scholarly journals Kinetics of oxygen consumption after a single flash of light in photoreceptors of the drone (Apis mellifera).

1982 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tsacopoulos ◽  
S Poitry

The time course of the rate of oxygen consumption (QO2) after a single flash of light has been measured in 300-micrometers slices of drone retina at 22 degrees C. To measure delta QO2(t), the change in QO2 from its level in darkness, the transients of the partial pressure of O2 (PO2) were recorded with O2 microelectrodes simultaneously in two sites in the slice and delta QO2 was calculated by a computer using Fourier transforms. After a 40-ms flash of intense light, delta QO2, reached a peak of 40 microliters O2/g.min and then declined exponentially to the baseline with a time constant tau 1 = 4.96 +/- 0.49 s (SD, n = 10). The rising phase was characterized by a time constant tau 2 = 1.90 +/- 0.35 s (SD, n = 10). The peak amplitude of delta QO2 increased linearly with the log of the light intensity. Replacement of Na+ by choline, known to decrease greatly the light-induced transmembrane current, caused a 63% decrease of delta QO2. With these changes, however, the kinetics of delta QO2 (t) were unchanged. This suggest that the recovery phase is rate-limited by a single reaction with apparent first-order kinetics. Evidence is provided that suggests that this reaction may be the working of the sodium pump. Exposure of the retina to high concentrations of ouabain or strophanthidin (inhibitors of the sodium pump) reduced the peak amplitude of delta QO2 by approximately 80% and increased tau 1. The increase of tau 1 was an exponential function of the time of exposure to the cardioactive steroids. Hence, it seems likely that the greatest part of delta QO2 is used for the working of the pump, whose activity is the mechanism underlying the rate constant of the descending limb of delta QO2 (t).

1982 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Goldman ◽  
J L Kenyon

Na inactivation was studied in Myxicola (two-pulse procedure, 6-ms gap between conditioning and test pulses). Inactivation developed with an initial delay (range 130-817 microseconds) followed by a simple exponential decline (time constant tau c). Delays (deviations from a simple exponential) are seen only for brief conditioning pulses were gNa is slightly activated. Hodgkin-Huxley kinetics with series resistance, Rs, predict deviations from a simple exponential only for conditioning pulses that substantially activate gNa. Reducing INa fivefold (Tris substitution) had no effect on either tau c or delay. Delay in not generated by Rs or by contamination from activation development. The slowest time constant in Na tails is approximately 1 ms (Goldman and Hahin, 1978) and the gap was 6 ms. Shortening the gap to 2 ms had no effect on either tau c or delay. Delay is a true property of the channel. Delay decreased with more positive conditioning potentials, and also decreased approximately proportionally with time to peak gNa during the conditioning pulse, as expected for sequentially coupled activation and inactivation. In a few cases the difference between Na current values for brief conditioning pulses and the tau c exponential could be measured. Difference values decayed exponentially with time constant tau m. The inactivation time course is described by a model that assumes a process with the kinetics of gNa activation as a precursor to inactivation.


1986 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1424-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Gardner

In order to examine the relative contributions of changes in amplitude and time course to synaptic plasticity, variations in peak amplitude and time constant of decay have been analyzed from inhibitory postsynaptic currents (PSC) recorded in voltage-clamped Aplysia buccal ganglia neurons. In these cells, synaptic currents with single time constant decay can be recorded with low noise under well-controlled space clamp. Over a population of 36 neurons, duration was more narrowly distributed than amplitude, but each varied. The coefficient of variation (CV) was 0.21 for decay time constant (tau) and 0.87 for peak conductance (g peak). Population variances are larger than can be accounted for by such variables as temperature and noise amplitude, suggesting that functional modifications alter each of these determinants of synaptic effectiveness over the long term. Recordings of up to several hundred PSC in each of 16 neurons show that both PSC amplitude and time course recorded in a single cell can vary independently over short time spans. Decay remained single exponential as time course changed. CV for tau averaged 0.11; CV for g peak was 0.19. Variability of tau was not an artifact of amplitude; CV was relatively uncorrelated with current amplitudes or sample size. Smoothing and adding excess noise to each individual PSC of a set produced only small changes to CV, showing that variability was not an artifact of noise. Several specific manipulations of the presynaptic neuron altered both PSC amplitude and time course. Tetanic stimulation of the presynaptic neuron produced short-term potentiation of both amplitude and time course of subsequent PSCs. Peak amplitude was increased by 80%; tau by 12%. Reducing interspike intervals from 10 to 1 s produced habituation of both amplitude and time course, with g peak decreasing by 35 to 40% and tau by 10%. Conditioning DC depolarization of the presynaptic neuron enhanced PSC amplitude with little effect on decay time constant. Although short-term plastic changes affect PSC amplitude more than duration, each is alterable. Parallel changes in both can synergistically alter synaptic charge transfer, and therefore efficacy. Similar mechanisms may produce larger long-term differences seen between neurons.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 687-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Oleskevich ◽  
J. T. Williams

