bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inhibitory Miniature Potentials in the Stretch Receptor Neurons of Crayfish
Authors: Iwasaki Shizuko , Florey Ernst
Published: May 2004

Intracellular microelectrodes inserted into the soma of crayfish stretch receptor neurons record frequent fluctuations of the membrane potential. Time course, amplitude, and interval distribution indicate that they are miniature potentials. At the average resting potential the polarity of the miniature potentials depends on the anion used in the microelectrode: KCl electrodes record depolarizing, K citrate or K2SO4 electrodes, hyperpolarizing miniature potentials. The inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (i.p.s.p.'s) show a similar polarity change. The reversal potentials of i.p.s.p.'s and miniature potentials are equal and within 10 mv of the resting potential, more negative with K citrate (or K2SO4), less negative with KCl electrodes. Reversal can be accomplished by changing the membrane potential by stretching or by current passing. Injection of Cl- into the soma or replacement of external Cl by propionate results in an abrupt increase of the amplitude of the miniature potentials lasting for several minutes. The miniature potentials like the i.p.s.p.'s are reversibly abolished by the application of picrotoxin and γ-aminobutyric acid. They are not affected by tetrodotoxin, nor by acetylocholine, eserine, or atropine. It is concluded that the miniature potentials represent a spontaneous quantal release of transmitter substance from inhibitory nerve terminals, and that the transmitter substance predominantly increases the Cl- permeability of the postsynaptic membrane. The effect of the spontaneously released transmitter on the behavior of the receptor neuron is considerable. The membrane conductance is increased by up to 36% and the excitability is correspondingly depressed.
The Influence of External Potassium on the Inactivation of Sodium Currents in the Giant Axon of the Squid, Loligo pealei
Authors: Adelman William J. , Palti Yoram
Published: May 2004

Isolated giant axons were voltage-clamped in seawater solutions having constant sodium concentrations of 230 mM and variable potassium concentrations of from zero to 210 mM. The inactivation of the initial transient membrane current normally carried by Na+ was studied by measuring the Hodgkin-Huxley h parameter as a function of time. It was found that h reaches a steady-state value within 30 msec in all solutions. The values of h∞, τh, αh,and ßh as functions of membrane potential were determined for various [Ko]. The steady-state values of the h parameter were found to be inversely related, while the time constant, τh, was directly related to external K+ concentration. While the absolute magnitude as well as the slopes of the h∞ vs. membrane potential curves were altered by varying external K+, only the magnitude and not the shape of the corresponding τh curves was altered. Values of the two rate constants, αh and ßh, were calculated from h∞ and τh values. αh is inversely related to [Ko] while ßh is directly related to [Ko] for hyperpolarizing membrane potentials and is independent of [Ko] for depolarizing membrane potentials. Hodgkin-Huxley equations relating αh and ßh to Em were rewritten so as to account for the observed effects of [Ko]. It is concluded that external potassium ions have an inactivating effect on the initial transient membrane conductance which cannot be explained solely on the basis of potassium membrane depolarization.
Discrete Conductance Fluctuations in Lipid Bilayer Protein Membranes
Authors: Bean R. C. , Shepherd W. C. , Chan H. , Eichner Joellen
Published: May 2004

Discrete fluctuations in conductance of lipid bilayer membranes may be observed during the initial stages of membrane interaction with EIM ("excitability inducing material"), during destruction of the EIM conductance by proteolysis, and during the potential-dependent transitions between low and high conductance states in the "excitable" membranes. The discrete conductance steps observed during the initial reaction of EIM with the lipid membranes are remarkably uniform, even in membranes of widely varying lipid composition. They range only from 2 to 6 x 10-10 ohm-1 and average 4 x 10-10 ohm-1. Steps found during destruction of the EIM conductance by proteolysis are somewhat smaller. The transition between high conductance and low conductance states may involve steps as small as 0.5 x 10-10 ohm-1. These phenomena are consistent with the formation of a stable protein bridge across the lipid membrane to provide a polar channel for the transport of cations. T6he uniform conductance fluctuations observed during the formation of these macromolecular channels may indicate that the ions in a conductive channel, in its open state, are largely protected from the influence of the polar groups of the membrane lipids. Potential-dependent changes in conductance may be due to configurational or positional changes in the protein channel. Differences in lipid-lipid and lipid-macromolecule interactions may account for the variations in switching kinetics in various membrane systems.
Influence of Glucose on the Transmembrane Action Potential of Papillary Muscle
Authors: MacLeod Don P. , Prasad K.
Published: May 2004

