scholarly journals Molecular Determinant for Specific Ca/Ba Selectivity Profiles of Low and High Threshold Ca2+ Channels

2007 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Cens ◽  
Matthieu Rousset ◽  
Andrey Kajava ◽  
Pierre Charnet
Keyword(s):  
Divalent Cation ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Cation Selectivity ◽  
Molecular Determinant ◽  
Specific Selectivity ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Ca2 Channels

Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCC) play a key role in many physiological functions by their high selectivity for Ca2+ over other divalent and monovalent cations in physiological situations. Divalent/monovalent selection is shared by all VGCC and is satisfactorily explained by the existence, within the pore, of a set of four conserved glutamate/aspartate residues (EEEE locus) coordinating Ca2+ ions. This locus however does not explain either the choice of Ca2+ among other divalent cations or the specific conductances encountered in the different VGCC. Our systematic analysis of high- and low-threshold VGCC currents in the presence of Ca2+ and Ba2+ reveals highly specific selectivity profiles. Sequence analysis, molecular modeling, and mutational studies identify a set of nonconserved charged residues responsible for these profiles. In HVA (high voltage activated) channels, mutations of this set modify divalent cation selectivity and channel conductance without change in divalent/monovalent selection, activation, inactivation, and kinetics properties. The CaV2.1 selectivity profile is transferred to CaV2.3 when exchanging their residues at this location. Numerical simulations suggest modification in an external Ca2+ binding site in the channel pore directly involved in the choice of Ca2+, among other divalent physiological cations, as the main permeant cation for VGCC. In LVA (low voltage activated) channels, this locus (called DCS for divalent cation selectivity) also influences divalent cation selection, but our results suggest the existence of additional determinants to fully recapitulate all the differences encountered among LVA channels. These data therefore attribute to the DCS a unique role in the specific shaping of the Ca2+ influx between the different HVA channels.

Divalent cation selectivity of the subtypes of low voltage-activated Ca2+ channels in thalamic neurons

Neuroreport ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 651-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislava O. Zhuravleva ◽  
Platon G. Kostyuk ◽  
Yaroslav M. Shuba
Keyword(s):  
Divalent Cation ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Thalamic Neurons ◽  
Cation Selectivity ◽  
Ca2 Channels

Electrophysiology of neurosecretory cells from the pituitary intermediate lobe

1988 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-328
Author(s):  
R. N. McBurney ◽  
S. J. Kehl
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cultures ◽  
Calcium Ion ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Neurosecretory Cells ◽  
Secretory Process ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Pars Intermedia ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Stimulus Secretion Coupling ◽  
Ca2 Channels

One of the goals in studying the electrical properties of neurosecretory cells is to relate their electrical activity to the process of secretion. A central question in these studies concerns the role of transmembrane calcium ion flux in the initiation of the secretory event. With regard to the secretory process in pituitary cells, several research groups have addressed this question in vitro using mixed primary anterior pituitary cell cultures or clonal cell lines derived from pituitary tumours. Other workers, including ourselves, have used homogeneous cell cultures derived from the pituitary intermediate lobes of rats to examine the characteristics of voltage-dependent conductances, the contribution of these conductances to action potentials and their role in stimulus-secretion coupling. Pars intermedia (PI) cells often fire spontaneous action potentials whose frequency can be modified by the injection of sustained currents through the recording electrode. In quiescent cells action potentials can also be evoked by the injection of depolarizing current stimuli. At around 20 degrees C these action potentials have a duration of about 5 ms. Although most of the inward current during action potentials is carried by sodium ions, a calcium ion component can be demonstrated under abnormal conditions. Voltage-clamp experiments have revealed that the membrane of these cells contains high-threshold, L-type, Ca2+ channels and low-threshold Ca2+ channels. Since hormone release from PI cells appears not to be dependent on action potential activity but does depend on external calcium ions, it is not clear what role these Ca2+ channels play in stimulus-secretion coupling in cells of the pituitary pars intermedia. One possibility is that the low-threshold Ca2+ channels are more important to the secretory process than the high-threshold channels.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor-mediated suppression of L-type calcium current in acutely isolated neocortical neurons

