channel approaches the kinetic behavior of a carrier. As a result of the strong coulombic interaction between an ion in a binding site and polar groups of the protein, rate constants of conformational transitions may depend on the occupancy of the binding site. Under this condition a nonequilibrium distribution of conformational states is created when ions are driven through the channel by an external force. This may lead to an apparent violation of microscopic reversibility, i.e., to a situation in which the frequency of transitions from state A to state B is no longer equal to the transition frequency from state B to state A.

Interactions of monovalent cations with sodium channels in squid axon. I. Modification of physiological inactivation gating

Inactivation of Na channels has been studied in voltage-clamped, internally perfused squid giant axons during changes in the ionic composition of the intracellular solution. Peak Na currents are reduced when tetramethylammonium ions (TMA+) are substituted for Cs ions internally. The reduction reflects a rapid, voltage-dependent block of a site in the channel by TMA+. The estimated fractional electrical distance for the site is 10% of the channel length from the internal surface. Na tail currents are slowed by TMA+ and exhibit kinetics similar to those seen during certain drug treatments. Steady state INa is simultaneously increased by TMA+, resulting in a "cross-over" of current traces with those in Cs+ and in greatly diminished inactivation at positive membrane potentials. Despite the effect on steady state inactivation, the time constants for entry into and exit from the inactivated state are not significantly different in TMA+ and Cs+. Increasing intracellular Na also reduces steady state inactivation in a dose-dependent manner. Ratios of steady state INa to peak INa vary from approximately 0.14 in Cs+- or K+-perfused axons to approximately 0.4 in TMA+- or Na+-perfused axons. These results are consistent with a scheme in which TMA+ or Na+ can interact with a binding site near the inner channel surface that may also be a binding or coordinating site for a natural inactivation particle. A simple competition between the ions and an inactivation particle is, however, not sufficient to account for the increase in steady state INa, and changes in the inactivation process itself must accompany the interaction of TMA+ and Na+ with the channel.

Acetylcholine responses of identified neurons in Helix pomatia--I. Interactions between acetylcholine-induced and potential-dependent membrane conductances

The influence of potential-dependent membrane conductances on amplitude and time course of acetylcholine (ACh) responses was studied. The investigations were performed on the identified neurons B1 and B3 of the buccal ganglion of Helix pomatia. The neurons B1 and B3 were depolarized by ACh. The depolarization was accompanied by a decrease of membrane resistance. An inward rectification occurring negative to the resting membrane potential (RMP) reduced the amplitude of the ACh depolarizations. An outward rectification occurring positive to the RMP consisted of two parts and ceiled the ACh responses. The early outward current reduced the amplitude and modified the time course of ACh responses. Local responses or axonal action potentials increased the amplitude of the ACh depolarizations.

Acetylcholine responses of identified neurons in Helix pomatia--III. Ionic composition of the depolarizing currents induced by acetylcholine

The ionic composition of the currents underlying the acetylcholine (ACh) depolarizations in the identified neurons B1 and B3 of the buccal ganglia of Helix pomatia was analysed. The equilibrium potential of the ACh responses was -2.8 +/- 0.6 mV (N = 49) and -4.0 +/- 0.7 mV (N = 79; mean +/- SEM) in the neurons B1 and B3, respectively. Replacement of NaCl in the bath solution by sucrose shifted the ACh equilibrium potential into the negative direction. A similar but less pronounced shift occurred when Ca2+ was substituted for Na+. Substitution of Cl- in the bath solution by propionate or an increase of the intracellular Cl- concentration did not affect the ACh equilibrium potential. Changes of K+ concentration in the bath between 1 and 50 mmol/l left the ACh equilibrium potential nearly unaffected when the Na+ concentration was at the control level. With a simultaneous reduction of extracellular Na+ an increase of K+ concentration shifted the ACh equilibrium potential towards more positive potentials. The findings are compatible with calculated K+ permeabilities if a K+ redistribution across the cell membrane is considered. In the neurons B1 and B3, channels operated by ACh are permeable for K+, Na+ and Ca2+, with the relative permeabilities 1.6:1.0:0.1.

Kinetic properties of cholinergic desensitization in Aplysia neurons

The kinetic properties of desensitization onset of excitatory cholinergic responses were studied in isolated, voltage-clamped Aplysia neurons. Desensitization of the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced current in response to microperfused acetylcholine occurred in two phases, and was best modelled as the sum of two exponential components plus a constant. Both exponential components were accelerated by increasing ACh dose. At the higher ACh doses the current decline was dominated by the fast exponential component, and the ratio of the plateau-peak current was reduced. Over the range of membrane potentials -50 to -110 mV, no change in the kinetics of desensitization onset was observed. The mean time constants of both exponential components were doubled by cooling from 20 degrees C to 5 degrees C. These results demonstrate that, as at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction, the onset of desensitization of this ACh response involves at least two processes which are dose- and temperature-sensitive. The lack of voltage dependence contrasts with results from vertebrate preparations, and indicates a fundamental difference between the properties of the excitatory ACh response in Aplysia neurons and the vertebrate neuromuscular junction.