1. The effect of cocaine on the excitatory response to norepinephrine (NE) was investigated with the use of intracellular recording from rat dorsal raphe (DR) neurons in the slice preparation. 2. Focal stimulation evoked a slow excitatory postsynaptic potential (sEPSP) that was mediated by alpha 1-adrenoceptor activation. The sEPSP was studied in isolation with the use of a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, pindobind 5HT1A, which eliminated the inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) that preceded the sEPSP. The sEPSP had a latency to peak of 6 s, a peak amplitude of 6 mV, and a time constant of decay (t) of 14 s. 3. Bath application of cocaine more than doubled the latency-to-peak (13 s) and the time constant of decay (29 s) and had no effect on the amplitude. 4. Iontophoretically applied NE produced a membrane potential depolarization with an amplitude and time course similar to the sEPSP (latency-to-peak = 10 s; peak amplitude = 5 mV; t = 20 s). Cocaine significantly increased the latency-to-peak and the time constant of decay of the depolarization induced by iontophoretically applied NE. 5. Superfusion with NE caused a concentration-dependent depolarization. Cocaine (1 microM) did not change the concentration response to NE. 6. These results suggest that cocaine enhances the excitatory action of NE in the dorsal raphe by a prolongation of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated sEPSP.


1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (5) ◽  
pp. F813-F822 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Nielsen

The present study was undertaken to determine the time courses and kinetics of the subcellular processing of 125I-insulin in isolated and in vitro perfused proximal tubules. Morphometric analysis demonstrated well-preserved ultrastructure after 90 min of perfusion. After luminal perfusion for 90 min the absorption was constant with time and reached steady state within 5 min (177 +/- 7 fg.min-1.mm-1). Also the hydrolysis rate and tubular accumulation rate were constant and averaged 84 +/- 8 and 93 +/- 10 fg.min-1.mm-1, respectively. Free 125I appeared already within 5 min of perfusion and reached steady state within 10 min. From proximal tubules perfused with 125I-insulin for 30 min and chased for 60 min, a compartmental analysis revealed two compartments; half time (t1/2) for delivery of insulin to the lysosomes was determined to be 8.5 min, and t1/2 for lysosomal degradation was 72 min. The results demonstrated that internalization by endocytic invaginations, incorporation in endocytic vacuoles, fusion with lysosomes, and hydrolysis were rapid processes and reached maximum rates within few minutes. A significant transtubular transport of insulin to the peritubular compartment was determined to be a constant rate of 11.2 +/- 0.7 fg.min-1.mm-1. Perfusion of tubules with insulin at high concentrations in the perfusate revealed that the transport was dependent on the absorbed amount and not on the perfused load, compatible with transport through the cells and not via a paracellular mechanism. The intactness of the tight junctions was supported by the following: 1) [14C]inulin leak did not increase with time and 2) enzyme-free intercellular spaces were evident after perfusion for only 5 min with microperoxidase (mol wt of 1,700). The transported 125I-insulin was trichloroacetic acid precipitable and immunoprecipitable.