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 833-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Sayer ◽  
P. C. Schwindt ◽  
W. E. Crill
Keyword(s):  
Glutamate Receptor ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
External Application ◽  
Metabotropic Glutamate ◽  
Neocortical Neurons ◽  
Old Rats ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Ca2 Channels

1. The effects of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) stimulation on whole-cell Ca2+ currents were studied in pyramidal neurons isolated from the dorsal frontoparietal neocortex of rat. The selective mGluR agonist cis-(+/-)-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid [trans-ACPD (100 microM)] suppressed the peak high-threshold Ca2+ current by 21 +/- 1.7% (mean +/- SE) in 40 of 43 cells from 10- to 21-day-old rats. Consistent with previous findings for mGluR, glutamate, quisqualate, and ibotenate [but not alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)] reduced the Ca2+ currents, and the responses were not blocked by the ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists 6-cyano-7-nitro-quinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) and DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV). EC50S for Ca2+ current suppression were 29 nM for quisqualate, 2.3 microM for glutamate, and 13 microM for trans-ACPD. 2. The low-threshold Ca2+ current was not modulated by trans-ACPD. The component of the high-threshold CA2+ current suppressed by mGluR was determined by pharmacology; the responses were not affected by omega-conotoxin GVIA but were occluded by the dihydropyridine Ca2+ antagonist nifedipine. Ca2+ tail currents prolonged by the dihydropyridine Ca2+ agonist (+)-SDZ 202-79] were suppressed by mGluR stimulation in parallel with the peak current. These findings strongly suggest that L-type Ca2+ channels are modulated by mGluR. 3. In neurons dialyzed with 100 microM guanosine 5'-(gamma-thio)triphosphate (GTP-gamma-S), Ca2+ current suppression was elicited by the first application of trans-ACPD (in 5 of 6 cells), but not by subsequent applications. Responses in neurons dialyzed with 2 mM guanosine 5'-(beta-thio)diphosphate (GDP-beta-S) were significantly smaller than controls. The results are consistent with mGluR acting via linkage to a G protein. 4. The responses to mGluR agonists were smaller when the external Ca2+ was replaced by Ba2+, indicating that some part of the mechanism underlying the current suppression is Ca2+ dependent. Because mGluR stimulates phosphoinositide turnover and release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores in other types of neurons, the possibility of released Ca2+ mediating inactivation of Ca2+ channels was considered. However, the Ca2+ current suppression was not attenuated by strong intracellular Ca2+ buffering [20 mM bis-(o-aminophenoxy)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA)], by dialysis with 100 microM inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3), or by external application of 1 microM thapsigargin. 5. We conclude that in neocortical neurons, one action of mGluR is to suppress the component of high-threshold Ca2+ current conducted by L-type Ca2+ channels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Gadolinium blocks low- and high-threshold calcium currents in pituitary cells

1990 ◽  
Vol 259 (3) ◽  
pp. C515-C520 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Biagi ◽  
J. J. Enyeart
Keyword(s):  
Endocrine Cells ◽  
Calcium Currents ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Pituitary Cells ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Rat Pituitary ◽  
Trivalent Cations ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Short Test ◽  
Ca2 Channels

The inhibition of L- and T-type Ca2+ currents by Gd3+ was studied in the rat pituitary GH4C1 cell line. In whole cell patch recordings, Gd3+ at concentrations of 50 nM to 5 microM blocked Ca2+ current through L-type channels. Block was promoted by prolonged channel activation. With 4.5-s test pulses to + 10 mV, Gd3+ at concentrations as low as 200 nM produced near-complete block of L current. At higher Gd3+ concentrations (5 microM), complete block occurred with short test pulses and appeared to be independent of channel activation. Gd3+ also blocked current through low-threshold T channels in GH4C1 cells. Two other trivalent elements, La3+ and Y3+, blocked L-type Ca2+ channels in GH4C1 cells with potency similar to Gd3+. These results indicate that these trivalent cations are effective nonselective inhibitors of both low- and high-threshold Ca2+ channels in endocrine cells. In this regard, they are among the most potent inorganic Ca2+ antagonists yet discovered.

