scholarly journals Voltage-gated potassium channels in brown fat cells.

1989 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
M T Lucero ◽  
P A Pappone
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Reversal Potential ◽  
Brown Fat ◽  
Membrane Currents ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
Fat Cells ◽  
K Channels ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
K Currents ◽  
External K

We studied the membrane currents of isolated cultured brown fat cells from neonatal rats using whole-cell and single-channel voltage-clamp recording. All brown fat cells that were recorded from had voltage-gated K currents as their predominant membrane current. No inward currents were seen in these experiments. The K currents of brown fat cells resemble the delayed rectifier currents of nerve and muscle cells. The channels were highly selective for K+, showing a 58-mV change in reversal potential for a 10-fold change in the external [K+]. Their selectivity was typical for K channels, with relative permeabilities of K+ greater than Rb+ greater than NH+4 much greater than Cs+, Na+. The K currents in brown adipocytes activated with a sigmoidal delay after depolarizations to membrane potentials positive to -50 mV. Activation was half maximal at a potential of -28 mV and did not require the presence of significant concentrations of internal calcium. Maximal voltage-activated K conductance averaged 20 nS in high external K+ solutions. The K currents inactivated slowly with sustained depolarization with time constants for the inactivation process on the order of hundreds of milliseconds to tens of seconds. The K channels had an average single-channel conductance of 9 pS and a channel density of approximately 1,000 channels/cell. The K current was blocked by tetraethylammonium or 4-aminopyridine with half maximal block occurring at concentrations of 1-2 mM for either blocker. K currents were unaffected by two blockers of Ca2+-activated K channels, charybdotoxin and apamin. Bath-applied norepinephrine did not affect the K currents or other membrane currents under our experimental conditions. These properties of the K channels indicate that they could produce an increase in the K+ permeability of the brown fat cell membrane during the depolarization that accompanies norepinephrine-stimulated thermogenesis, but that they do not contribute directly to the norepinephrine-induced depolarization.

Potassium channel block does not affect metabolic responses of brown fat cells

1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (3) ◽  
pp. C678-C681 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Pappone ◽  
M. T. Lucero
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Metabolic Response ◽  
Brown Fat ◽  
Neonatal Rat ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Fat Cells ◽  
Adrenergic Stimulation ◽  
K Channels ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Calcium Activated Potassium Channels

Hormonally stimulated brown fat cells are capable of extremely high metabolic rates, making them an excellent system in which to examine the role of plasma membrane ion channels in cell metabolism. We have previously shown that brown fat cell membranes have both voltage-gated and calcium-activated potassium channels (Voltage-gated potassium channels in brown fat cells. J. Gen. Physiol. 93: 451-472, 1989; Membrane responses to norepinephrine in cultured brown fat cells. J. Gen. Physiol. 95: 523-544, 1990). Currents through both the voltage-activated potassium channels, IK,V, and the calcium-activated potassium channels, IK,Ca, can be blocked by the membrane-impermeant K channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA). We used microcalorimetric measurements from isolated neonatal rat brown fat cells to assess the role these potassium conductances play in the metabolic response of brown fat cells to adrenergic stimulation. Concentrations of TEA as high as 50 mM, sufficient to block approximately 95% of IK,V and 100% of IK,Ca, had no effect on norepinephrine-stimulated heat production. These results show that neither voltage-gated nor calcium-activated K channels are necessary for a maximal thermogenic response in brown fat cells and suggest that K channels are not involved in maintaining cellular homeostasis during periods of high metabolic activity.

Potential-dependent block of human delayed rectifier K+ channels by internal Na+

1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (4) ◽  
pp. C1131-C1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Johansson ◽  
A. K. Sundgren ◽  
U. Kahl
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Neuroblastoma Cells ◽  
Negative Slope ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
Na Current ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
K Channels ◽  
High Potentials ◽  
K Current ◽  
K Currents

The delayed rectifier K+ currents in differentiated human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were characterized with tight-seal recording techniques. Activation and inactivation parameters were measured. At high positive potentials, the current showed a marked rectification, causing a region of negative slope conductance in the current vs. potential curve. The rectification depended markedly on the pipette Na+ concentration. Without Na+, no rectification was observed, whereas with high Na+ (20-60 mM), a marked rectification was always observed. Tail current measurements showed a fast ( < 400 microseconds) block of K+ currents in the presence of internal Na+. With 60 mM Na+ in the pipette 8% of the K+ current was blocked at 0 mV, 27% at +20 mV, and 82% at +100 mV. Similar degrees of block were often seen with 30 mM Na+ in the pipette. The submembrane Na+ concentration in intact cells was estimated, on the basis of the reversal of Na+ current, to be approximately 15 mM. Single-channel K+ currents, in the cell-attached configuration, showed a conductance of approximately 20 pS at 40-60 mV above rest but showed rectification at high potentials.