The action potential duration (APD) of isolated guinea pig papillary muscle is directly related to the medium glucose concentration regardless of the gas mixture with which it is in equilibrium. The APD can be maintained at control value for many hours by a glucose concentration of 50 mM in the complete absence of oxygen. Following reduction of the APD by incubation of the muscle in medium containing 5 mM glucose, adjustment of the glucose concentration to 50 mM will cause restoration of normal APD. Phlorizin has been shown to competitively interfere with the effect of glucose on the APD and insulin to prevent or reverse the effect of phlorizin. Nonmetabolizable sugars cannot produce glucose-like effects on the APD. Adrenaline, noradrenaline, and isopropylnoradrenaline increased the reduced APD of papillary muscles incubated in the absence of oxygen in a medium containing 5 mM glucose coincident with an increase in contractile force. The effect of isopropylnoradrenaline was blocked by acetylcholine and propranolol. In the presence of iodoacetate and 2-deoxyglucose, isopropylnoradrenaline increased contractile force but not the reduced APD. Aminophylline was found to produce changes in the reduced APD similar to those caused by the sympathomimetic amines. The findings clearly support the hypothesis that anaerobic metabolism utilizing either glycogen or exogenous glucose is capable of maintaining normal transmembrane electrical activity in guinea pig papillary muscle.
Inhibition of Adenosine Triphosphatase in Sheep Red Cell Membranes by Oxidized Glutathione
Authors: Dick D. A. T. , Dick E. G. , Tosteson D. C.
Published: May 2004

This paper reports inhibition of Na+ + K+-stimulated, ouabain-inhibited adenosine triphosphatase (S-ATPase) in sheep red cell membranes by oxidized glutathione (GSSG). The results are consistent with the hypothesis that this inhibition depends upon the formation of a mixed disulfide between glutathione and -SH group(s) in the enzyme protein. Thus, inhibition of S-ATPase by GSSG proceeds more rapidly at alkaline than at neutral pH and is reversed by the addition of an excess of a compound containing reduced -SH groups (e.g. dithiothreitol). ATP protects S-ATPase against inhibition by GSSG and this protection depends on both the monovalent and divalent cation composition of the medium. Protection by ATP is more complete in the presence of K+ than in the presence of Na+.
Effects of Polypeptide and Protein Hormones on Lipid Monolayers
Authors: Kafka Marian S. , Pak Charles Y. C.
Published: May 2004

Insulin in low concentrations inhibits the uptake of Ca++ by the monooctadecyl (stearyl) phosphate monolayer (at air-water interface) and facilitates the release of Ca++ adsorbed to the monolayer. These effects of insulin are more pronounced at higher insulin concentrations. Evidence is presented that a relatively intact insulin molecule competes with Ca++ for the free phosphate group of the monolayer. Albumin has a slight inhibitory action on calcium uptake and parathyroid hormone has no observable action on calcium uptake or release.
The Transport of Carbohydrates by a Bacterial Phosphotransferase System
Authors: Roseman Saul
Published: May 2004

The components and properties of a phosphoenolpyruvate: glucose phosphotransferase system are reviewed, along with the evidence implicating this system in sugar transport across bacterial membranes. Some possible physiological implications of sugar transport mediated by the phosphotransferase system are also considered.
Chemical Modification of the Active Site of the Acetylcholine Receptor
Authors: Karlin Arthur
Published: May 2004

The receptor for acetylcholine in the subsynaptic membrane of the electroplax of Electrophorus electricus is a protein with a disulfide bond in the vicinity of the active site. This disulfide can be reduced and reoxidized with concomitant inhibition and restoration of the response to acetylcholine and other monoquaternary ammonium-depolarizing agents. Conversely, the bisquaternary hexamethonium, normally a competitive inhibitor, causes depolarization, and the activity of decamethonium is increased following reduction of the disulfide. The reduced receptor can be alkylated by various maleimide derivatives and is then no longer reoxidizable. Some quaternary ammonium maleimide derivatives act as affinity labels of the reduced receptor, alkylating it at a rate three orders of magnitude faster then do uncharged maleimide derivatives. Other types of potential affinity labels also react only with the reduced receptor and the resulting covalently attached quaternary ammonium moieties interact with the active site, strongly activating the receptor. These results suggest a model for the active site and its transitions in which an activator such as acetylcholine bridges between a negative subsite and a hydrophobic subsite in the vicinity of the disulfide, causing an altered conformation around the negative subsite and a decrasee of a few angstroms in the distance between the two subsites.
Affinities or Apparent Affinities of the Transport Adenosine Triphosphatase System
Authors: Glynn I. M. , Lew V. L.
Published: May 2004