scholarly journals Pharmacological Dissection and Distribution of NaN/Nav1.9, T-type Ca2+ Currents, and Mechanically Activated Cation Currents in Different Populations of DRG Neurons

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertrand Coste ◽  
Marcel Crest ◽  
Patrick Delmas
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cells ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Type I ◽  
Mechanosensitive Channels ◽  
Drg Neurons ◽  
Pathological Pain ◽  
Low Threshold

Low voltage–activated (LVA) T-type Ca2+ (ICaT) and NaN/Nav1.9 currents regulate DRG neurons by setting the threshold for the action potential. Although alterations in these channels have been implicated in a variety of pathological pain states, their roles in processing sensory information remain poorly understood. Here, we carried out a detailed characterization of LVA currents in DRG neurons by using a method for better separation of NaN/Nav1.9 and ICaT currents. NaN/Nav1.9 was inhibited by inorganic ICa blockers as follows (IC50, μM): La3+ (46) > Cd2+ (233) > Ni2+ (892) and by mibefradil, a non-dihydropyridine ICaT antagonist. Amiloride, however, a preferential Cav3.2 channel blocker, had no effects on NaN/Nav1.9 current. Using these discriminative tools, we showed that NaN/Nav1.9, Cav3.2, and amiloride- and Ni2+-resistant ICaT (AR-ICaT) contribute differentially to LVA currents in distinct sensory cell populations. NaN/Nav1.9 carried LVA currents into type-I (CI) and type-II (CII) small nociceptors and medium-Aδ–like nociceptive cells but not in low-threshold mechanoreceptors, including putative Down-hair (D-hair) and Aα/β cells. Cav3.2 predominated in CII-nociceptors and in putative D-hair cells. AR-ICaT was restricted to CII-nociceptors, putative D-hair cells, and Aα/β-like cells. These cell types distinguished by their current-signature displayed different types of mechanosensitive channels. CI- and CII-nociceptors displayed amiloride-sensitive high-threshold mechanical currents with slow or no adaptation, respectively. Putative D-hair and Aα/β-like cells had low-threshold mechanical currents, which were distinguished by their adapting kinetics and sensitivity to amiloride. Thus, subspecialized DRG cells express specific combinations of LVA and mechanosensitive channels, which are likely to play a key role in shaping responses of DRG neurons transmitting different sensory modalities.

Different Ca2+ channels in soma and dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal neurons mediate spike-induced Ca2+ influx

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 2553-2557 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Christie ◽  
L. S. Eliot ◽  
K. Ito ◽  
H. Miyakawa ◽  
D. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Pyramidal Cell ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Intracellular Recordings ◽  
Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Dependent Processes ◽  
Cell Somata ◽  
Ca2 Channels

1. Intracellular recordings, in conjunction with fura-2 fluorescence imaging, were used to evaluate the contribution of the different Ca2+ channel subtypes to the Ca2+ influx induced by back-propagating trains of action potentials. High-threshold channels contributed mainly to Ca2+ influx in pyramidal cell somata and proximal dendrites, whereas low-threshold and other Ni(2+)-sensitive channels played a greater role in more distal dendritic signaling. These data suggest that the different Ca2+ channel types participate in distinct physiological functions; low-threshold channels likely play a greater role in dendritic integration, whereas high-threshold channels are more important for somatic Ca(2+)-dependent processes.

scholarly journals Divalent Cation Selectivity Is a Function of Gating in Native and Recombinant Cyclic Nucleotide–gated Ion Channels from Retinal Photoreceptors

1999 ◽  
Vol 113 (6) ◽  
pp. 799-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Hackos ◽  
Juan I. Korenbrot
Keyword(s):  
Divalent Cation ◽  
Cyclic Nucleotide ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
Ion Selectivity ◽  
Ion Concentration ◽  
Cone Photoreceptors ◽  
Cation Selectivity ◽  
Channel Opening ◽  
Α And Β Subunits ◽  
Α Subunits

