scholarly journals Single Channel Properties of Rat Acid–sensitive Ion Channel-1α, -2a, and -3 Expressed in Xenopus Oocytes

2002 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Cecilia M. Canessa

The mammalian nervous system expresses proton-gated ion channels known as acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs). Depending on their location and specialization some neurons express more than one type of ASIC where they may form homo- or heteromeric channels. Macroscopic characteristics of the ASIC currents have been described, but little is known at the single channel level. Here, we have examined the properties of unitary currents of homomeric rat ASIC1α, ASIC2a, and ASIC3 expressed in Xenopus oocytes with the patch clamp technique. We describe and characterize properties unique to each of these channels that can be used to distinguish the various types of ASIC channels expressed in mammalian neurons. The amplitudes of the unitary currents in symmetrical Na+ are similar for the three types of channels (23–18 pS) and are not voltage dependent. However, ASIC1α exhibits three subconductance states, ASIC2a exhibits only one, and ASIC3 none. The kinetics of the three types of channels are different: ASIC1α and ASIC2a shift between modes of activity, each mode has different open probability and kinetics. In contrast, the kinetics of ASIC3 are uniform throughout the burst of activity. ASIC1α, ASIC2a, and ASIC3 are activated by external protons with apparent pH50 of 5.9, 5.0, and 5.4, respectively. Desensitization in the continual presence of protons is fast and complete in ASIC1α and ASIC3 (2.0 and 4.5 s−1, respectively) but slow and only partial in ASIC2a (0.045 s−1). The response to external Ca2+ also differs: μM concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ are necessary for proton gating of ASIC3 (EC50 = 0.28 μM), whereas ASIC1α and ASIC2a do not require Ca2+. In addition, Ca2+ inhibits ASIC1α (KD = 9.2 ± 2 mM) by several mechanisms: decrease in the amplitude of unitary currents, shortening of the burst of activity, and decrease in the number of activated channels. Contrary to previous reports, our results indicate that the Ca2+ permeability of ASIC1α is very small.

1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (2) ◽  
pp. C389-C401 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chepilko ◽  
H. Zhou ◽  
H. Sackin ◽  
L. G. Palmer

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.


1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1858-1870 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Meir ◽  
R. Rahamimoff

1. We used a preparation of fused presynaptic nerve terminals of Torpedo electromotor nerve and the patch-clamp technique for characterization of single ion channels. We report here of a large, nonselective ion channel which is highly voltage dependent. 2. The slope conductance of the I-V relation was estimated by either direct measurement of the single-channel current amplitude at different voltages (850 +/- 18 pS (SE); n = 9) or by variance analysis (834 +/- 23 pS; n = 5). 3. The voltage dependence was examined in three ways. At steady-state DC voltage conditions, NPo (the open probability times the number of channels in the patch) was estimated. At potentials < 0 mV, the probability of the channel to open is negligible and increases dramatically, within a very narrow voltage range, to > 50% at +8 mV (n = 8). 4. In pulse experiments, the activation time delay is shorter as the voltage step reaches more positive values. The mean time for half activation (T1/2) decreases from 15 ms at +10 mV to 4 ms at +30 mV (n = 5). 5. Ensemble currents exhibit rectification in response to voltage ramps at negative potentials (n = 10). 6. The channel was found to be nonselective. Its permeability to Na+, K+, Cl-, glutamate, Ba+2, and Ca+2, relative to Na+, was 1.00, 1.00, 1.22, 1.07, 0.85, and 0.62, respectively. 7. Based on the transport number of calcium, the calculated driving force, and the mean channel open time, we estimated the number of calcium ions entering the nerve terminal upon depolarization. This number is not substantially different from the number of ions entering through voltage-dependent, calcium-selective channels in other cells. 8. We speculate that this nonselective ion channel, may serve as a calcium entry route into the nerve terminal and hence be involved in transmitter release.


