Pentobarbital Modulates γ-Aminobutyric Acid-Activated Single-Channel Conductance in Rat Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

2000 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansoureh Eghbali ◽  
Peter W. Gage ◽  
Bryndis Birnir
1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1917-1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. L. Thio ◽  
D. B. Clifford ◽  
C. F. Zorumski

1. The effects of the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) on quisqualate-gated currents were examined in postnatal rat hippocampal neurons using recordings from whole cells and outside-out membrane patches. 2. Rapid applications of quisqualate to whole cells and outside-out patches evoked a current that desensitized to a steady-state level. WGA blocked desensitization by increasing the steady-state current amplitude without altering the current-voltage (I-V) relationship or pharmacology of the current. 3. In outside-out patches quisqualate (2.5-1,000 microM) elicited bursts of channel openings having conductances of 2.7, 6.3, and 13 pS. The mean burst length for all conductances was 8.6 +/- 0.6 ms (mean +/- SE) and exhibited little voltage (-110 to +80 mV) or concentration (2.5-1,000 microM) dependence. Treating patches with 580 nM WGA produced no change in conductance, but the mean burst length for 100 microM quisqualate increased from 9.0 +/- 1.1 to 16 +/- 3.2 ms. 4. Fluctuation analysis of whole cell currents evoked by 1 microM quisqualate at -80 mV revealed an increase in the time constant from 8.7 +/- 0.5 to 13 +/- 1.0 ms after treatment with 580 nM WGA. This treatment produced no change in the estimated single-channel conductance. 5. These findings suggest that an increase in channel burst length, rather than an increase in single-channel conductance, contributes to the WGA-induced augmentation of the steady-state quisqualate current.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 330-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chin-Wei Huang ◽  
Kao-Min Lin ◽  
Te-Yu Hung ◽  
Yao-Chung Chuang ◽  
Sheng-Nan Wu

Background/Aims: Rotenone (Rot) is known to suppress the activity of complex I in the mitochondrial chain reaction; however, whether this compound has effects on ion currents in neurons remains largely unexplored. Methods: With the aid of patch-clamp technology and simulation modeling, the effects of Rot on membrane ion currents present in mHippoE-14 cells were investigated. Results: Addition of Rot produced an inhibitory action on the peak amplitude of INa with an IC50 value of 39.3 µM; however, neither activation nor inactivation kinetics of INa was changed during cell exposure to this compound. Addition of Rot produced little or no modifications in the steady-state inactivation curve of INa. Rot increased the amplitude of Ca2+-activated Cl- current in response to membrane depolarization with an EC50 value of 35.4 µM; further addition of niflumic acid reversed Rot-mediated stimulation of this current. Moreover, when these cells were exposed to 10 µM Rot, a specific population of ATP-sensitive K+ channels with a single-channel conductance of 18.1 pS was measured, despite its inability to alter single-channel conductance. Under current clamp condition, the frequency of miniature end-plate potentials in mHippoE-14 cells was significantly raised in the presence of Rot (10 µM) with no changes in their amplitude and time course of rise and decay. In simulated model of hippocampal neurons incorporated with chemical autaptic connection, increased autaptic strength to mimic the action of Rot was noted to change the bursting pattern with emergence of subthreshold potentials. Conclusions: The Rot effects presented herein might exert a significant action on functional activities of hippocampal neurons occurring in vivo.


2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyan Geng ◽  
Xiaoyu Wang ◽  
Karl L. Magleby

Large-conductance, voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels display near linear current–voltage (I-V) plots for voltages between −100 and +100 mV, with an increasing sublinearity for more positive potentials. As is the case for many types of channels, BK channels are blocked at positive potentials by intracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+. This fast block progressively reduces single-channel conductance with increasing voltage, giving rise to a negative slope in the I-V plots beyond about +120 mV, depending on the concentration of the blockers. In contrast to these observations of pronounced differences in the magnitudes and shapes of I-V plots in the absence and presence of intracellular blockers, Schroeder and Hansen (2007. J. Gen. Physiol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.200709802) have reported identical I-V plots in the absence and presence of blockers for BK channels, with both plots having reduced conductance and negative slopes, as expected for blockers. Schroeder and Hansen included both Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the intracellular solution rather than a single blocker, and they also studied BK channels expressed from α plus β1 subunits, whereas most previous studies used only α subunits. Although it seems unlikely that these experimental differences would account for the differences in findings between previous studies and those of Schroeder and Hansen, we repeated the experiments using BK channels comprised of α plus β1 subunits with joint application of 2.5 mM Ca2+ plus 2.5 mM Mg2+, as Schroeder and Hansen did. In contrast to the findings of Schroeder and Hansen of identical I-V plots, we found marked differences in the single-channel I-V plots in the absence and presence of blockers. Consistent with previous studies, we found near linear I-V plots in the absence of blockers and greatly reduced currents and negative slopes in the presence of blockers. Hence, studies of conductance mechanisms for BK channels should exclude intracellular Ca2+/Mg2+, as they can reduce conductance and induce negative slopes.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (3) ◽  
pp. F489-F496 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Sansom ◽  
T. Mougouris ◽  
S. Ono ◽  
T. D. DuBose

The inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) in vivo has the capacity to either secrete or reabsorb K+. However, a selective K+ conductance has not been described previously in the IMCD. In the present study, the patch-clamp method was used to determine the presence and properties of K(+)-selective channels in the apical membrane of the inner medullary collecting duct cell line, mIMCD-3. Two types of K(+)-selective channels were observed in both cell-attached and excised patches. The most predominant K+ channel, a smaller conductance K+ channel (SK), was present in cell-attached patches with 140 mM KCl (high bath K+) but not with 135 mM NaCl plus 5 mM KCl (low bath K+) in the bathing solution. The single-channel conductance of SK was 36 pS with inward currents and 29 pS with outward currents in symmetrical 140 mM KCl. SK was insensitive to both voltage and Ca2+. However, SK was inhibited significantly by millimolar concentrations of ATP in excised patches. A second K(+)-selective channel [a larger K+ channel (BK)] displayed a single-channel conductance equal to 132 pS with inward currents and 90 pS with outward currents in symmetrical 140 mM KCl solutions. BK was intermittently activated in excised inside-out patches by Mg(2+)-ATP in concentrations from 1 to 5 mM. With complete removal of Mg2+, BK was insensitive to ATP. BK was also insensitive to potential and Ca2+ and was observed in cell-attached patches with 140 mM KCl in the bath solution. Both channels were blocked reversibly by 1 mM Ba2+ from the intracellular surface but not by external Ba2+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (3) ◽  
pp. F476-F487 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Sackin ◽  
L. G. Palmer

Potassium (K+) channels in the basolateral membrane of unperfused Necturus proximal tubules were studied in both cell-attached and excised patches, after removal of the tubule basement membrane by manual dissection without collagenase. Two different K+ channels were identified on the basis of their kinetics: a short open-time K+ channel, with a mean open time less than 1 ms, and a long open-time K+ channel with a mean open time greater than 20 ms. The short open-time channel occurred more frequently than the longer channel, especially in excised patches. For inside-out excised patches with Cl- replaced by gluconate, the current-voltage relation of the short open-time K+ channel was linear over +/- 60 mV, with a K+-Na+ selectivity of 12 +/- 2 (n = 12), as calculated from the reversal potential with oppositely directed Na+ and K+ gradients. With K-Ringer in the patch pipette and Na-Ringer in the bath, the conductance of the short open-time channel was 47 +/- 2 pS (n = 15) for cell-attached patches, 26 +/- 2 pS (n = 15) for patches excised (inside out) into Na-Ringer, and 36 +/- 6 pS (n = 3) for excised patches with K-Ringer on both sides. These different conductances can be partially explained by a dependence of single-channel conductance on the K+ concentration on the interior side of the membrane. In experiments with a constant K+ gradient across excised patches, large changes in Na+ at the interior side of the membrane produced no change in single-channel conductance, arguing against a direct block of the K+ channel by Na+. Finally, the activity of the short open-time channel was voltage gated, where the mean number of open channels decreased as a linear function of basolateral membrane depolarization for potentials between -60 and 0 mV. Depolarization from -60 to -40 mV decreased the mean number of open K+ channels by 28 +/- 8% (n = 6).


1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 2570-2575 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Premkumar ◽  
P. W. Gage

1. Single-channel currents were recorded in cell-attached patches on cultured hippocampal neurons in response to gamma-aminobutyric acid-B (GABAB) agonists or serotonin applied to the cell surface outside the patch area. 2. The channels activated by GABAB agonists and serotonin were potassium selective but had a different conductance and kinetic behavior. Channels activated by GABAB agonists had a higher conductance, longer open-time, and longer burst-length than channels activated by serotonin. 3. The kinetic behavior of channels activated by GABAB agonists varied with potential whereas channels activated by serotonin did not show voltage-dependent changes in kinetics. 4. In a few cell-attached patches, both types of channel were activated when the cell was exposed to GABA together with serotonin. 5. It was concluded that GABAB agonists and serotonin activate different potassium channels in the soma of cultured hippocampal neurons.


2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saobo Lei ◽  
John F. MacDonald

The actions of the trivalent cation Gd3+ on whole cell AMPA receptor-mediated currents were studied in isolated hippocampal neurons, in nucleated or outside-out patches taken from cultured hippocampal neurons, and on miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) recorded in cultured hippocampal neurons. Glutamate, AMPA, or kainate was employed to activate AMPA receptors. Applications of relatively low concentrations of Gd3+ (0.1–10 μM) substantially enhanced steady-state whole cell glutamate and kainate-evoked currents without altering peak currents, suggesting that desensitization was reduced. However, higher concentrations (>30 μM) depressed steady-state currents, indicating an underlying inhibition of channel activity. Lower concentrations of Gd3+also increased the potency of peak glutamate-evoked currents without altering that of steady-state currents. An ultrafast perfusion system and nucleated patches were then used to better resolve peak glutamate-evoked currents. Low concentrations of Gd3+ reduced peak currents, enhanced steady-state currents, and slowed the onset of desensitization, providing further evidence that this cation reduces desensitization. In the presence of cyclothiazide, a compound that blocks desensitization, a low concentration Gd3+ inhibited both peak and steady-state currents, indicating that Gd3+ both reduces desensitization and inhibits these currents. Gd3+ reduced the probability of channel opening at the peak of the currents but did not alter the single channel conductance calculated using nonstationary variance analysis. Recovery from desensitization was enhanced, and glutamate-evoked current activation and deactivation were slowed by Gd3+. The Gd3+-induced reduction in desensitization did not require the presence of the GluR2 subunit as this effect was seen in hippocampal neurons from GluR2 null-mutant mice. Gd3+ reduced the time course of decay of mEPSCs perhaps as a consequence of its slowing of AMPA receptor deactivation although an increase in the frequency of mEPSCs also suggested enhanced presynaptic release of transmitter. These results demonstrate that Gd3+ potently reduces AMPA receptor desensitization and mimics a number of the properties of the positive modulators of AMPA receptor desensitization such as cyclothiazide.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document