The selectivity of Ca2+ over Na+ is ∼3.3-fold larger in cGMP-gated channels of cone photoreceptors than in those of rods when measured under saturating cGMP concentrations, where the probability of channel opening is 85–90%. Under physiological conditions, however, the probability of opening of the cGMP-gated channels ranges from its largest value in darkness of 1–5% to essentially zero under continuous, bright illumination. We investigated the ion selectivity of cGMP-gated channels as a function of cyclic nucleotide concentration in membrane patches detached from the outer segments of rod and cone photoreceptors and have found that ion selectivity is linked to gating. We determined ion selectivity relative to Na+ (PX/PNa) from the value of reversal potentials measured under ion concentration gradients. The selectivity for Ca2+ over Na+ increases continuously as the probability of channel opening rises. The dependence of PCa/PNa on cGMP concentration, in both rods and cones, is well described by the same Hill function that describes the cGMP dependence of current amplitude. At the cytoplasmic cGMP concentrations expected in dark-adapted intact photoreceptors, PCa/PNa in cone channels is ∼7.4-fold greater than that in rods. The linkage between selectivity and gating is specific for divalent cations. The selectivity of Ca2+ and Sr2+ changes with cGMP concentration, but the selectivity of inorganic monovalent cations, Cs+ and NH4+, and organic cations, methylammonium+ and dimethylammonium+, is invariant with cGMP. Cyclic nucleotide–gated channels in rod photoreceptors are heteromeric assemblies of α and β subunits. The maximal PCa/PNa of channels formed from α subunits of bovine rod channels is less than that of heteromeric channels formed from α and β subunits. In addition, Ca2+ is a more effective blocker of channels formed by α subunits than of channels formed by α and β subunits. The cGMP-dependent shift in divalent cation selectivity is a property of αβ channels and not of channels formed from α subunits alone.

scholarly journals Divalent Cation Sensitivity of BK Channel Activation Supports the Existence of Three Distinct Binding Sites

2005 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu-Hui Zeng ◽  
Xiao-Ming Xia ◽  
Christopher J. Lingle
Keyword(s):  
Divalent Cation ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Cation Binding ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Physiological Regulation ◽  
Cation Selectivity ◽  
High Affinity

Mutational analyses have suggested that BK channels are regulated by three distinct divalent cation-dependent regulatory mechanisms arising from the cytosolic COOH terminus of the pore-forming α subunit. Two mechanisms account for physiological regulation of BK channels by μM Ca2+. The third may mediate physiological regulation by mM Mg2+. Mutation of five aspartate residues (5D5N) within the so-called Ca2+ bowl removes a portion of a higher affinity Ca2+ dependence, while mutation of D362A/D367A in the first RCK domain also removes some higher affinity Ca2+ dependence. Together, 5D5N and D362A/D367A remove all effects of Ca2+ up through 1 mM while E399A removes a portion of low affinity regulation by Ca2+/Mg2+. If each proposed regulatory effect involves a distinct divalent cation binding site, the divalent cation selectivity of the actual site that defines each mechanism might differ. By examination of the ability of various divalent cations to activate currents in constructs with mutationally altered regulatory mechanisms, here we show that each putative regulatory mechanism exhibits a unique sensitivity to divalent cations. Regulation mediated by the Ca2+ bowl can be activated by Ca2+ and Sr2+, while regulation defined by D362/D367 can be activated by Ca2+, Sr2+, and Cd2+. Mn2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ produce little observable effect through the high affinity regulatory mechanisms, while all six divalent cations enhance activation through the low affinity mechanism defined by residue E399. Furthermore, each type of mutation affects kinetic properties of BK channels in distinct ways. The Ca2+ bowl mainly accelerates activation of BK channels at low [Ca2+], while the D362/D367-related high affinity site influences both activation and deactivation over the range of 10–300 μM Ca2+. The major kinetic effect of the E399-related low affinity mechanism is to slow deactivation at mM Mg2+ or Ca2+. The results support the view that three distinct divalent-cation binding sites mediate regulation of BK channels.

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