ISSN:
1432-1424
Keywords:
barium current
;
internal perfusion
;
patch clamp
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Summary Isolated nerve cells fromLymnaea stagnalis were studied using the internal-perfusion and patch-clamp techniques. Patch excision frequently activated a voltage-independent Ba2+-permeable channel with a slope conductance of 27 pS at negative potentials (50mm Ba2+). This channel is not seen in patches on healthy cells and, unlike the voltage-dependent Ca channel, is not labile in isolated patches. The activity of the channel in inside-out patches is unaffected by intracellular ATP, Ca2+ below 1mm or the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase but is reversibly blocked by millimolar intracellular Ca2+ or Ba2+. The channel can be activated in on-cell patches by either internal perfusion with high Ca2+ or the long-term internal perfusion of low Ca2+ solutions not containing ATP. These channels may carry the inward Ca2+ current which causes a regenerative increase in intracellular Ca+ when snail neurons are perfused with high Ca2+ solutions. High internal Ca2+, or long periods of internal perfusion with ATP-free solutions, induces an increase in a resting (−50 mV) whole-cell Ba2+ conductance. This conductance can be turned off by returning the intracellular perfusate to a low Ca2+ solution containing ATP and Mg2+. The activity of this channel appears to have an opposite dependence on intracellular conditions to that of the voltage-dependent Ca channel.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01871084