1984 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Yamamoto ◽  
J Z Yeh

The kinetics of 9-aminoacridine (9-AA) block of single Na channels in neuroblastoma N1E-115 cells were studied using the gigohm seal, patch clamp technique, under the condition in which the Na current inactivation had been eliminated by treatment with N-bromoacetamide (NBA). Following NBA treatment, the current flowing through individual Na channels was manifested by square-wave open events lasting from several to tens of milliseconds. When 9-AA was applied to the cytoplasmic face of Na channels at concentrations ranging from 30 to 100 microM, it caused repetitive rapid transitions (flickering) between open and blocked states within single openings of Na channels, without affecting the amplitude of the single channel current. The histograms for the duration of blocked states and the histograms for the duration of open states could be fitted with a single-exponential function. The mean open time (tau o) became shorter as the drug concentration was increased, while the mean blocked time (tau b) was concentration independent. The association (blocking) rate constant, kappa, calculated from the slope of the curve relating the reciprocal mean open time to 9-AA concentration, showed little voltage dependence, the rate constant being on the order of 1 X 10(7) M-1s-1. The dissociation (unblocking) rate constant, l, calculated from the mean blocked time, was strongly voltage dependent, the mean rate constant being 214 s-1 at 0 mV and becoming larger as the membrane being hyperpolarized. The voltage dependence suggests that a first-order blocking site is located at least 63% of the way through the membrane field from the cytoplasmic surface. The equilibrium dissociation constant for 9-AA to block the Na channel, defined by the relation of l/kappa, was calculated to be 21 microM at 0 mV. Both tau -1o and tau -1b had a Q10 of 1.3, which suggests that binding reaction was diffusion controlled. The burst time in the presence of 9-AA, which is the sum of open times and blocked times, was longer than the lifetime of open channels in the absence of drug. All of the features of 9-AA block of single Na channels are compatible with the sequential model in which 9-AA molecules block open Na channels, and the blocked channels could not close until 9-AA molecules had left the blocking site in the channels.


1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (2) ◽  
pp. F262-F267 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Hurst ◽  
M. Duplain ◽  
J. Y. Lapointe

The nature of K exit across the basolateral membrane of rabbit cortical thick ascending limb (CTAL) was investigated using the patch clamp technique. The basolateral membrane was exposed by mild collagenase treatment (0.1 U/ml), and a K-selective inwardly rectifying channel was identified. In cell-attached patches (140 mM K pipette) the inward conductance was 35.0 +/- 1.3 pS (n = 9) compared with an outward conductance of 7.0 +/- 0.9 pS (n = 5), and the current reversed at a pipette potential of -63.5 +/- 3.1 mV (n = 9). The channel is strongly voltage dependent, showing an e-fold increase in open probability per 18-mV depolarization. Barium blocked the channel, reducing both mean open probability and single-channel current amplitude; however, the channel was not Ca sensitive. On excision the channel exhibited rundown, which could not be prevented by 0.1 mM ATP or ATP plus 20 U/ml catalytic subunit of protein kinase A. A few excised patch recordings were possible, which confirmed the presence of a highly K-selective channel with a K-to-Na permeability ratio of 100. In conclusion, 1) it is possible to obtain patch clamp recordings from the rabbit CTAL basolateral membrane using a very mild collagenase treatment, and 2) the exit of K across the basolateral membrane is mediated at least in part by the presence of voltage-sensitive K channels.


1991 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Mejía-Alvarez ◽  
M Fill ◽  
E Stefani

Single-channel properties of dihydropyridine (DHP)-sensitive calcium channels isolated from transverse tubular (T-tube) membrane of skeletal muscle were explored. Single-channel activity was recorded in planar lipid bilayers after fusion of highly purified rabbit T-tube microsomes. Two populations of DHP-sensitive calcium channels were identified. One type of channel (noninactivating) was active (2 microM +/- Bay K 8644) at steady-state membrane potentials and has been studied in other laboratories. The second type of channel (inactivating) was transiently activated during voltage pulses and had a very low open probability (Po) at steady-state membrane potentials. Inactivating channel activity was observed in 47.3% of the experiments (n = 84 bilayers). The nonstationary kinetics of this channel was determined using a standard voltage pulse (HP = -50 mV, pulse to 0 mV). The time constant (tau) of channel activation was 23 ms. During the mV). The time constant (tau) of channel activation was 23 ms. During the pulse, channel activity decayed (inactivated) with a tau of 3.7 s. Noninactivating single-channel activity was well described by a model with two open and two closed states. Inactivating channel activity was described by the same model with the addition of an inactivated state as proposed for cardiac muscle. The single-channel properties were compared with the kinetics of DHP-sensitive inward calcium currents (ICa) measured at the cellular level. Our results support the hypothesis that voltage-dependent inactivation of single DHP-sensitive channels contributes to the decay of ICa.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (6) ◽  
pp. F1224-F1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Boese ◽  
R. K. Kinne ◽  
F. Wehner

