Search results for "membrane potentials"
showing 10 items of 149 documents
Glycine Receptors Mediate Excitation of Subplate Neurons in Neonatal Rat Cerebral Cortex
2008
The development of the cerebral cortex depends on genetic factors and early electrical activity patterns that form immature neuronal networks. Subplate neurons (SPn) are involved in the construction of thalamocortical innervation, generation of oscillatory network activity, and in the proper formation of the cortical columnar architecture. Because glycine receptors play an important role during early corticogenesis, we analyzed the functional consequences of glycine receptor activation in visually identified SPn in neocortical slices from postnatal day 0 (P0) to P4 rats using whole cell and perforated patch-clamp recordings. In all SPn the glycinergic agonists glycine, β-alanine, and taurin…
Intracellular accumulation of l-Arg, kinetics of transport, and potassium leak conductance in oocytes from Xenopus laevis expressing hCAT-1, hCAT-2A,…
2004
AbstractCationic amino acid transporters play an important role in the intracellular supply of l-Arg and the generation of nitric oxide. Since the transport of l-Arg is voltage-dependent, we aimed at determining the intracellular l-Arg concentration and describing the transport of l-Arg in terms of Michaelis–Menten kinetics, taking into account membrane voltage. The human isoforms of the cationic amino acid transporters, hCAT-1, hCAT-2A, and hCAT-2B, were expressed in oocytes from Xenopus laevis and studied with the voltage clamp technique and in tracer experiments. We found that l-Arg was concentrated intracellularly by all hCAT isoforms and that influx and efflux, in the steady state of e…
Sequential acquisition of cacophony calcium currents, sodium channels and voltage-dependent potassium currents affects spike shape and dendrite growt…
2014
During metamorphosis the CNS undergoes profound changes to accommodate the switch from larval to adult behaviors. In Drosophila and other holometabolous insects, adult neurons differentiate either from respecified larval neurons, newly born neurons, or are born embryonically but remain developmentally arrested until differentiation during pupal life. This study addresses the latter in the identified Drosophila flight motoneuron 5. In situ patch-clamp recordings, intracellular dye fills and immunocytochemistry address the interplay between dendritic shape, excitability and ionic current development. During pupal life, changes in excitability and spike shape correspond to a stereotyped, progr…
Use of flow cytometry and confocal microscopy techniques to investigate early CdCl(2)-induced nephrotoxicity in vitro.
2001
CdCl(2) is a well-known toxic compound for the kidney in vivo and in vitro. We report here part of the results of an ECVAM (European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods) contract study, aimed at establishing and assessing several flow cytometric and confocal microscopic endpoints for use in an in vitro nephrotoxicity model. Three renal tubule cell lines, OK (opossum, proximal tubule origin), LLC-PK1 (pig, proximal tubule origin) and MDCK (dog, distal tubule origin) were exposed for 1, 5 and 24 h to 25 microM and 100 microM CdCl(2). The results obtained for mitochondrial membrane potential showed a decrease in all the cell lines after 5 h of treatment with both CdCl(2) concentra…
Effects of rewarding electrical stimulation of lateral hypothalamus on classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane response.
1997
1. Adult New Zealand albino rabbits were prepared with chronic hypothalamic stimulating electrodes and hippocampal recording electrodes. 2. Rabbits were restrained and classically conditioned by a tone CS and an airpuff US either followed or preceded by a hypothalamic stimulation (HS). Control rabbits were conditioned without the HS. 3. It was found that HS following the CS facilitated both behavioral and hippocampal responses, while HS preceding the CS inhibited them. 4. Enhanced hippocampal learning-related unit firing to the CS may represent an early indication of conditioning before the behavioral activity produces any observable change.
Modulation of neuronal phospholipase D activity under depolarizing conditions
1999
Neuronal phospholipase D (PLD) activity was hypothesized to be involved in vesicle trafficking and endocytosis and, possibly, transmitter release. We here report that prolonged depolarization of rat hippocampal slices by potassium chloride (KCl) or 4-aminopyridine inhibited PLD activity. Similarly, PLD activity in rat cortical synaptosomes was significantly inhibited by depolarizing agents including veratridine and ouabain. Inhibition of calcium/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) which positively modulates synaptosomal PLD activity [Sarri et al. (1998) FEBS Lett. 440, 287-290] by KN-62 caused a further reduction of PLD activity in depolarized synaptosomes. Depolarization-induced inhibition of PL…
Membrane potential of rat calvaria bone cells: dependence on temperature.
1990
The membrane potentials of bone cells derived from calvaria of new born rats was shown to be strongly dependent on temperature. When we lowered the temperature from 36 degrees C to 26 degrees C, cells with spontaneous resting membrane potentials (MP) of -80 to -50 mV depolarized (mean amplitude 8 mV; n = 33), and the membrane resistance increased by approximately 80% (n = 20). The temperature response depended on the actual MP, the reversal potential being in the range of -80 to -90 mV. With the application of ouabain (0.1-1 mmol/liter; n = 12), cells depolarized. Simultaneously, the reversal potential of the temperature response was shifted towards more positive values and approached the a…
Na+ -dependent neutral amino acid transporters A, ASC, and N of the blood-brain barrier: mechanisms for neutral amino acid removal.
2004
Four Na+-dependent transporters of neutral amino acids (NAA) are known to exist in the abluminal membranes (brain side) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This article describes the kinetic characteristics of systems A, ASC, and N that, together with the recently described Na+-dependent system for large NAA (Na+-LNAA), provide a basis for understanding the functional organization of the BBB. The data demonstrate that system A is voltage dependent (3 positive charges accompany each molecule of substrate). Systems ASC and N are not voltage dependent. Each NAA is a putative substrate for at least one system, and several NAA are transported by as many as three. System A transports Pro, Ala, His,…
Three distinct types of voltage-dependent K+ channels are expressed by Müller (glial) cells of the rabbit retina.
1994
There is ample evidence that retinal radial glial (Müller) cells play a crucial role in retinal ion homeostasis. Nevertheless, data on the particular types of ion channels mediating this function are very rare and incomplete; this holds especially for mammalian Müller cells. Thus, the whole-cell variation of the patch-clamp technique was used to study voltage-dependent currents in Müller cells from adult rabbit retinae. The membrane of Müller cells was almost exclusively permeable to K+ ions, as no significant currents could be evoked in K(+)-free internal and external solutions, external Ba2+ (1 mM) reversibly blocked most membrane currents, and external Cs+ ions (5 mM) blocked all inward …
GD3 ganglioside directly targets mitochondria in a bcl-2-controlled fashion.
2000
Lipid and glycolipid diffusible mediators are involved in the intracellular progression and amplification of apoptotic signals. GD3 ganglioside is rapidly synthesized from accumulated ceramide after the clustering of death-inducing receptors and triggers apoptosis. Here we show that GD3 induces dissipation of DeltaPsim and swelling of isolated mitochondria, which results in the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, apoptosis inducing factor, and caspase 9. Soluble factors released from GD3-treated mitochondria are sufficient to trigger DNA fragmentation in isolated nuclei. All these effects can be blocked by cyclosporin A, suggesting that GD3 is acting at the level of the permeability tran…