scholarly journals Comparison of arsenazo III optical signals in intact and cut frog twitch fibers.

1987 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Maylie ◽  
M Irving ◽  
N L Sizto ◽  
W K Chandler

The Ca indicator arsenazo III was introduced into cut frog twitch fibers by diffusion from end-pool segments rendered permeable by saponin. After 2-3 h, the arsenazo III concentration at the optical recording site in the center of a fiber reached two to three times that in the end-pool solutions. Thus, arsenazo III was bound to or taken up by intracellular constituents. The time course of indicator appearance was fitted by equations for diffusion plus linear reversible binding; on average, 0.73 of the indicator was bound and the free diffusion constant was 0.86 x 10(-6) cm2/s at 18 degrees C. When the indicator was removed from the end pools, it failed to diffuse away from the optical site as rapidly as it had diffused in. The wavelength dependence of resting arsenazo III absorbance was the same in cut fibers and injected intact fibers. After action potential stimulation, the active Ca and dichroic signals were similar in the two preparations, which indicates that arsenazo III undergoes the same changes in absorbance and orientation in both cut and intact fibers. Ca transients in freshly prepared cut fibers appeared to be similar to those in intact fibers. As a cut fiber experiment progressed, however, the Ca signal changed. With action potential stimulation, the half-width of the signal gradually increased, regardless of whether the indicator concentration was increasing or decreasing. This increase was usually not accompanied by any change in the amplitude of the Ca signal at a given indicator concentration or by any obvious deterioration in the electrical condition of the fiber. In voltage-clamp experiments near threshold, the relation between peak [Ca] and voltage usually became less steep with time and shifted to more negative potentials. All these changes were also observed in cut fibers containing antipyrylazo III (Maylie, J., M. Irving, N. L. Sizto, and W. K. Chandler. 1987. Journal of General Physiology. 89:83-143). They are considered to represent a progressive change in the physiological state of a cut fiber during the time course of an experiment.

1987 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Maylie ◽  
M Irving ◽  
N L Sizto ◽  
W K Chandler

The Ca indicator antipyrylazo III was introduced into cut frog twitch fibers by diffusion (Maylie, J., M. Irving, N. L. Sizto, and W. K. Chandler. 1987. Journal of General Physiology. 89:41-81). Like arsenazo III, antipyrylazo III was largely bound to or sequestered by intracellular constituents; on average, a fraction 0.68 was so immobilized. After action potential stimulation, there was an early change in absorbance, with a wavelength dependence that nearly matched a cuvette Ca-difference spectrum. As with arsenazo III, this signal became prolonged as experiments progressed. In a freshly prepared cut fiber containing 0.3 mM indicator, the absorbance change had an average half-width of 10 ms at 18 degrees C. The peak amplitude of this Ca signal depended on the indicator concentration in a roughly parabolic manner, which is consistent with a 1:2 stoichiometry for Ca:indicator complexation and, for indicator concentrations less than or equal to 0.4 mM, constant peak free [Ca]. If all the antipyrylazo III inside a fiber can react normally with Ca, peak free [Ca] is 3 microM at 18 degrees C. If only freely diffusible indicator can react, the estimate is 42 microM. The true amplitude probably lies somewhere in between. The time course of Ca binding to intracellular buffers and of Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum is estimated from the 3- and 42-microM myoplasmic [Ca] transients. After action potential stimulation, the release waveform is rapid and brief; its latency after the surface action potential is 2-3 ms and its half-width is 2-4 ms. This requires rapid coupling between the action potential in the transverse tubular system and Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The peak fractional occupancy calculated for Ca-regulatory sites on troponin is 0.46 for the 3-microM transient and 0.93 for the 42-microM transient. During a 100-ms tetanus at 100 Hz, the corresponding fractional occupancies are 0.56 and 0.94. The low value of occupancy associated with the low-amplitude [Ca] calibration seems inconsistent with a brief tetanus being able to produce near-maximal activation (Blinks, J. R., R. Rudel, and S. R. Taylor. 1978. Journal of Physiology. 277:291-323; Lopez J. R., L. A. Wanck, and S. R. Taylor. 1981. Science. 214:47-82).