1982 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Dubois ◽  
M F Schneider

Intramembrane charge movement (Q) and sodium current (INa) were monitored in isolated voltage-clamped frog nodes of Ranvier, ON charge movements (QON) for pulses from the holding potential (-100 mV) to potentials V less than or equal to 0 mV followed single exponential time courses, whereas two exponentials were found for pulses to V greater than or equal to 20 mV. The voltage dependence of both QON and its time constant tauON indicated that the two ON components resolved at V greater than or equal to 20 mV were also present, though not resolvable, for pulses to V less than or equal to 0 mV. OFF charge movements (QOFF) monitored at various potentials were well described by single exponentials. When QOFF was monitored at -30 or -40 mV after a 200-microsecond pulse to +20 mV and QON was monitored at the same potential using pulses directly from -100 mV, tauON/tauOFF = 2.5 +/- 0.3. At a set OFF potential (-90 to -70 mV), tauOFF first increased with increasing duration tON of the preceding pulse to a given potential (0 to +30 mV) and then decreased with further increases in tON. The declining phase of tauOFF followed a time course similar to that of the decline in QOFF with tON. For the same pulse protocol, the OFF time constant tauNa for INA also first increased with tON but then remained constant over the tON interval during which tauOFF and QOFF were declining. After 200- or 300-microsecond pulses to +20, +20, or +50 mV, tauOFF/tauNa at -70 to -90 mV was 1.2 +/- 0.1. Similar tauOFF/tauNa ratios were predicted by channel models having three identical charged gating particles that can rapidly and reversibly form an immobile dimer or trimer after independently crossing the membrane from their OFF to their ON locations.


1988 ◽  
Vol 232 (1269) ◽  
pp. 375-394 ◽  

A quantitative re-investigation of the time course of the initial rise of the potassium current in voltage-clamped squid giant axons is described. The n 4 law of the Hodgkin–Huxley equations was found to be well obeyed only for the smallest test pulses, and for larger ones a good fit of the inflected rise required use of the expression (1 – exp {– t / ז n 1 }) X –1 (1 – exp { – t / ז n 2 }), where both of the time constants and the power X varied with the size of the test pulse. Application of a negative prepulse produced a delay in the rise resulting mainly from an increase of X from a value of about 3 at –70 mV to 8 at –250 mV, while ז n 1 remained constant and ז n 2 was nearly doubled. The process responsible for generating this delay was switched on with a time constant of 8 ms at 4°C, which fell to about 1 ms at 15°C. Analysis of the inward tail currents at the end of a voltage-clamp pulse showed that there was a substantial external accumulation of potassium owing to the restriction of its diffusion out of the Schwann cell space, which, when duly allowed for, roughly doubled the calculated value of the potassium conductance. Computations suggested that the principal effect of such a build-up of [K] o would be to reduce the fitted values of ז n 1 and ז n 2 to two-thirds or even half their true sizes, while the power X would generally be little changed; but it would not affect the necessity to introduce a second time constant, nor would it invalidate our findings on the effect of negative prepulses.


1991 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 702-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Alcorta

1. Amplitude as well as time course of the electroantennogram (EAG) in Drosophila has been used for describing electrical changes produced in the antenna in response to odorous stimulation. 2. Maximal amplitude of response appears to be directly correlated to stimulus concentration but, after achieving a maximum value, is independent of stimulation duration. 3. Rise time and fall time constants have been quantified for describing kinetics of response. The rise time constant decreases, but the fall time constant increases when increasing concentrations of odorant are supplied. 4. Variation among individuals for these EAG parameters is small enough to uncover even partial defects affecting the first sensory step. This fact combined with the possibility of obtaining mutants with defects in any intermediate process producing the electrical response makes the EAG of Drosophila a very useful tool for dissecting the components of the capture and transduction processes in the olfactory sense. 5. This kind of quantitative study of the EAG has been used in a new Drosophila mutant, od A, for localizing peripheral expression of the mutation. od A has been isolated as a behavioral mutant with an abnormally enhanced olfactory response to ethyl acetate. 6. The mutant's EAG in response to this odorant displays a normal amplitude but abnormal kinetics. Rise time as well as fall time show slower kinetics than normal, suggesting some defective step in the capture and transduction process.