Single-channel properties of the volume-activated outwardly rectifying Cl- conductance of rat IMCD cells were studied in primary cultures by means of the patch-clamp technique in the whole cell and in the outside-out configuration. Measurements were performed by noise analysis and in single-channel recordings during voltage-induced current inactivation and reactivation and in long-lasting experiments at constant membrane voltages. Unitary conductances could be defined for the voltage range of -100 to -50 mV and between +50 and +120 mV and chord conductances of 34.1 and 76.6 pS, respectively, can be calculated. The overall current-to-voltage relationship very much resembles that of the macroscopic Cl- conductance and the open probability of the activated channel is close to unity (Po = 0.98-0.99). The channel exhibits many similarities to volume-activated outwardly rectifying Cl- channels found in other systems although certain species differences do exist.


Ion channels in both the tonoplast and the plasma membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been characterized at the single channel level by patch-clamp techniques. The predominant tonoplast channel is cation selective, has an open-channel conductance of 120 pS in 100 mM KCl, and conducts Na + or K + equally well, and Ca 2+ to a lesser extent. Its open probability (P„) is voltage-dependent, peaking at about — 80 mV (cytoplasm negative), and falling to near zero at + 8 0 mV. Elevated cytoplasmic Ca 2+ , alkaline cytoplasmic pH, and reducing agents activate the channel. The predominant plasma membrane channel is highly selective for K + over anions and other cations, and shows strong outward rectification of the time-averaged current-voltage curves in cell-attached experiments. In isolated inside-out patches with micromolar cytoplasmic Ca 2+ , this channel is activated by positive going membrane voltages: mean P o is zero at negative membrane voltages and near unity at 100 mV. At moderate positive membrane voltages (20-40 mV), elevating cytoplasmic Ca 2+ activates the channel to open in bursts of several hundred milliseconds duration. At higher positive membrane voltages, however, elevating cytoplasmic Ca 2+ blocks the channel in a voltage-dependent fashion for periods of 2-3 ms. The frequency of these blocking events depends on cytoplasmic Ca 2+ and membrane voltage according to second-order kinetics. Alternative cations, such as Mg 2+ of Na + , block the yeast plasma-membrane K + channel in a similar but less pronounced manner.


2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 2335-2349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Mi Lee ◽  
Young Sun Park ◽  
Wonjae Kim ◽  
Chul-Seung Park

The complementary DNA encoding gustatory cyclic nucleotide–gated ion channel (or gustCNG channel) cloned from rat tongue epithelial tissue was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and its electrophysiological characteristics were investigated using tight-seal patch-clamp recordings of single and macroscopic channel currents. Both cGMP and cAMP directly activated gustCNG channels but with markedly different affinities. No desensitization or inactivation of gustCNG channel currents was observed even in the prolonged application of the cyclic nucleotides. Single-channel conductance of gustCNG channel was estimated as 28 pS in 130 mM of symmetric Na+. Single-channel current recordings revealed fast open-close transitions and longer lasting closure states. The distribution of both open and closed events could be well fitted with two exponential components and intracellular cGMP increased the open probability ( P o) of gustCNG channels mainly by increasing the slower opening rate. Under bi-ionic conditions, the selectivity order of gustCNG channel among divalent cations was determined as Na+ ∼ K+ > Rb+ > Li+ > Cs+ with the permeability ratio of 1:0.95:0.74:0.63:0.49. Magnesium ion blocked Na+ currents through gustCNG channels from both intracellular and extracellular sides in voltage-dependent manners. The inhibition constants ( K is) of intracellular Mg2+ were determined as 360 ± 40 μM at 70 mV and 8.2 ± 1.5 mM at −70 mV with zδ value of 1.04, while K is of extracellular Mg2+ were as 1.1 ± 0.3 mM at 70 mV and 20.0 ± 0.1 μM at −70 mV with zδ of 0.94. Although 100 μM l- cis-diltiazem blocked significant portions of outward Na+ currents through both bovine rod and rat olfactory CNG channels, the gustCNG channel currents were minimally affected by the same concentration of the drug.


