scholarly journals Inhibition of glutamate uptake by a polypeptide toxin (phoneutriatoxin 3-4) from the spider Phoneutria nigriventer

1999 ◽  
Vol 343 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helton J. REIS ◽  
Marco A. M. PRADO ◽  
Evanguedes KALAPOTHAKIS ◽  
Marta N. CORDEIRO ◽  
Carlos R. DINIZ ◽  
...  

Glutamate concentration increases significantly in the extracellular compartment during brain ischaemia and anoxia. This increase has an important Ca2+-independent component, which is due in part to the reversal of glutamate transporters of the plasma membrane of neurons and glia. The toxin phoneutriatoxin 3-4 (Tx3-4) from the spider Phoneutria nigriventer has been reported to decrease the evoked glutamate release from synaptosomes by inhibiting Ca2+ entry via voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. However, we report here that Tx3-4 is also able to inhibit the uptake of glutamate by synaptosomes in a time-dependent manner and that this inhibition in turn leads to a decrease in the Ca2+-independent release of glutamate. No other polypeptide toxin so far described has this effect. Our results suggest that Tx3-4 can be a valuable tool in the investigation of function and dysfunction of glutamatergic neurotransmission in diseases such as ischaemia.

1997 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ratnakumari ◽  
H. C. Hemmings

Background Previous electrophysiologic studies have implicated voltage-dependent Na+ channels as a molecular site of action for propofol. This study considered the effects of propofol on Na+ channel-mediated Na+ influx and neurotransmitter release in rat brain synaptosomes (isolated presynaptic nerve terminals). Methods Purified cerebrocortical synaptosomes from adult rats were used to determine the effects of propofol on Na+ influx through voltage-dependent Na+ channels (measured using 22Na+) and intracellular [Na+] (measured by ion-specific spectrofluorimetry). For comparison, the effects of propofol on synaptosomal glutamate release evoked by 4-aminopyridine (Na+ channel dependent), veratridine (Na+ channel dependent), KCi (Na+ channel independent) were studied using enzyme-coupled fluorimetry. Results Propofol inhibited veratridine-evoked 22Na+ influx (inhibitory concentration of 50% [IC50] = 46 microM; 8.9 microM free) and changes in intracellular [Na+] (IC50 = 13 microM; 6.3 microM free) in synaptosomes in a dose-dependent manner. Propofol also inhibited 4-aminopyridine-evoked (IC50 = 39 microM; 19 microM free) and veratridine (20 microM)-evoked (IC50 = 30 microM; 14 microM free), but not KCi-evoked (up to 100 microM) glutamate release from synaptosomes. Conclusions Inhibition of Na+ channel-mediated Na+ influx, increased in intracellular [Na+], and glutamate release occurred in synaptosomes at concentrations of propofol achieved clinically. These results support a role for neuronal voltage-dependent Na+ channels as a molecular target for presynaptic general anesthetic effects.


1989 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 937-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Cota ◽  
E Stefani

Inactivation of slow Ca2+ channels was studied in intact twitch skeletal muscle fibers of the frog by using the three-microelectrode voltage-clamp technique. Hypertonic sucrose solutions were used to abolish contraction. The rate constant of decay of the slow Ca2+ current (ICa) remained practically unchanged when the recording solution containing 10 mM Ca2+ was replaced by a Ca2+-buffered solution (126 mM Ca-maleate). The rate constant of decay of ICa monotonically increased with depolarization although the corresponding time integral of ICa followed a bell-shaped function. The replacement of Ca2+ by Ba2+ did not result in a slowing of the rate of decay of the inward current nor did it reduce the degree of steady-state inactivation. The voltage dependence of the steady-state inactivation curve was steeper in the presence of Ba2+. In two-pulse experiments with large conditioning depolarizations ICa inactivation remained unchanged although Ca2+ influx during the prepulse greatly decreased. Dantrolene (12 microM) increased mechanical threshold at all pulse durations tested, the effect being more prominent for short pulses. Dantrolene did not significantly modify ICa decay and the voltage dependence of inactivation. These results indicate that in intact muscle fibers Ca2+ channels inactivate in a voltage-dependent manner through a mechanism that does not require Ca2+ entry into the cell.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal M. Wilkie ◽  
Jessica C. Barron ◽  
Kyle J. Brymer ◽  
Jocelyn R. Barnes ◽  
Firoozeh Nafar ◽  
...  