The interactions of potassium ions and ATP on transport ATPase activity are discussed, and the interpretation of these interactions is shown to be often ambiguous. Caldwell's (1968) Physiological Review model is discussed with particular reference to the observed kinetics of sodium: sodium exchange in red cells. Recent experimental work on the properties of the ouabain-sensitive component of potassium efflux from red cells is described. This component of efflux occurs only if either sodium or potassium are present in the external medium, but the effects of external sodium and potassium are not additive. The relation between ouabain-sensitive potassium efflux and the external concentration of sodium (in a potassium-free medium) or of potassium (in low- and high-sodium media) are described. When starved sodium-poor red cells are poisoned with iodoacetamide, loaded with phosphate, and incubated in high-sodium potassium-free media, the ouabain-sensitive efflux of potassium appears to be accompanied by the reversal of the entire ATPase system. About two to three potassium ions leave by the ouabain-sensitive route for each molecule of ATP synthesized. If potassium is present in the external medium, no ouabain-sensitive synthesis of ATP occurs and the ouabain-sensitive efflux of potassium presumably involves the reversal of only the last part of the ATPase system.
Membrane Lipids and the Conformations of Membrane Proteins
Authors: Wallach Donald F. H.
Published: May 2004

The general relations between protein conformation and the optical activity of peptide chromophores are outlined and applied to the analysis of the optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism of the plasma membranes of human erythrocytes and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells. It is concluded that the proteins of these membranes are "globular" and that they have considerable helical content. The spectroscopic consequences of perturbing the membranes with phospholipase C, phospholipase A, lysolecithin, and sodium dodecyl sulfate are examined in the light of the effects of these agents upon certain enzymatic and physical properties of the membranes and upon their proton magnetic resonance spectra. The data suggest that the architecture of membrane proteins is strongly dependent upon apolar lipid-protein and/or lipid-sensitive protein-protein interactions.
Sodium Flux in the Smooth Muscle of Frog Stomach
Authors: Stephenson Elizabeth W.
Published: May 2004

Sodium efflux from rings of frog stomach muscle was measured at 5° and 15°C in three different steady states. After incubation in normal, K-free, or ouabain (10-4 M) solutions, intracellular cations stabilized at markedly differing levels. At 5°C, inhibition of Na extrusion was shown in the rate coefficients for 22Na efflux, which were slightly smaller in K-free than in normal solutions, and much smaller in ouabain. Due to the intracellular Na concentration differences, total Na efflux was similar in K-free and ouabain solutions, and only ⅕ as large in normal solution. At 15°C, normal total Na flux was only 1/7;–1/10 inhibitors, and may be underestimated. The total flux differences may involve dependence of the Na pump and Na permeation on internal Na concentration. The Q10 of the steady-state fluxes was 3.7 in ouabain, 2.8 in K-free solution, and 1.9 in normal solution. The high temperature dependence of influx as well as efflux suggests transport mechanisms other than simple diffusion. Sodium turnover in the cell water was 46–66 mM/hr in inhibitors at 15°C, and a high rate of Na extrusion in normal muscle is suggested. However, cell volume:surface ratio is only 1.6 µ and all estimates of Na flux were under 3 pmoles/cm2 per sec, indicating low Na permeability.
A Fixed Charge Model of the Transverse Tubular System of Frog Sartorius
Authors: Rapoport Stanley I.
Published: May 2004

Volume changes of the transverse tubular system (T system) of frog sartorius in different solutions can be explained by a model which assumes fixed negative charges in the T system lumen, an open T system mouth, and a Donnan equilibrium between the T system and external solution. The T system volume is regulated by the osmotic pressure difference between the lumen and external solution, as well as by constraining forces whose nature is as yet unclear. The decreased swelling tendency produced by hypotonic solutions and increased tendency produced by some hypertonic solutions are ascribed to changes in the pressure constraint from the sarcoplasm. Fixed charge concentration was estimated tentatively from swelling and resistivity data to be between 0.1 and 0.4 M.
Sodium and Potassium Distribution in Puffer Fish Supramedullary Nerve Cell Bodies
Authors: Katzman Robert , Lehrer Gerard M. , Wilson Clarence E.
Published: May 2004

The Na and K concentration in single supramedullary neurons of the puffer fish (Spheroides maculatus) was measured using a dual channel integrating ultramicroflame photometer. The cells were frozen in situ, sectioned at low temperatures, and freeze-dried to prevent artefactual movements of cations. The density of the nuclear fragments was 0.15, significantly less than cytoplasm's 0.21. The sucrose-14C "space" was 2.1–4.7% in cytoplasm fragments and 0.9–2.1% in nuclear fragments. The K concentration in cytoplasm averaged 134 mmoles/liter tissue volume and in nuclei, 113. The Na concentration in cytoplasm fragments varied between 56 and 138 mmoles/liter per tissue volume; in nuclei between 40 and 135, and in perineural tissue between 55 and 114. This intracellular Na is several times greater than the Na concentration expected from previous estimates. It is probable, however, that the intracellular Na activity is less than half that of the Na concentration, suggesting that much of the intracellular Na is bound to organic molecules within the cell.
The Ventral Photoreceptor Cells of Limulus
Authors: Clark A.W. , Millecchia Ronald , Mauro Alexander
Published: May 2004