Membrane currents in a calcitonin-secreting human C cell line

1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. C986-C994 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Biagi ◽  
B. Mlinar ◽  
J. J. Enyeart
Keyword(s):  
Cell Line ◽  
Time Constant ◽  
Membrane Currents ◽  
Human Thyroid ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Tt Cells ◽  
K Currents

The whole cell version of the patch-clamp technique was used to identify and characterize voltage-gated Ca2+, Na+, and K+ currents in the calcitonin-secreting human thyroid TT cell line. Ca2+ current consisted of a single low-voltage-activated rapidly inactivating component. The current was one-half maximally activated at a potential of -27 mV, while steady-state voltage-dependent inactivation was one-half complete at -51 mV. The Ca2+ current inactivated with a voltage-dependent time constant that reached a minimum of 16 ms at potentials positive to -15 mV. Deactivation kinetics could also be fit with a single voltage-dependent time constant of approximately 2 ms at -80 mV. Replacing Ca2+ with Ba2+ reduced the maximum current by 18 +/- 5% (n = 6). The dihydropyridine Ca2+ agonist (-)BAY K 8644 did not affect the Ca2+ current, but 50 microM Ni2+ reduced it by 81 +/- 0.8% (n = 5). TT cells also possessed tetrodotoxin-sensitive voltage-gated Na+ channels and tetraethylammonium-sensitive delayed rectifier type K+ currents. These results indicate that TT cells possess membrane currents necessary for the generation of action potentials. T-type Ca2+ channels are the sole pathway for voltage-dependent Ca2+ entry into these cells and may couple electrical activity to calcitonin secretion.

scholarly journals Gating-dependent mechanism of 4-aminopyridine block in two related potassium channels.

1993 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 797-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
G E Kirsch ◽  
J A Drewe
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
K Channels ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Gating Mechanism ◽  
Excitable Membranes ◽  
Single Channel Analysis ◽  
Channel Analysis ◽  
A Site ◽  
Selective Blocker ◽  
K Currents

4-aminopyridine (4AP) is widely used as a selective blocker of voltage-activated K+ currents in excitable membranes, but its mechanism and site of action at the molecular level are not well understood. To address this problem we have analyzed 4AP block in Kv2.1 and Kv3.1, mammalian representatives of the Drosophila Shab and Shaw subfamilies of voltage-gated K+ channels, respectively. The two channels were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and analyzed at both the macroscopic and single channel levels. Whole cell analysis showed that 4AP sensitivity of Kv3.1 was approximately 150 times greater than that of Kv2.1. Patch clamp analysis revealed that the mechanism of 4AP block in both channels was qualitatively similar. 4AP reached its blocking site via the cytoplasmic side of the channels, the ON rate for block was strongly accelerated when channels opened and the drug was trapped in closed channels. Single channel analysis showed that 4AP decreased burst duration and increased the latency-to-first-opening. These effects were found to be related, respectively to drug ON and OFF rates in the activated channel. Kv3.1's high 4AP sensitivity relative to Kv2.1 was associated with both a slower OFF rate and therefore increased stability of the blocked state, as well as a faster ON rate and therefore increased access to the binding site. Our results indicate that in both channels 4AP enters the intracellular mouth to bind to a site that is guarded by the gating mechanism. Differences in channel gating as well as differences in the structure of the intracellular mouth may be important for specifying the 4AP sensitivity in related voltage-gated K+ channels.

scholarly journals Interaction of internal anions with potassium channels of the squid giant axon.

1983 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
D J Adams ◽  
G S Oxford
Keyword(s):  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Channel Gating ◽  
Reversal Potential ◽  
Inorganic Anions ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
K Channels ◽  
Gating Mechanism ◽  
Inorganic Species ◽  
K Currents