Pharmacological upregulation of glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1), commonly achieved using the beta-lactam antibiotic ceftriaxone, represents a promising therapeutic strategy to accelerate glutamate uptake and prevent excitotoxic damage in neurological conditions. While excitotoxicity is indeed implicated in numerous brain diseases, it is typically restricted to select vulnerable brain regions, particularly in early disease stages. In healthy brain tissue, the speed of glutamate uptake is not constant and rather varies in both an activity- and region-dependent manner. Despite the widespread use of ceftriaxone in disease models, very little is known about how such treatments impact functional measures of glutamate uptake in healthy tissue, and whether GLT-1 upregulation can mask the naturally occurring activity-dependent and regional heterogeneities in uptake. Here, we used two different compounds, ceftriaxone and LDN/OSU-0212320 (LDN), to upregulate GLT-1 in healthy wild-type mice. We then used real-time imaging of the glutamate biosensor iGluSnFR to investigate functional consequences of GLT-1 upregulation on activity- and regional-dependent variations in glutamate uptake capacity. We found that while both ceftriaxone and LDN increased GLT-1 expression in multiple brain regions, they did not prevent activity-dependent slowing of glutamate clearance nor did they speed basal clearance rates, even in areas characterized by slow uptake (e.g., striatum). Unexpectedly, ceftriaxone but not LDN decreased glutamate release in the cortex, suggesting that ceftriaxone may alter release properties independent of its effects on GLT-1 expression. In sum, our data demonstrate the complexities of glutamate uptake by showing that GLT-1 expression does not necessarily translate to accelerated uptake. Furthermore, these data suggest that the mechanisms underlying activity- and regional-dependent differences in glutamate dynamics are independent of GLT-1 expression levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 472 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine J. Ortner ◽  
Alexandra Pinggera ◽  
Nadja T. Hofer ◽  
Anita Siller ◽  
Niels Brandt ◽  
...  

AbstractCav1.3 L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs) in cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) are essential for hearing as they convert sound-induced graded receptor potentials into tonic postsynaptic glutamate release. To enable fast and indefatigable presynaptic Ca2+ signaling, IHC Cav1.3 channels exhibit a negative activation voltage range and uniquely slow inactivation kinetics. Interaction with CaM-like Ca2+-binding proteins inhibits Ca2+-dependent inactivation, while the mechanisms underlying slow voltage-dependent inactivation (VDI) are not completely understood. Here we studied if the complex formation of Cav1.3 LTCCs with the presynaptic active zone proteins RIM2α and RIM-binding protein 2 (RBP2) can stabilize slow VDI. We detected both RIM2α and RBP isoforms in adult mouse IHCs, where they co-localized with Cav1.3 and synaptic ribbons. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings (tsA-201 cells), we assessed their effect on the VDI of the C-terminal full-length Cav1.3 (Cav1.3L) and a short splice variant (Cav1.342A) that lacks the C-terminal RBP2 interaction site. When co-expressed with the auxiliary β3 subunit, RIM2α alone (Cav1.342A) or RIM2α/RBP2 (Cav1.3L) reduced Cav1.3 VDI to a similar extent as observed in IHCs. Membrane-anchored β2 variants (β2a, β2e) that inhibit inactivation on their own allowed no further modulation of inactivation kinetics by RIM2α/RBP2. Moreover, association with RIM2α and/or RBP2 consolidated the negative Cav1.3 voltage operating range by shifting the channel’s activation threshold toward more hyperpolarized potentials. Taken together, the association with “slow” β subunits (β2a, β2e) or presynaptic scaffolding proteins such as RIM2α and RBP2 stabilizes physiological gating properties of IHC Cav1.3 LTCCs in a splice variant-dependent manner ensuring proper IHC function.


1997 ◽  
Vol 109 (6) ◽  
pp. 693-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Polo-Parada ◽  
Stephen J. Korn