The ventral photoreceptor cells of Limulus polyphemus resemble the retinular cells of the lateral eyes both in electrical behavior and in morphology. Because of the great size of the ventral photoreceptor cells they are easy to impale with glass capillary micropipettes. Their location along the length of the ventral eye nerve makes them easy to dissect out and fix for electron microscopy. Each cell has a large, ellipsoidal soma that tapers into an axon whose length depends upon the distance of the cell from the brain. The cell body contains a rich variety of cytoplasmic organelles with an especially abundant endoplasmic reticulum. The most prominent structural feature is the microvillous rhabdomere, a highly modified infolding of the plasmalemma. The microvilli are tightly packed together within the rhabdomere, and quintuple-layered junctions are encountered wherever microvillar membranes touch each other. Glial cells cover the surface of the photoreceptor cell and send long, sheet-like projections of their cytoplasm into the cell body of the photoreceptor cell. Some of these projections penetrate the rhabdomere deep within the cell and form quintuple-layered junctions with the microvilli. Junctions between glial cells and the photoreceptor cell and between adjacent glial cells are rarely encountered elsewhere, indicating that there is an open pathway between the intermicrovillous space and the extracellular medium. The axon has a normal morphology but it is electrically inexcitable.
The Ventral Photoreceptor Cells of Limulus
Authors: Millecchia Ronald , Mauro Alexander
Published: May 2004

In the dark, the ventral photoreceptor of Limulus exhibits time-variant currents under voltage-clamp conditions; that is, if the membrane potential of the cell is clamped to a depolarized value there is an initial large outward current which slowly declines to a steady level. The current-voltage relation of the cell in the dark is nonlinear. The only ion tested which has any effect on the current-voltage relation is potassium; high potassium shifts the reversal potential towards zero and introduces a negative slope-conductance region. When the cell is illuminated under voltage-clamp conditions, an additional current, the light-induced current, flows across the cell membrane. The time course of this current mimics the time course of the light response (receptor potential) in the unclamped cell; namely, an initial transient phase is followed by a steady-state phase. The amplitude of the peak transient current can be as large as 60 times the amplitude of the steady-state current, while in the unclamped cell the amplitude of the peak transient voltage never exceeds 4 times the amplitude of the steady-state voltage. The current-voltage relations of the additional light-induced current obtained for different instants of time are also nonlinear, but differ from the current-voltage relations of the dark current. The ions tested which have the greatest effect on the light-induced current are sodium and calcium; low sodium decreases the current, while low calcium increases the current. The data strongly support the hypothesis that two systems of electric current exist in the membrane. Thus the total ionic current which flows in the membrane is accounted for as the sum of a dark current and a light-induced current.
Mechanical Threshold As a Factor in Excitation-Contraction Coupling
Authors: Taylor Stuart R. , Preiser Hanna , Sandow Alexander
Published: May 2004

I-, CH3SO4-, and ClO4-, like other previously studied type A twitch potentiators (Br-, NO3-, SCN-, and caffeine), lower the mechanical threshold in K depolarization contractures of frog skeletal muscle. In potentiated twitches, I-, Br-, CH3SO4-, ClO4, and SCN, as already reported for NO3- and caffeine, slightly shorten the latent period (L) and considerably increase the rate of tension development (dP/dt) during the first few milliseconds of the contraction period. Divalent cations (8 mM Ca2+, 0.5–1.0 mM Zn2+ and Cd2+) raise the mechanical threshold of contractures, and correspondingly affect the twitch by depressing the tension output, increasing L, and decreasing the early dP/dt, thus acting oppositely to the type A potentiators. These various results form a broad, consistent pattern indicating that electromechanical coupling in the twitch is conditioned by a mechanical threshold as it is in the contracture, and suggesting that the lower the threshold, in reference to the raised threshold under the action of the divalent cations, the more effective is a given action potential in activating the twitch as regards especially both its early rate and peak magnitude of tension development. The results suggest that the direct action by which the various agents affect the level of the mechanical threshold involves effects on E-C coupling processes of the T tubular and/or the sarcoplasmic reticulum which control the release of Ca for activating contraction.
Role of Hydrogen-Bonding in Nonelectrolyte Diffusion through Dense Artificial Membranes
Authors: Gary-Bobo C. M. , DiPolo R. , Solomon A. K.
Published: May 2004