1987 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Maylie ◽  
M Irving ◽  
N L Sizto ◽  
G Boyarsky ◽  
W K Chandler

The Ca indicator tetramethylmurexide was introduced into cut fibers, mounted in a double-Vaseline-gap chamber, by diffusion from the end-pool solutions. The indicator diffused rapidly to the central region of a fiber where optical recording was done and, if removed, diffused away equally fast. The time course of concentration suggests that, on average, a fraction 0.27 of indicator was reversibly bound to myoplasmic constituents and the free diffusion constant was 1.75 x 10(-6) cm2/s at 18 degrees C. The shape of the resting absorbance spectrum suggests that a fraction 0.11-0.15 of tetramethylmurexide inside a fiber was complexed with Ca. After action potential stimulation, there was a rapid transient change in indicator absorbance followed by a maintained change of opposite sign. The wavelength dependence of both changes matched a cuvette Ca-difference spectrum. The amplitude of the early peak varied linearly with indicator concentration and corresponded to an average rise in free [Ca] of 17 microM. These rather diverse findings can be explained if the sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes are permeable to Ca-free indicator. Both Ca-free and Ca-complexed indicator inside the sarcoplasmic reticulum would appear to be bound by diffusion analysis and the Ca-complexed form would be detected by the resting absorbance spectrum. The transient change in indicator absorbance would be produced by myoplasmic Ca reacting with indicator molecules that freely diffuse in myoplasmic solution. The maintained signal, which reports Ca dissociating from indicator complexed at rest, would come from changes within the sarcoplasmic reticulum. A method, based on these ideas, is described for separating the two components of the tetramethylmurexide signal. The estimated myoplasmic free [Ca] transient has an average peak value of 26 microM at 18 degrees C. Its time course is similar to, but possibly faster than, that recorded with antipyrylazo III (Maylie, J., M. Irving, N. L. Sizto, and W. K. Chandler. 1987. Journal of General Physiology. 89:83-143).


1989 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Irving ◽  
J Maylie ◽  
N L Sizto ◽  
W K Chandler

Antipyrylazo III was introduced into frog cut twitch fibers (17-19 degrees C) by diffusion. After action potential stimulation, the change in indicator absorbance could be resolved into two components that had different time courses and wavelength dependences. The first component was early and transient and due to an increase in myoplasmic free [Ca] (Maylie, J., M. Irving, N.L. Sizto, and W.K. Chandler, 1987, Journal of General Physiology, 89:83-143). The second component, usually measured at 590 nm (near the isosbestic wavelength for Ca), developed later than the Ca transient and returned towards baseline about 100 times more slowly. Although the wavelength dependence of this component is consistent with an increase in either free [Mg] or pH, its time course is clearly different from that of the signals obtained with the pH indicators phenol red and 4',5'-dimethyl-5-(and -6-) carboxyfluorescein, suggesting that it is mainly due to an increase in free [Mg]. After a single action potential in freshly prepared cut fibers that contained 0.3 mM antipyrylazo III, the mean peak amplitude of delta A (590) would correspond to an increase in free [Mg] of 47 microM if all the signal were due to a change in [Mg] and all the intracellular indicator reacted with Mg as in cuvette calibrations. With either repetitive action potential stimulation or voltage-clamp depolarization, the delta A (590) signal continued to develop throughout the period when free [Ca] was elevated and then recovered to within 40-90% of the prestimulus baseline with an average rate constant between 0.5 and 1.0 s-1. With prolonged voltage-clamp depolarization, both the amplitude and rate of development of the delta A(590) signal increased with the amplitude of the depolarization and appeared to saturate at levels corresponding to an increase in free [Mg] of 0.8-1.4 mM and a maximum rate constant of 3-4 s-1, respectively. These results are consistent with the idea that the delta A(590) signal is primarily due to changes in myoplasmic free [Mg] produced by a change in the Mg occupancy of the Ca,Mg sites on parvalbumin that results from the Ca transient.


1998 ◽  
Vol 112 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Baylor ◽  
S. Hollingworth

Cannell and Allen (1984. Biophys. J. 45:913–925) introduced the use of a multi-compartment model to estimate the time course of spread of calcium ions (Ca2+) within a half sarcomere of a frog skeletal muscle fiber activated by an action potential. Under the assumption that the sites of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release are located radially around each myofibril at the Z line, their model calculated the spread of released Ca2+ both along and into the half sarcomere. During diffusion, Ca2+ was assumed to react with metal-binding sites on parvalbumin (a diffusible Ca2+- and Mg2+-binding protein) as well as with fixed sites on troponin. We have developed a similar model, but with several modifications that reflect current knowledge of the myoplasmic environment and SR Ca2+ release. We use a myoplasmic diffusion constant for free Ca2+ that is twofold smaller and an SR Ca2+ release function in response to an action potential that is threefold briefer than used previously. Additionally, our model includes the effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ binding by adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) and the diffusion of Ca2+-bound ATP (CaATP). Under the assumption that the total myoplasmic concentration of ATP is 8 mM and that the amplitude of SR Ca2+ release is sufficient to drive the peak change in free [Ca2+] (Δ[Ca2+]) to 18 μM (the approximate spatially averaged value that is observed experimentally), our model calculates that (a) the spatially averaged peak increase in [CaATP] is 64 μM; (b) the peak saturation of troponin with Ca2+ is high along the entire thin filament; and (c) the half-width of Δ[Ca2+] is consistent with that observed experimentally. Without ATP, the calculated half-width of spatially averaged Δ[Ca2+] is abnormally brief, and troponin saturation away from the release sites is markedly reduced. We conclude that Ca2+ binding by ATP and diffusion of CaATP make important contributions to the determination of the amplitude and the time course of Δ[Ca2+].