L-type Ca2+ channels select for Ca2+ over sodium Na+ by an affinity-based mechanism. The prevailing model of Ca2+ channel permeation describes a multi-ion pore that requires pore occupancy by at least two Ca2+ ions to generate a Ca2+ current. At [Ca2+] < 1 μM, Ca2+ channels conduct Na+. Due to the high affinity of the intrapore binding sites for Ca2+ relative to Na+, addition of μM concentrations of Ca2+ block Na+ conductance through the channel. There is little information, however, about the potential for interaction between Na+ and Ca2+ for the second binding site in a Ca2+ channel already occupied by one Ca2+. The two simplest possibilities, (a) that Na+ and Ca2+ compete for the second binding site or (b) that full time occupancy by one Ca2+ excludes Na+ from the pore altogether, would imply considerably different mechanisms of channel permeation. We are studying permeation mechanisms in N-type Ca2+ channels. Similar to L-type Ca2+ channels, N-type channels conduct Na+ well in the absence of external Ca2+. Addition of 10 μM Ca2+ inhibited Na+ conductance by 95%, and addition of 1 mM Mg2+ inhibited Na+ conductance by 80%. At divalent ion concentrations of 2 mM, 120 mM Na+ blocked both Ca2+ and Ba2+ currents. With 2 mM Ba2+, the IC50 for block of Ba2+ currents by Na+ was 119 mM. External Li+ also blocked Ba2+ currents in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 97 mM. Na+ block of Ba2+ currents was dependent on [Ba2+]; increasing [Ba2+] progressively reduced block with an IC50 of 2 mM. External Na+ had no effect on voltage-dependent activation or inactivation of the channel. These data suggest that at physiological concentrations, Na+ and Ca2+ compete for occupancy in a pore already occupied by a single Ca2+. Occupancy of the pore by Na+ reduced Ca2+ channel conductance, such that in physiological solutions, Ca2+ channel currents are between 50 and 70% of maximal.


2006 ◽  
Vol 1104 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Yamazaki ◽  
Eiji Shigetomi ◽  
Ryo Ikeda ◽  
Motohiro Nishida ◽  
Shigeki Kiyonaka ◽  
...  

1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1951-1960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Botond Roska ◽  
Lubor Gaal ◽  
Frank S. Werblin

Roska, Botond, Lubor Gaal, and Frank S. Werblin. Voltage-dependent uptake is a major determinant of glutamate concentration at the cone synapse: an analytical study. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 1951–1960, 1998. It was suggested that glutamate concentration at the synaptic terminal of the cones was controlled primarily by a voltage-dependent glutamate transporter and that diffusion played a less important role. The conclusion was based on the observation that the rate of glutamate concentration during the hyperpolarizing light response was dramatically slowed when the transporter was blocked with dihydrokainate although diffusion remained intact. To test the validity of this notion we constructed a model in which the balance among uptake, diffusion, and release determined the flow of glutamate into and out of the synaptic cleft. The control of glutamate concentration was assumed here to be determined by two relationships; 1) glutamate concentration is the integral over the synaptic volume of the rates of release, uptake, and diffusion, and 2) membrane potential is the integral over the membrane capacitance of the dark, leak, and transporter-gated chloride current. These relationships are interdependent because glutamate uptake via the transporter is voltage dependent and because the transporter-gated current is concentration dependent. The voltage and concentration dependence of release and uptake, as well as the light-elicited, transporter-gated, and leak currents were measured in other studies. All of these measurements were incorporated into our predictive model of glutamate uptake. Our results show a good quantitative fit between the predicted and the measured magnitudes and rates of change of glutamate concentration, derived from the two interdependent relationships. This close fit supports the validity of these two relationships as descriptors of the mechanisms underlying the control of glutamate concentration, it verifies the accuracy of the experimental data from which the functions used in these relationships were derived, and it lends further support to the notion that glutamate concentration is controlled primarily by uptake at the transporter.


1993 ◽  
Vol 296 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Romano-Silva ◽  
R Ribeiro-Santos ◽  
A M Ribeiro ◽  
M V Gomez ◽  
C R Diniz ◽  
...  

PhTX2, one of the components of the venom of the South American spider Phoneutria nigriventer, inhibits the closure of voltage-sensitive Na+ channels. Incubation of cerebral-cortical synaptosomes with PhTX2 causes a rapid increase in the intrasynaptosomal free Ca2+ concentration and a dose-dependent release of glutamate. This release is made up of a slow component, which appears to be due to reversal of Na(+)-dependent glutamate uptake, and more rapid component that is dependent on the entry of extrasynaptosomal Ca2+. It has previously been shown that membrane depolarization using KCl can cause rapid Ca(2+)-dependent release of glutamate from synaptosomes. This requires Ca2+ entry through a specific type of Ca2+ channel that is sensitive to Aga-GI, a toxic component of the venom of the spider Agelenopsis aperta. We have compared the effects of PhTX2 and KCl on elevation of intrasynaptosomal free Ca2+ and glutamate release, and a number of differences have emerged. Firstly, PhTX2-mediated Ca2+ influx and glutamate release, but not those caused by KCl, are inhibited by tetrodotoxin. Secondly, KCl produces a clear additional increase in Ca2+ and glutamate release following those elicited by PhTX2. Finally, 500 microM MnCl2 abolishes PhTX2-mediated, but not KCl-mediated, glutamate release. These findings suggest that more than one mechanism of Ca2+ entry may be coupled to glutamate release from nerve endings.


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