The diffusion of two series of alcohols and amides through complex cellulose acetate membranes was studied. The thin dense part of these membranes behaves as a nonporous layer of low water content. In this layer, called the skin, the solute diffusion coefficients, ω, depend upon size, steric configuration, and the partition coefficient, K8, between membrane and bathing solution. From the experimental values of ω and K8, the over-all friction, f, experienced by the solutes in the membrane was computed. It was found that f depends upon the chemical nature of the solute and is related to hydrogen-bonding ability. In the coarse, porous layer of the cellulose acetate membrane, diffusion occurs mainly through aqueous channels. In this instance also the hydrogen-bonding ability of the solute seems to exercise a smaller but significant influence.
Inhibitory Fields in the Limulus Lateral Eye
Authors: Barlow Robert B.
Published: May 2004

The inhibition that is exerted mutually among receptor units (ommatidia) of the lateral eye of Limulus does not diminish uniformly with increasing distance between units. Instead the response of a receptor unit is most effectively inhibited by other units separated from it by approximately 1 mm (three to five receptor diameters); the effectiveness diminishes with distances both greater and less than this value. The ommatidial inhibitory field as measured by the spatial function of the inhibitory coefficients contains a uniform depression in the central region, a uniformly high annulus at some distance from the center, and a gradual tapering off toward the periphery. The field is large—covering over 30 % of the retina—and is somewhat elliptical in shape with its major axis in the anteroposterior direction on the lateral eye. A number of experiments reveal similar configurations in a sizable part of the eye. Control experiments show that the diminution of the inhibitory effects near the center of the field is not an artifact of the measuring technique and cannot be explained readily by local neural excitatory processes.
Ionic Permeability of the Inhibitory Postsynaptic Membrane of Lobster Muscle Fibers
Authors: Motokizawa Fumiaki , Reuben John P. , Grundfest Harry
Published: May 2004

Reversal potentials (EIPSP) of the inhibitory postsynaptic potential and the membrane resting potentials (EM) of lobster muscle fibers were determined with intracellular recording under a variety of ionic conditions. EIPSP is solely dependent on the electromotive force of anionic batteries; i.e., on the electrochemical gradient for a "mobile" fraction of intracellular Cl (Cli) which is considerably smaller than the total intracellular Cl. The active inhibitory membrane is more permeable to certain "foreign" anions in the order NO3 > SCN > Br > Cl. The membrane is impermeable to BrOs, isethionate, and methylsulfate, but is slightly permeable to acetate and propionate. The level of Cli appears to be determined in part by some active (pump?) process and most of the anions studied appear to interfere with the steady-state level of Cli.
Sodium Transport in Turtle Erythrocytes
Authors: Klahr Saulo , Shaw Allen B. , Hwang Kuo Hwa , Miller C. Lindsey
Published: May 2004

Studies were performed on Na and K transport by red blood cells of the freshwater turtle under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Although it had previously been assumed that cation transport in turtle red blood cells was dependent on respiration, the present data show greater Na efflux rates in N2 than in O2. However, ouabain inhibited Na transport by the same amount quantitatively in O2 and N2 gas phases. Thus there was no difference in ouabain-sensitive or "pump" Na transport rates. Na influx rates were higher in nitrogen than in air and potassium influx rates were not significantly different under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Moreover in the absence of sodium in the bathing medium no difference between air and nitrogen could be discovered. Finally with ethacrynic acid plus ouabain there was an additional decrease in Na efflux but there was a persisting difference between air and nitrogen. These studies do not rule out the existence of a ouabain-insensitive ethacrynic acid-inhibitable flux; however, they suggest that at least part of the activation of Na efflux observed in N2 was due to increased exchange diffusion.
Differences between Pacemaker and Nonpacemaker Neurons of Aplysia on Voltage Clamping
Authors: Alving Barbara O.
Published: May 2004

