Search results for "channels"
showing 10 items of 411 documents
Capacitative Ca2+ entry associated with α1-adrenoceptors in rat aorta
1997
In rat aorta, depletion of internal Ca2+ stores by addition of noradrenaline (1 microM) induces a biphasic response (an initial phasic response and a tonic one) mediated by two different intracellular Ca2+ pools. This response cannot be repeated, suggesting a depletion of internal Ca2+ stores sensitive to noradrenaline. In absence of the agonist, this depletion is the signal for the entry of extracellular Ca2+, not only to refill the stores but also, under our experimental conditions, to activate the contractile proteins thus inducing an increase in the resting tone (IRT) that constitutes functional evidence of this Ca2+ entry. The ionic channels involved in the mechanism of the IRT have be…
Altered receptor subtypes in the forebrain of GABAA receptor δ subunit-deficient mice: recruitment of γ2 subunits
2002
A GABA(A) receptor delta subunit-deficient mouse line was created by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells to investigate the role of the subunit in the brain GABA(A) receptors. High-affinity [(3)H]muscimol binding to GABA sites as studied by ligand autoradiography was reduced in various brain regions of delta(-/-) animals. [(3)H]Ro 15-4513 binding to benzodiazepine sites was increased in delta(-/-) animals, partly due to an increment of diazepam-insensitive receptors, indicating an augmented forebrain assembly of gamma 2 subunits with alpha 4 subunits. In the western blots of forebrain membranes of delta(-/-) animals, the level of gamma 2 subunit was increased and that of alpha …
Effects of Presynaptic Mutations on a Postsynaptic Cacna1s Calcium Channel Colocalized with mGluR6 at Mouse Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapses
2008
Purpose Photoreceptor ribbon synapses translate light-dependent changes of membrane potential into graded transmitter release via L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) activity. Functional abnormalities (e.g., a reduced electroretinogram b-wave), arising from mutations of presynaptic proteins, such as Bassoon and the VDCCalpha1 subunit Cacna1f, have been shown to altered transmitter release. L-type VDCCalpha1 subtype expression in wild-type and mutant mice was examined, to investigate the underlying pathologic mechanism. Methods Two antisera against Cacna1f, and a Cacna1f mouse mutant (Cacna1fDeltaEx14-17) were generated. Immunocytochemistry for L-type VDCCalpha1 subunits and addi…
Effects of menthol on circular smooth muscle of human colon: Analysis of the mechanism of action.
2014
Abstract Menthol is the major constituent of peppermint oil, an herbal preparation commonly used to treat nausea, spasms during colonoscopy and irritable bowel disease. The mechanism responsible for its spasmolytic action remains unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects induced by menthol on the human distal colon mechanical activity in vitro and to analyze the mechanism of action. The spontaneous or evoked-contractions of the circular smooth muscle were recorded using vertical organ bath. Menthol (0.1 mM–30 mM) reduced, in a concentration-dependent manner, the amplitude of the spontaneous contractions without affecting the frequency and the resting basal tone. The in…
Essential thalamic contribution to slow waves of natural sleep
2013
Slow waves represent one of the prominent EEG signatures of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and are thought to play an important role in the cellular and network plasticity that occurs during this behavioral state. These slow waves of natural sleep are currently considered to be exclusively generated by intrinsic and synaptic mechanisms within neocortical territories, although a role for the thalamus in this key physiological rhythm has been suggested but never demonstrated. Combining neuronal ensemble recordings, microdialysis, and optogenetics, here we show that the block of the thalamic output to the neocortex markedly (up to 50%) decreases the frequency of slow waves recorded dur…
Association of a functional deficit of the BKCa channel, a synaptic regulator of neuronal excitability, with autism and mental retardation
2006
International audience; Objective: Autism is a complex, largely genetic psychiatric disorder. In the majority of cases, the cause of autism is not known, but there is strong evidence for a genetic etiology. To identify candidate genes, the physical mapping of balanced chromosomal aberrations is a powerful strategy, since several genes have been characterized in numerous disorders. In this study, the authors analyzed a balanced reciprocal translocation arising de novo in a subject with autism and mental retardation. Method: The authors performed the physical mapping of the balanced 9q23/ 10q22 translocation by fluorescent in situ hybridization experiments using bacterial artificial chromosom…
Immunohistochemical marker for Na+ CP type Vα (C-20) and heterozygous nonsense SCN5A mutation W822X in a sudden cardiac death induced by mild anaphyl…
2009
A sudden death likely due to mild anaphylactic reaction in a young man is described. Autoptic, histologic, immunohistochemical, and laboratory findings were strongly consistent with the diagnosis of a mild anaphylactic reaction. Genetic molecular analysis, performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, showed a mutation described as W822X in a family with electrocardiographic pattern typical of Brugada Syndrome. It results in a nonsense mutation generating a truncated form of the channel protein. The mutation is due to a point substitution of a guanine with an adenine residue (G2466A). Immunohistochemistry and laser scanning confocal microscopy on sections from heart formalin-fixed…
On the mechanism of action of phenylephrine in rat atrial heart muscle
1994
Both in rat left atrial heart and in aortic smooth muscle preparations, phenylephrine (PE) caused a concentration-dependent increase in force of contraction (FC) in the presence of atenolol (10 mumol/l), which was antagonized by phentolamine, prazosin and WB 4101 in a competitive manner. The pA2 values of the antagonists in the cardiac tissue were 10-20fold lower than those in the rat thoracic aorta. In the spontaneously beating right atrium, PE exerted a positive chronotropic action, which was not significantly antagonized by phentolamine or prazosin. It is therefore assumed that the effects of phenylephrine in the left atrium and in the aorta are mediated by different subtypes of alpha 1-…
Postnatal increases in axonal conduction velocity of an identified Drosophila interneuron require fast sodium, L-type calcium and shaker potassium ch…
2019
Abstract During early postnatal life, speed up of signal propagation through many central and peripheral neurons has been associated with an increase in axon diameter or/and myelination. Especially in unmyelinated axons postnatal adjustments of axonal membrane conductances is potentially a third mechanism but solid evidence is lacking. Here, we show that axonal action potential (AP) conduction velocity in the Drosophila giant fiber (GF) interneuron, which is required for fast long-distance signal conduction through the escape circuit, is increased by 80% during the first day of adult life. Genetic manipulations indicate that this postnatal increase in AP conduction velocity in the unmyelina…
Effects of K(ATP) channel modulators on acetylcholine release from guinea-pig isolated atria and small intestine.
2002
The effects of K(ATP) channel blockers (glibenclamide, HMR 1883, HMR 1372) and openers (cromakalim, pinacidil, diazoxide) on the electrically-evoked (5 Hz) release of [(3)H]acetylcholine were studied in isolated guinea-pig atria and myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparations which had been preincubated with [(3)H]choline. Atria: Cromakalim (0.3 microM and 1 microM), pinacidil (10 microM) and diazoxide (30 microM) significantly reduced the stimulation-evoked release of [(3)H]acetylcholine. The inhibition produced by cromakalim and pinacidil was prevented by 1 microM of either HMR 1883, HMR 1372 or glibenclamide. The blockers alone significantly increased the release at concentrations …