2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Li ◽  
Ian Berke ◽  
Liping Chen ◽  
Youxing Jiang

In MthK, a Ca2+-gated K+ channel from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, eight cytoplasmic RCK domains form an octameric gating ring that controls the intracellular gate of the ion conduction pore. The binding of Ca2+ ions to the RCK domains alters the conformation of the gating ring, thereby opening the gate. In the present study, we examined the Ca2+- and pH-regulated gating and the rectifying conduction properties of MthK at the single-channel level. The open probability (Po) of MthK exhibits a sigmoidal relationship with intracellular [Ca2+], and a Hill coefficient &gt;1 is required to describe the dependence of Po on [Ca2+], suggesting cooperative Ca2+ activation of the channel. Additionally, intracellular Ca2+ also blocks the MthK pore in a voltage-dependent manner, rendering an apparently inwardly rectifying I-V relation. Intracellular pH has a dual effect on MthK gating. Below pH 7.5, the channel becomes insensitive to Ca2+. This occurs because the gating ring is structurally unstable at this pH and tends to disassemble (Ye, S., Y. Li, L. Chen, and Y. Jiang. 2006. Cell. 126:1161–1173). In contrast, above pH 7.5, a further increase in pH shifts the Po-[Ca2+] relation towards a lower Ca2+ concentration, augments Po at saturating [Ca2+], and activates the channel even in the absence of Ca2+. Channel activity is marked by bursts of rapid openings and closings separated by relatively longer interburst closings. The duration of interburst closing and the burst length are highly Ca2+ and pH dependent, whereas the kinetics of intraburst events is Ca2+ and pH independent. The rapid intraburst openings and closings are also observed with the isolated MthK pore lacking the attached intracellular gating ring. The fast kinetic events, independent of both Ca2+ and pH, therefore appear to be determined by processes occurring within the ion conduction pore, whereas the slow events reflect the gating process controlled by Ca2+ and pH through the gating ring.


1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 1166-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. O. Smith ◽  
C. Franke ◽  
J. L. Rosenheimer ◽  
F. Zufall ◽  
H. Hatt

1. Single-channel properties of desensitizing glutamate-activated channels were analyzed in outside-out patch-clamp recordings from a motoneuron-enriched cell fraction from embryonic chick. A piezo-driven device was used to achieve fast solution exchange at the electrode tip, resulting in maximum activation within 2 ms. 2. Quisqualate/AMPA receptors, with a 13-pS conductance, desensitized rapidly; the desensitization rate depended on agonist concentration but not on membrane potential. When quisqualate was applied slowly, the quisqualate-activated channels desensitized without prior channel opening, indicating desensitization from the closed state. After a 10-ms refractory period, resensitization of all channels required up to 300 ms; resensitization rate did not depend on the duration of the preceding quisqualate application. 3. At agonist concentrations less than or equal to 1 mM, kainate receptors, with a 20-pS conductance, did not desensitize. At kainate concentrations greater than or equal to 1 mM, though, kainate receptors desensitized to a low steady-state conductance within approximately 200 ms. Resensitization of all channels required as long as 3 s, which could render kainate receptors inexcitable during high-frequency activation. 4. Desensitization rates of whole-cell currents were similar to those observed in outside-out mode. Glutamate- and quisqualate-activated responses were similar, suggesting that the rapidly desensitizing quisqualate-sensitive receptor type may dominate the kinetics of whole-cell excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in this preparation. 5. It may be concluded that the efficacy of glutamate-mediated synaptic transmission is modulated by differences in the rates of desensitization and resensitization.


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