The responses of pacemaker and nonpacemaker Aplysia neurons to voltage clamp commands of less than 200 msec duration are essentially identical. For moderate depolarizing commands there is an early inward transient current followed by a late outward current and an outward tail current when the membrane is clamped back to resting potential. On long (1–2 sec) commands in pacemakers there is a marked sag in the late current and an inward tail current. Etail, the potential of the membrane at which there is no net current flow under the conditions prevailing at the end of the clamp, shifts from about -9.0 mv on short commands to +5.0 mv on long commands. In contrast there is no marked sag of the late current or inward tail current on long commands in nonpacemakers, and Etail is near -9.0 mv for both short and long commands. The current sag and shift in Etail can be ascribed to a decreased conductance (presumably to K+) at the end of the long as compared to the short command in half of the pacemaker neurons. In the remaining cells the essential difference from nonpacemakers appears to be either a greater restricted extracellular space or a more active potential-dependent electrogenic Na+ pump in pacemakers.
The Effects of External Potassium and Long Duration Voltage Conditioning on the Amplitude of Sodium Currents in the Giant Axon of the Squid, Loligo pealei
Authors: Adelman William J. , Palti Yoram
Published: May 2004

Giant axons were voltage-clamped in solutions of constant sodium concentration (230 mM) and variable potassium concentrations (from 0 to 210 mM). The values of the peak initial transient current, Ip, were measured as a function of conditioning prepulse duration over the range from less than 1 msec to over 3 min. Prepulse amplitudes were varied from Em = -20 mv to Em = -160 mv. The attenuation of the Ip values in high [Ko] was found to vary as a function of time when long duration conditioning potentials were applied. In both high and low [Ko], Ip values which had reached a quasi-steady—state level within a few milliseconds following a few milliseconds of hyperpolarization were found to increase following longer hyperpolarization. A second plateau was reached with a time constant of about 100–500 msec and a third with a time constant in the range of 30 to 200 sec. The intermediate quasi-steady—state level was absent in K-free ASW solutions. Sodium inactivation curves, normalized to Ipmax values obtained at either the first or second plateaus, were significantly different in different [Ko]. The inactivation curves, however, tended to superpose after about 1 min of hyperpolarizing conditioning. The time courses and magnitudes of the intermediate and very slow sodium conductance restorations induced by long hyperpolarizing pulses are in agreement with those predicted from the calculated rates and magnitudes of [K+] depletion in the space between the axolemma and the Schwann layer.
Regulation of Liver Tyrosine Aminotransferase by Endogenous Factors in the Mouse
Authors: Finch Caleb E. , Huberman Harris S. , Mirsky Alfred E.
Published: May 2004

The levels of mouse liver tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) are shown to increase rapidly and transiently during and after various challenges (e.g., exposure to cold or shaking) to the homeostatic machinery of the fasted mouse. The increase of TAT is dependent on gene activity. Recent feeding and adrenalectomy are shown to inhibit the induction of TAT during the challenge of cold.
Potassium Inactivation and Impedance Changes during Spike Electrogenesis in Eel Electroplaques
Authors: Ruiz-Manresa Francisco , Ruarte Adolfo C. , Schwartz Tobias L. , Grundfest Harry
Published: May 2004

Various degrees of pharmacological K inactivation were induced by Cs or Ba in isolated single electroplaques of the electric eel. The resulting changes in K conductance give rise to very different steady-state current-voltage characteristics. They also induce differences in ion dynamics during spike electrogenesis. The dynamic changes were studied by AC bridge methods, registering the changes in impedance in synchrony with the neurally or directly evoked spikes. While spike electrogenesis was virtually unaffected by addition of Cs or Ba, the patterns of impedance changes were very different. The various patterns are accounted for by the changes in the respective current-voltage characteristics. The data constitute new evidence for regarding the electrically excitable component of the reactive membrane as a heterogeneous electrochemical system with separate and independently reactive channels that in the electroplaques are permselective for Na and K, respectively.
Electrophysiological Studies of the Antrum Muscle Fibers of the Guinea Pig Stomach
Authors: Kuriyama H. , Osa T. , Tasaki H.
Published: May 2004

The membrane potentials of single smooth muscle fibers of various regions of the stomach were measured, and do not differ from those measured in intestinal muscle. Spontaneous slow waves with superimposed spikes could be recorded from the longitudinal and circular muscle of the antrum. The development of tension was preceded by spikes but often tension appeared only when the slow waves were generated. Contracture in high K solution developed at a critical membrane potential of -42 mv. MnCl2 blocked the spike generation, then lowered the amplitude of the slow wave. On the other hand, withdrawal of Na+, or addition of atropine and tetrodotoxin inhibited the generation of most of the slow waves but a spike could still be elicited by electrical stimulation. Prostigmine enhanced and prolonged the slow wave; acetylcholine depolarized the membrane without change in the frequency of the slow waves. Chronaxie for the spike generation in the longitudinal muscle of the antrum was 30 msec and conduction velocity was 1.2 cm/sec. The time constant of the foot of the propagated spike was 28 msec. The space constants measured from the longitudinal and circular muscles of the antrum were 1.1 mm and 1.4 mm, respectively.
Calcium and Adenosine Triphosphate Binding to Renal Membranes
Authors: Palmer Roger F. , Posey Virginia A.
Published: May 2004