1989 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hirota ◽  
W K Chandler ◽  
P L Southwick ◽  
A S Waggoner

Two new Ca indicators, purpurate-3,3'diacetic acid (PDAA) and 1,1'-dimethylpurpurate-3,3'diacetic acid (DMPDAA), were synthesized and used to measure Ca transients in frog cut muscle fibers. These indicators are analogues of the purpurate components of murexide and tetramethylmurexide, in which two acetate groups have been incorporated into each molecule to render it membrane impermeant. The apparent dissociation constant for Ca is 0.95 mM for PDAA and 0.78 mM for DMPDAA. One of the indicators was introduced into a cut fiber, which was mounted in a double Vaseline-gap chamber, by diffusion from the end-pool solutions. The time course of indicator concentration, monitored optically in the middle of the fiber in the central-pool region, suggests that 19% of the PDAA or 27% of the DMPDAA became bound or sequestered inside the fiber. In resting fibers, the absorbance spectrum of either indicator was well fitted by the indicator's [Ca] = 0 mM cuvette absorbance spectrum, which is consistent with the idea that PDAA and DMPDAA do not enter the sarcoplasmic reticulum as tetramethylmurexide appears to be able to do (Maylie, J., M. Irving, N.L. Sizto, G. Boyarsky, and W. K. Chandler, 1987. Journal of General Physiology. 89:145-176). After an action potential, the absorbance of either indicator underwent a rapid and transient change that returned to the prestimulus baseline within 100-200 ms. The amplitude of this change had a wavelength dependence that matched the indicator's Ca-difference spectrum. The average amplitude of peak free [Ca] was 21 microM (PDAA or DMPDAA) if all the indicator inside a fiber was able to react with Ca as in cuvette calibrations, and was 26 (PDAA) or 28 microM (DMPDAA) if only freely diffusible indicator could so react. These results suggest that PDAA and DMPDAA are the first Ca indicators that provide a reliable estimate of both the amplitude and time course of (the spatial average of) free [Ca] in a twitch muscle fiber after an action potential.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 748
Author(s):  
Péter P. Nánási ◽  
Balázs Horváth ◽  
Fábián Tar ◽  
János Almássy ◽  
Norbert Szentandrássy ◽  
...  

Due to the limited availability of healthy human ventricular tissues, the most suitable animal model has to be applied for electrophysiological and pharmacological studies. This can be best identified by studying the properties of ion currents shaping the action potential in the frequently used laboratory animals, such as dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, or rats, and comparing them to those of human cardiomyocytes. The authors of this article with the experience of three decades of electrophysiological studies, performed in mammalian and human ventricular tissues and isolated cardiomyocytes, summarize their results obtained regarding the major canine and human cardiac ion currents. Accordingly, L-type Ca2+ current (ICa), late Na+ current (INa-late), rapid and slow components of the delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr and IKs, respectively), inward rectifier K+ current (IK1), transient outward K+ current (Ito1), and Na+/Ca2+ exchange current (INCX) were characterized and compared. Importantly, many of these measurements were performed using the action potential voltage clamp technique allowing for visualization of the actual current profiles flowing during the ventricular action potential. Densities and shapes of these ion currents, as well as the action potential configuration, were similar in human and canine ventricular cells, except for the density of IK1 and the recovery kinetics of Ito. IK1 displayed a largely four-fold larger density in canine than human myocytes, and Ito recovery from inactivation displayed a somewhat different time course in the two species. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that canine ventricular cells represent a reasonably good model for human myocytes for electrophysiological studies, however, it must be borne in mind that due to their stronger IK1, the repolarization reserve is more pronounced in canine cells, and moderate differences in the frequency-dependent repolarization patterns can also be anticipated.


2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 4430-4440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofija Andjelic ◽  
Vincent Torre

Calcium dynamics in leech neurons were studied using a fast CCD camera. Fluorescence changes (Δ F/ F) of the membrane impermeable calcium indicator Oregon Green were measured. The dye was pressure injected into the soma of neurons under investigation. Δ F/ F caused by a single action potential (AP) in mechanosensory neurons had approximately the same amplitude and time course in the soma and in distal processes. By contrast, in other neurons such as the Anterior Pagoda neuron, the Annulus Erector motoneuron, the L motoneuron, and other motoneurons, APs evoked by passing depolarizing current in the soma produced much larger fluorescence changes in distal processes than in the soma. When APs were evoked by stimulating one distal axon through the root, Δ F/ F was large in all distal processes but very small in the soma. Our results show a clear compartmentalization of calcium dynamics in most leech neurons in which the soma does not give propagating action potentials. In such cells, the soma, while not excitable, can affect information processing by modulating the sites of origin and conduction of AP propagation in distal excitable processes.