The interaction of internal anions with the delayed rectifier potassium channel was studied in perfused squid axons. Changing the internal potassium salt from K+ glutamate- to KF produced a reversible decline of outward K currents and a marked slowing of the activation of K channels at all voltages. Fluoride ions exert a differential effect upon K channel gating kinetics whereby activation of IK during depolarizing steps is slowed dramatically, but the rate of closing after the step is not much altered. These effects develop with a slow time course (30-60 min) and are specific for K channels over Na channels. Both the amplitude and activation rate of IK were restored within seconds upon return to internal glutamate solutions. The fluoride effect is independent of the external K+ concentration and test membrane potential, and does not recover with repetitive application of depolarizing voltage steps. Of 11 different anions tested, all inorganic species induced similar decreases and slowing of IK, while K currents were maintained during extended perfusion with several organic anions. Anions do not alter the reversal potential or shape of the instantaneous current-voltage relation of open K channels. The effect of prolonged exposure to internal fluoride could be partially reversed by the addition of cationic K channel blocking agents such as TEA+, 4-AP+, and Cs+. The competitive antagonism between inorganic anions and internal cationic K channel blockers suggests that they may interact at a related site(s). These results indicate that inorganic anions modify part of the K channel gating mechanism (activation) at a locus near the inner channel surface.

scholarly journals A whole-cell and single-channel study of the voltage-dependent outward potassium current in avian hepatocytes.

1988 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Marchetti ◽  
R T Premont ◽  
A M Brown
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Reversal Potential ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
Single Type ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
K Currents

Voltage-dependent membrane currents were studied in dissociated hepatocytes from chick, using the patch-clamp technique. All cells had voltage-dependent outward K+ currents; in 10% of the cells, a fast, transient, tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ current was identified. None of the cells had voltage-dependent inward Ca2+ currents. The K+ current activated at a membrane potential of about -10 mV, had a sigmoidal time course, and did not inactivate in 500 ms. The maximum outward conductance was 6.6 +/- 2.4 nS in 18 cells. The reversal potential, estimated from tail current measurements, shifted by 50 mV per 10-fold increase in the external K+ concentration. The current traces were fitted by n2 kinetics with voltage-dependent time constants. Omitting Ca2+ from the external bath or buffering the internal Ca2+ with EGTA did not alter the outward current, which shows that Ca2+-activated K+ currents were not present. 1-5 mM 4-aminopyridine, 0.5-2 mM BaCl2, and 0.1-1 mM CdCl2 reversibly inhibited the current. The block caused by Ba was voltage dependent. Single-channel currents were recorded in cell-attached and outside-out patches. The mean unitary conductance was 7 pS, and the channels displayed bursting kinetics. Thus, avian hepatocytes have a single type of K+ channel belonging to the delayed rectifier class of K+ channels.

scholarly journals Membrane responses to norepinephrine in cultured brown fat cells.

1990 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
M T Lucero ◽  
P A Pappone
Keyword(s):  
Brown Fat ◽  
Fat Cells ◽  
Adrenergic Agonists ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
K Channels ◽  
Inward Current ◽  
General Physiology ◽  
Perforated Patch ◽  
Beta Adrenergic Agonists ◽  
Outward Currents

We used the "perforated-patch" technique (Horn, R., and A. Marty, 1988. Journal of General Physiology. 92:145-159) to examine the effects of adrenergic agonists on the membrane potentials and membrane currents in isolated cultured brown fat cells from neonatal rats. In contrast to our previous results using traditional whole-cell patch clamp, 1-23-d cultured brown fat cells clamped with the perforated patch consistently showed vigorous membrane responses to both alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonists, suggesting that cytoplasmic components essential for the thermogenic response are lost in whole-cell experiments. The membrane responses to adrenergic stimulation varied from cell to cell but were consistent for a given cell. Responses to bath-applied norepinephrine in voltage-clamped cells had three possible components: (a) a fast transient inward current, (b) a slower outward current carried by K+ that often oscillated in amplitude, and (c) a sustained inward current largely by Na+. The fast inward and outward currents were activated by alpha-adrenergic agonists while the slow inward current was mediated by beta-adrenergic agonists. Oscillating outward currents were the most frequently seen response to norepinephrine stimulation. Activation of this current, termed IK,NE, was independent of voltage and seemed to be carried by Ca2(+)-activated K channels since the current oscillated in amplitude at constant membrane potential and gradually decreased when the cells were bathed with calcium-free external solution. IK,NE had a novel pharmacology in that it could be blocked by 4-aminopyridine, tetraethylammonium, apamin, and charybdotoxin. Both IK,NE and the voltage-gated K channels also present in brown fat (Lucero, M. T., and P. A. Pappone, 1989a. Journal of General Physiology. 93:451-472) may play a role in maintaining cellular homeostasis in the face of the high metabolic activity involved in thermogenesis.

