scholarly journals Relationships between resting conductances, excitability, and t-system ionic homeostasis in skeletal muscle

2011 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Fraser ◽  
Christopher L.-H. Huang ◽  
Thomas H. Pedersen

Activation of skeletal muscle fibers requires rapid sarcolemmal action potential (AP) conduction to ensure uniform excitation along the fiber length, as well as successful tubular excitation to initiate excitation–contraction coupling. In our companion paper in this issue, Pedersen et al. (2011. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.201010510) quantify, for subthreshold stimuli, the influence upon both surface conduction velocity and tubular (t)-system excitation of the large changes in resting membrane conductance (GM) that occur during repetitive AP firing. The present work extends the analysis by developing a multi-compartment modification of the charge–difference model of Fraser and Huang to provide a quantitative description of the conduction velocity of actively propagated APs; the influence of voltage-gated ion channels within the t-system; the influence of t-system APs on ionic homeostasis within the t-system; the influence of t-system ion concentration changes on membrane potentials; and the influence of Phase I and Phase II GM changes on these relationships. Passive conduction properties of the novel model agreed with established linear circuit analysis and previous experimental results, while key simulations of AP firing were tested against focused experimental microelectrode measurements of membrane potential. This study thereby first quantified the effects of the t-system luminal resistance and voltage-gated Na+ channel density on surface AP propagation and the resultant electrical response of the t-system. Second, it demonstrated the influence of GM changes during repetitive AP firing upon surface and t-system excitability. Third, it showed that significant K+ accumulation occurs within the t-system during repetitive AP firing and produces a baseline depolarization of the surface membrane potential. Finally, it indicated that GM changes during repetitive AP firing significantly influence both t-system K+ accumulation and its influence on the resting membrane potential. Thus, the present study emerges with a quantitative description of the changes in membrane potential, excitability, and t-system ionic homeostasis that occur during repetitive AP firing in skeletal muscle.

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 1015-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. L. Kopysova ◽  
S. M. Korogod ◽  
J. Durand ◽  
S. Tyc-Dumont

1. In vivo experiments have shown that extracellular microelectrophoretic application of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) induced oscillatory plateau potentials with bursts of action potentials in rat abducens motoneurons. The period of these slow NMDA oscillations could be altered by single trigeminal non-NMDA excitatory input delivered at low frequency during the NMDA oscillations. 2. A resetting of the oscillations was observed depending on the phase of slow oscillatory cycle during which the trigeminal excitation occurred. 3. We investigated local mechanisms responsible for the phase-dependent modifications of NMDA oscillations, including contributions of voltage and concentration transients, in the mathematical model of the isopotential membrane compartment equipped with voltage-gated Na+, K+, and Ca2+ channels, with Ca2+-dependent K+ channels, and with ligand-gated NMDA and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor channels. The faithful model was constructed with the use of models described earlier, which were modified by increasing time constants of kinetic variables of all voltage-gated conductances and by including coupled dynamics of voltages and ion concentrations. The changes in ion concentrations were produced near the membrane by transmembrane currents and removal mechanisms (pumps, diffusion). 4. This work focuses on local arrangement of voltage- and ligand-gated conductances and on local ion concentration changes in two separate pools: the postsynaptic pool of AMPA receptors and the extrasynaptic pool. In terms of the electrotonic and diffusional length constants, these pools were electrotonically close but diffusionally remote. 5. It was found that the effect of resetting can be produced by a local interaction between plateau and spike-generating conductances and glutamate receptors. 6. In vivo phase-dependent interactions between NMDA oscillations and AMPA synaptic input were reproduced by the local model only when changes in intracellular sodium and extracellular potassium concentrations were taken into account and the mechanisms of ion removal from postsynaptic pools had slower kinetics than the fast pump system operating in the extracellular pool. 7. Postsynaptic changes in ion concentrations of Na+ and K+ in intra- and extracellular layers near the membrane shift of Nernst equilibrium potentials for these ions depending on the phase of activation of synaptic input. Thus Na+ and k+ components of all transmembrane currents involved in the pattern generation are differently affected by synaptic action during the oscillations. We conclude that slow postsynaptic changes in ion concentrations near the membrane play a key role in the resetting of the NMDA oscillations.