Calcium binds to membranous structures isolated from rabbit kidney cortex homogenates. The binding is enhanced by ATP and Mg++ in combination. Other nucleotides, ITP and GTP, do not have this property. In contrast to similar preparations of nerve and muscle, the binding is not augmented by oxalate (3–100 mM). Also, binding of calcium cannot be correlated with ATP hydrolysis. p-Chloromercuribenzoate and the mercurial diuretic agent mercaptomerin inhibit the binding of calcium. This system can be distinguished from the binding of calcium by mitochondria by lack of azide inhibition and by failure of ADP-succinate to substitute for ATP. 14C- and γ-32P-labeled ATP bind to the renal membranes in the absence of calcium, but only the 32P binding increases when calcium is added. The ratio of 32P bound to 45Ca bound is 2:1. The above data are consistent with a hypothesis that calcium is metabolically bound to renal membranes and that this binding is associated with membrane phosphorylation. Such a formulation may have pertinence to the conformational state of renal membranes and subsequent permeability characteristics. It also allows for the concept that membrane stability requires metabolic participation, as well as calcium ions.
The Sodium-Alanine Interaction in Rabbit Ileum
Authors: Hajjar Jean Jacques , Lamont Anne S. , Curran Peter F.
Published: May 2004

The model of the interaction between Na and alanine at the mucosal border of rabbit ileum has been tested further by examining the efflux of alanine from the cells toward the mucosal solution. Alanine efflux shows a tendency toward saturation as cellular alanine concentration increases and is influenced by cellular Na concentration. A decrease in cell Na concentration causes an increase in the apparent Michaelis constant with little change in maximal efflux rate. Studies on strips of mucosa treated with ouabain or cyanide showed that the direction of net alanine transfer between the cells and the medium is determined by the direction of the Na concentration difference. The cells extrude alanine against a concentration difference when cell [Na] exceeds medium [Na] and accumulate alanine when cell [Na] is less than medium [Na]. The observations are consistent with the model previously suggested involving a transport site that combines with and translocates both Na and alanine, and with the concept that the Na concentration difference between mucosal solution and cytoplasm provides at least part of the energy for active transport of alanine.
Equilibrium and Kinetic Properties of the Interaction between Tetrodotoxin and the Excitable Membrane of the Squid Giant Axon
Authors: Cuervo Leon Andres , Adelman William J.
Published: May 2004

Squid giant axons were treated with tetrodotoxin (TTX) in concentrations ranging from 1 nM to 25 nM and the resulting decrease in sodium current was followed in time using the voltage clamp technique. The removal of TTX from the bathing solution produced only partial recovery of the sodium current. This suggests that the over-all interaction is more complex than just a reversible reaction. By correcting for the partial irreversibility of the decrease in sodium current, a dissociation constant of 3.31 x 10-9 M was calculated for the reaction between TTX and the reactive site of the membrane. The data obtained fit a dose-response curve modified to incorporate the correction for partial irreversibility when calculated for a one-to-one stoichiometry. The fit disagreed with that calculated for a reaction between two molecules of TTX with a single membrane-reactive site, but neither supported nor disproved the possibility of a complex formed by two reactive sites with one molecule of TTX. Values of the rate constants for the formation and dissociation of the TTX-membrane complex, k1 and k2, respectively, were obtained from the kinetic data. The values are: k1 = 0.202 x 108 M-1, and k2 = 0.116 min-1. The magnitude of the dissociation constant derived from these values is 5.74 x 10-9 M, which has the same order of magnitude as that obtained from equilibrium measurements. Arrhenius plots of the rate constants gave values for the thermodynamic quantities of activation.
Determination of Urea Permeability in Red Cells by Minimum Method
Authors: Sha'afi R. I. , Rich G. T. , Mikulecky D. C. , Solomon A. K.
Published: May 2004

A new method has been developed for measuring the permeability coefficient, ω, of small nonelectrolytes. The method depends upon a mathematical analysis of the time course of cell volume changes in the neighborhood of the minimum volume following addition of a permeating solute to an isosmolal buffer. Coefficients determined by the minimum volume method agree with those obtained using radioactive tracers. ω for urea in human red cells was found to decrease as the volume flow, Jv, into the cell increased. Such behavior is entirely unexpected for a single uniform rate-limiting barrier on the basis of the linear phenomenological equations derived from irreversible thermodynamics. However, the present findings are consonant with a complex membrane system consisting of a tight barrier on the outer face of the human red cell membrane and a somewhat less restrictive barrier behind it closer to the inner membrane face. A theoretical analysis of such a series model has been made which makes predictions consistent with the experimental findings.
The Structural Implications of the Linear Electrical Properties of Cardiac Purkinje Strands
Authors: Freygang W. H. , Trautwein W.
Published: May 2004