Voltage-gated currents of rabbit A- and B-type horizontal cells in retinal monolayer cultures

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Löhrke ◽  
Hans-Dieter Hofmann
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Ionic Currents ◽  
Calcium Currents ◽  
Horizontal Cells ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
Patch Clamp Recording ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Monolayer Cultures ◽  
Inward Currents

AbstractIn monolayer cultures prepared from immature early postnatal rabbit retina, small populations of neurons can be demonstrated to differentiate into apparently mature A- and B-type horizontal cells. Using wholecell, single-channel, patch-clamp recording techniques, we have analyzed the pattern of voltage-gated conductances expressed by mammalian horizontal cells under these conditions. A total of six different voltage-dependent ionic currents were recorded. Tetrodotoxin-sensitive fast sodium inward currents (INa) were found in 81% of the A-type and 90% of the B-type cells. Inward calcium currents could be demonstrated in all cells tested after blockade of other conductances. Two types of outward potassium currents with properties of the 4–aminopyridine-sensitive transient IA and the tetraethylammonium sensitive delayed rectifier IK, respectively, could be characterized in whole-cell recordings. An inward rectifying potassium current (Ianom) typical for horizontal cells was activated in response to hyperpolarizing voltage steps. These types of currents have also been described in dissociated adult horizontal cells from lower vertebrates and cat. With single-channel recordings on inside-out patches excised from B-type cells, an additional Ca2+-dependent current (IK(Ca)) was observed which, so far, has not been described in horizontal cells developing in situ. Our results demonstrate that cultured rabbit horizontal cells express a set of voltage-gated currents which largely, but not completely, corresponds to that described in situ for horizontal cells of other species. The culture system will allow further investigation of developmental and functional aspects of mammalian horizontal cells.

ANG II blocks potassium currents in zona glomerulosa cells from rat, bovine, and human adrenals

1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (5) ◽  
pp. E772-E779 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Brauneis ◽  
P. M. Vassilev ◽  
S. J. Quinn ◽  
G. H. Williams ◽  
D. L. Tillotson
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Calcium Influx ◽  
Membrane Resistance ◽  
Zona Glomerulosa ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
K Channels ◽  
Channel Interaction ◽  
Whole Cell Patch Clamp ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
K Currents

Angiotensin II (ANG II) is a principal secretagogue of adrenal zona glomerulosa (ZG) cells. The transduction process includes a depolarization of the plasma membrane and the activation of calcium influx. The ANG II-induced depolarization is associated with an increase in total membrane resistance. To directly address the mechanism underlying these observations, we examined the effect of ANG II on K+ currents of rat, bovine, and human ZG cells, using whole cell patch clamp. Although some differences were seen in the characteristics of K+ currents between species, ANG II consistently blocked outward currents in ZG cells [rat: 47.1 +/- 4.5% (SE), n = 17; bovine: 38.6 +/- 3.3%, n = 21; and human: 13-63%, n = 3]. With the use of the cell-attached mode, single-channel recordings in bovine ZG cells demonstrated K+ channels that were reversibly blocked when ANG II was added to the bath solution. This indicates that the block of K+ channels by ANG II involves a diffusible intracellular messenger rather than a direct receptor-channel interaction. The decreased conductance of K+ can account for the ANG II-induced membrane depolarization.

scholarly journals Charybdotoxin selectively blocks small Ca-activated K channels in Aplysia neurons.

1987 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hermann ◽  
C Erxleben
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Delayed Rectifier ◽  
Pacemaker Activity ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Apparent Dissociation Constant ◽  
External Application ◽  
K Channels ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
K Current

The action of charybdotoxin (ChTX), a peptide component isolated from the venom of the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus, was investigated on membrane currents of identified neurons from the marine mollusk, Aplysia californica. Macroscopic current recordings showed that the external application of ChTX blocks the Ca-activated K current in a dose- and voltage-dependent manner. The apparent dissociation constant is 30 nM at V = -30 mV and increases e-fold for a +50- to +70-mV change in membrane potential, which indicates that the toxin molecule is sensitive to approximately 35% of the transmembrane electric field. The toxin is bound to the receptor with a 1:1 stoichiometry and its effect is reversible after washout. The toxin also suppresses the membrane leakage conductance and a resting K conductance activated by internal Ca ions. The toxin has no significant effect on the inward Na or Ca currents, the transient K current, or the delayed rectifier K current. Records from Ca-activated K channels revealed a single channel conductance of 35 +/- 5 pS at V = 0 mV in asymmetrical K solution. The channel open probability increased with the internal Ca concentration and with membrane voltage. The K channels were blocked by submillimolar concentrations of tetraethylammonium ions and by nanomolar concentrations of ChTX, but were not blocked by 4-aminopyridine if applied externally on outside-out patches. From the effects of ChTX on K current and on bursting pacemaker activity, it is concluded that the termination of bursts is in part controlled by a Ca-activated K conductance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document