1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (2) ◽  
pp. H325-H332 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Mast ◽  
G. Elzinga

The time course of oxygen uptake after isometric twitch contractions of isolated rabbit papillary muscles was determined at 20 degrees C by continuous polarographic measurement of the partial pressure of oxygen in a 219-microliters glass chamber in which the fluid circulated rapidly. The response time of the oxygen-measuring system was characterized by a delay of 1.1 s and a time constant of 2.1 s after that delay. Depending on the stimulation frequency (0.125–1.0 Hz) the total amount of oxygen uptake for 120 twitches varied from 5.3 to 32.7 nmol/mg dry wt, and the steady-state oxygen consumption rate varied from 0.4 to 8.5 nmol X min-1 X mg dry wt-1. On the basis of a diffusion model we eliminated the effect of oxygen storage on the measured time course of oxygen consumption to determine the mitochondrial kinetics. We found a time constant of an average 19–22 s of mitochondrial off kinetics. By use of this time constant for the change in oxygen consumption rate after contraction, it can be estimated that 9–10% of the oxygen required to restore ATP levels is already taken up by the mitochondria during the twitch.


2008 ◽  
Vol 132 (5) ◽  
pp. 587-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luba A. Astakhova ◽  
Michael L. Firsov ◽  
Victor I. Govardovskii

The time course of the light-induced activity of phototrandsuction effector enzyme cGMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE) is shaped by kinetics of rhodopsin and transducin shut-offs. The two processes are among the key factors that set the speed and sensitivity of the photoresponse and whose regulation contributes to light adaptation. The aim of this study was to determine time courses of flash-induced PDE activity in frog rods that were dark adapted or subjected to nonsaturating steady background illumination. PDE activity was computed from the responses recorded from solitary rods with the suction pipette technique in Ca2+-clamping solution. A flash applied in the dark-adapted state elicits a wave of PDE activity whose rising and decaying phases have characteristic times near 0.5 and 2 seconds, respectively. Nonsaturating steady background shortens both phases roughly to the same extent. The acceleration may exceed fivefold at the backgrounds that suppress ≈70% of the dark current. The time constant of the process that controls the recovery from super-saturating flashes (so-called dominant time constant) is adaptation independent and, hence, cannot be attributed to either of the processes that shape the main part of the PDE wave. We hypothesize that the dominant time constant in frog rods characterizes arrestin binding to rhodopsin partially inactivated by phosphorylation. A mathematical model of the cascade that considers two-stage rhodopsin quenching and transducin inactivation can mimic experimental PDE activity quite well. The effect of light adaptation on the PDE kinetics can be reproduced in the model by concomitant acceleration on both rhodopsin phosphorylation and transducin turn-off, but not by accelerated arrestin binding. This suggests that not only rhodopsin but also transducin shut-off is under adaptation control.


1978 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 559-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Mahler

The time-course of the rate of oxygen consumption (QO2) has been measured in the excised frog sartorius muscle after single isometric tetani of 0.1-1.0 s at 20 degrees C. To measure deltaQO2(t), the change in QO2 from its basal level, a novel method was devised, based on the validity in this tissue of the one-dimensional diffusion equation for oxygen, established in the preceding paper. After a tetanus, deltaQO2 reached a peak within 45-90 s, then declined exponentially, and could be well fit by deltaQO2(t) = QO + Q1(epsilon -k1t - epsilon-k2t). tau2 (= 1/k2), which characterized the rise of deltaQO2, was a decreasing function of tetanus duration (range: from 1.1 +/- 0.28 min [nu = 5] for a 0.1-s tetanus, to 0.34 +/- 0.05 min [nu = 8] for a 1.0-sec tetanus). tau1 (= 1/k1), which characterized the decline of deltaQO2, was not dependent on tetanus duration, with mean 3.68 +/- -.24 min (nu = 46). A forthcoming paper in this series shows that these kinetics of deltaQO2 are the responses to impulse-like changes in the rate of ATP hydrolysis. The variation of tau2 with tetanus duration thus indicates the involvement of a nonlinear process in the coupling of O2 consumption to ATP hydrolysis. However, the monoexponential decline of deltaQO2(t), with time constant independent of tetanus duration, suggests that during this phase, the coupling is rate-limited by a single reaction with apparent first order kinetics.


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