2003 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 3688-3701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Catacuzzeno ◽  
Bernard Fioretti ◽  
Fabio Franciolini

A biophysical analysis of the voltage-gated K (Kv) currents of frog saccular hair cells enzymatically isolated with bacterial protease VIII was carried out, and their contribution to the cell electrical response was addressed by a modeling approach. Based on steady-state and kinetic properties of inactivation, two distinct Kv currents were found: a fast inactivating IA and a delayed rectifier IDRK. IA exhibited a strongly hyperpolarized inactivation V1/2 (-83 mV), a relatively rapid single exponential recovery from inactivation (τrec of ∼100 ms at -100 mV), and fast activation and deactivation kinetics. IDRK showed instead a less-hyperpolarized inactivation V1/2 (-48 mV), a slower, double-exponential recovery from inactivation (τrec1 ∼ 490 ms and τrec2 ∼ 4,960 ms at -100 mV), and slower activation and deactivation kinetics. Steady-state activation gave a V1/2 and a k of -46.2 and 8.2 mV for IA and -48.3 and 4.2 mV for IDRK. Both currents were not appreciably blocked by bath application of 10 mM TEA, but were inhibited by 4-AP, with IDRK displaying a higher sensitivity. IDRK also showed a relatively low affinity to linopirdine, being half blocked at ∼50 μM. Steady-state and kinetic properties of IDRK and IA were described by 2nd- and 3rd-order Hodgkin–Huxley models, respectively. The goodness of our quantitative description of the Kv currents was validated by including IA and IDRK in a theoretical model of saccular hair cell electrical activity and by comparing the simulated responses with those obtained experimentally. This thorough description of the IDRK and IA will contribute toward understanding the role of these currents in the electrical response on this preparation.


1976 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
D T Campbell ◽  
B Hille

Na channels of frog skeletal muscle are studied under voltage clamp and their properties compared with those of frog myelinated nerve. A standard mathematical model is fitted to the sodium currents measured in nerve and in muscle to obtain a quantitative description of the gating kinetics. At 5 degrees C the kinetics in frog nerve and skeletal muscle are similar except that activation proceeds five times faster in nerve. Block of Na channels by saxitoxin is measured in nerve and in muscle. The apparent dissociation constants for the inhibitory complex are about 1 nM and not significantly different in nerve and muscle. Block of Na channels by external protons in muscle is found to have an apparent pKalpha of 5.33 and a voltage dependence corresponding to action of 27% of the membrane potential drop. Both values are like those for nerve. Shift of the peak sodium permeability-membrane potential curve with changes of external pH and Ca++ are found to be the same in nerve and muscle. It is concluded that Na channels of nerve and muscle are nearly the same.


1991 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 1165-1186 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Payne ◽  
B V Potter

Limulus ventral photoreceptors contain calcium stores sensitive to release by D-myo-inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate (InsP3) and a calcium-activated conductance that depolarizes the cell. Mechanisms that terminate the response to InsP3 were investigated using nonmetabolizable DL-myo-inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphorothioate (InsPS3). An injection of 1 mM InsPS3 into a photoreceptor's light-sensitive lobe caused an initial elevation of cytosolic free calcium ion concentration (Cai) and a depolarization lasting only 1-2 s. A period of densensitization followed, during which injections of InsPS3 were ineffective. As sensitivity recovered, oscillations of membrane potential began, continuing for many minutes with a frequency of 0.07-0.3 Hz. The activity of InsPS3 probably results from the D-stereoisomer, since L-InsP3 was much less effective than InsP3. Injections of 1 mM InsP3 caused an initial depolarization and a period of densensitization similar to that caused by 1 mM InsPS3, but no sustained oscillations of membrane potential. The initial response to InsPS3 or InsP3 may therefore be terminated by densensitization, rather than by metabolism. Metabolism of InsP3 may prevent oscillations of membrane potential after sensitivity has recovered. The InsPS3-induced oscillations of membrane potential accompanied oscillations of Cai and were abolished by injection of ethyleneglycol-bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid. Removal of extracellular calcium reduced the frequency of oscillation but not its amplitude. Under voltage clamp, oscillations of inward current were observed. These results indicate that periodic bursts of calcium release underly the oscillations of membrane potential. After each burst, the sensitivity of the cell to injected InsP3 was greatly reduced, recovering during the interburst interval. The oscillations may, therefore, result in part from a periodic variation in sensitivity to a constant concentration of InsPS3. Prior injection of calcium inhibited depolarization by InsPS3, suggesting that feedback inhibition of InsPS3-induced calcium release by elevated Cai may mediate desensitization between bursts and after injections of InsPS3.


1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Minoura ◽  
Yasunobu Iwasaka

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