2003 ◽  
Vol 358 (1432) ◽  
pp. 689-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiyuki Hosokawa ◽  
Masaki Ohta ◽  
Takeshi Saito ◽  
Alan Fine

Spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal activity before and after the induction of long-term potentiation in mouse hippocampal slices were studied using a real-time high-resolution optical recording system. After staining the slices with voltage-sensitive dye, transmitted light images and extracellular field potentials were recorded in response to stimuli applied to CA1 stratum radiatum. Optical and electrical signals in response to single test pulses were enhanced for at least 30 minutes after brief high-frequency stimulation at the same site. In two-pathway experiments, potentiation was restricted to the tetanized pathway. The optical signals demonstrated that both the amplitude and area of the synaptic response were increased, in patterns not predictable from the initial, pretetanus, pattern of activation. Optical signals will be useful for investigating spatio-temporal patterns of synaptic enhancement underlying information storage in the brain.


Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail A Robertson ◽  
Harinath Sale ◽  
David Tester ◽  
Thomas J O’Hara ◽  
Pallavi Phartiyal ◽  
...  

Cardiac I Kr is a critical repolarizing current in the heart and a target for inherited and acquired long QT syndrome. Biochemical studies show that native I Kr channels are heteromers composed of both hERG 1a and 1b subunits, yet our current understanding of I Kr functional properties derives primarily from studies of homo-oligomers of the original hERG 1a isolate. The hERG 1a and 1b subunits are identical except at the amino (NH2) terminus, which in hERG 1b is much shorter and has a unique primary sequence. We compared the biophysical properties of currents produced by hERG 1a and 1a/1b channels expressed in HEK-293 cells at near-physiological temperatures. We found that heteromeric hERG 1a/1b currents are much larger than hERG 1a currents and conduct 80% more charge during an action potential. This surprising difference corresponds to a two-fold increase in the apparent rates of activation and recovery from inactivation, which reduces rectification and facilitates current rebound during repolarization. Kinetic modeling shows these gating differences account quantitatively for the differences in current amplitude between the two channel types. Depending on the action potential model used, loss of 1b predicts an increase in action potential duration of 27 ms (7%) or 41 ms (17%), respectively. Drug sensitivity was also different. Compared to homomeric 1a channels, heteromeric 1a/1b channels were inhibited by E-4031 with a slower time course and a corresponding four-fold positive shift in the IC 50 . Differences in current kinetics and drug sensitivity were modeled by “NH2 mode” gating with conformational states bound by the amino terminus in hERG 1a homomers but not 1a/1b heteromers. The importance of hERG 1b in vivo is supported by the identification of a 1b-specific A8V missense mutation in 1/269 unrelated genotype-negative LQTS patients and absent in 400 control alleles. Mutant 1bA8V expressed alone or with hERG 1a in HEK-293 cells nearly eliminated 1b protein. Thus, mutations specifically disrupting hERG 1b function are expected to reduce cardiac I Kr , prolong QT interval and enhance drug sensitivity, thus representing a potential mechanism underlying inherited or acquired LQTS.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (6) ◽  
pp. H2321-H2328 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Zhang ◽  
T. Sawanobori ◽  
H. Adaniya ◽  
Y. Hirano ◽  
M. Hiraoka

Effects of extracellular magnesium (Mg2+) on action potential duration (APD) and underlying membrane currents in guinea pig ventricular myocytes were studied by using the whole cell patch-clamp method. Increasing external Mg2+ concentration [Mg2+]o) from 0.5 to 3 mM produced a prolongation of APD at 90% repolarization (APD90), whereas 5 and 10 mM Mg2+ shortened it. [Mg2+]o, at 3 mM or higher, suppressed the delayed outward K+ current and the inward rectifier K+ current. Increases in [Mg2+]o depressed the peak amplitude and delayed the decay time course of the Ca2+ current (ICa), the latter effect is probably due to the decrease in Ca(2+)-induced inactivation. Thus 3 mM Mg2+ suppressed the peak ICa but increased the late ICa amplitude at the end of a 200-ms depolarization pulse, whereas 10 mM Mg2+ suppressed both components. Application of 10 mM Mg2+ shifted the voltage-dependent activation and inactivation by approximately 10 mV to more positive voltage due to screening the membrane surface charges. Application of manganese (1-5 mM) also caused dual effects on APD90, similar to those of Mg2+, and suppressed the peak ICa with slowed decay. These results suggest that the dual effects of Mg2+ on APD in guinea pig ventricular myocytes can be, at least in part, explained by its action on ICa with slowed decay time course in addition to suppressive effects on K+ currents.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document