An attempt has been made to decide upon the most reasonable equivalent circuit that will describe the passive linear properties of the Purkinje strands of sheep heart muscle. In order to do this, measurements were made of the phase angle of the characteristic admittance as well as the longitudinal impedance, both as functions of frequency. The results of both types of experiments indicate the presence of a longitudinally oriented capacity with a time constant of about 60–70 µsec. It is suspected that this capacity and time constant represent the connection between the cells, both radially and longitudinally. The plasma membrane contains another capacity with a time constant of about 15 msec.
Interactions of Desensitized Actomyosin with Tropomyosin, Troponin A, Troponin B, and Polyanions
Authors: Hartshorne D. J.
Published: May 2004

Troponin B is an inhibitor of the Mg++-activated ATPase activity of actomyosin. The inhibitory effect, which is observed, however, depends upon whether tropomyosin is also present. In the absence of tropomyosin the inhibition by troponin B is markedly reduced by increasing the ionic strength from 0.03 to 0.07, but is not affected by calcium up to a concentration of 10-4 M. Troponin A relieves the inhibition in both the absence and presence of calcium, an effect which is also shown by many polyanions and is illustrated by using RNA. Tropomyosin enhances the inhibitory effect of troponin B and renders it more resistant to increasing ionic strength but it does not make the inhibition calcium-sensitive. However, when troponin A or low concentrations of polyanions are added to troponin B and tropomyosin, the actomyosin ATPase activity becomes calcium-sensitive; i.e., in the presence of tropomyosin, troponin A or polyanions do not relieve the inhibitory action of troponin B in the absence of calcium but only in its presence. In marked contrast to this is the effect of troponin A in the absence of tropomyosin where it neutralizes the effect of troponin B under all conditions. Thus troponin A and the polyanions both confer calcium regulation on the troponin B-tropomyosin system. The similar effects exhibited by troponin A and the polyanions suggest that the addition of net negative charge to troponin B is an important factor in the conferral of calcium sensitivity. It is also clear that tropomyosin is an essential component of the regulatory mechanism.
Effects of Caffeine on Crayfish Muscle Fibers
Authors: Chiarandini Dante J. , Reuben John P. , Girardier Lucien , Katz George M. , Grundfest Harry
Published: May 2004

When caffeine evokes a contraction, and only then, crayfish muscle fibers become refractory to a second challenge with caffeine for up to 20 min in the standard saline (5 mM Ko). However, the fibers still respond with contraction to an increase in Ko, though with diminished tension. Addition of Mn slows recovery, but the latter is greatly accelerated during exposure of the fiber to high Ko, or after a brief challenge with high Ko. Neither the depolarization induced by the K, nor the repolarization after its removal accounts for the acceleration, which occurs only if the challenge with K had itself activated the contractile system; acceleration is blocked when contractile responses to K are blocked by reducing the Ca in the bath or by adding Mn. Recovery is accelerated by redistribution of intracellular Cl and by trains of intracellularly applied depolarizing pulses, but not by hyperpolarization. The findings indicate that two sources of Ca can be mobilized to activate the contractile system. Caffeine mobilizes principally the Ca store of the SR. Depolarizations that are induced by high Ko, by transient efflux of Cl, or by intracellularly applied currents mobilize another source of Ca which is strongly dependent upon the entry of Ca from the bathing medium. The sequestering mechanism of the SR apparently can utilize this second source of Ca to replenish its own store so as to accelerate recovery of responsiveness to a new challenge with caffeine.
The Role of Sodium Current in the Radial Spread of Contraction in Frog Muscle Fibers
Authors: Costantin L. L.
Published: May 2004

The membrane potential of isolated muscle fibers was controlled with a two-electrode voltage clamp, and the radial extent of contraction elicited by depolarizing pulses of increasing magnitude was observed microscopically. Depolarizations of the fiber surface only 1–2 mv greater than the contraction threshold produced shortening throughout the entire cross-section of the muscle fiber. The radial spread of contraction was less effective in fibers exposed to tetrodotoxin or to a bathing medium with a greatly reduced sodium concentration. The results provide evidence that depolarization of a muscle fiber produces an increase in sodium conductance in the T tubule membrane and that the resultant sodium current contributes to the spread of depolarization along the T system.
The Penetration of Sodium into the Epithelium of the Frog Skin
Authors: Rotunno C. A. , Vilallonga F. A. , Fernández M. , Cereijido M.
Published: May 2004

The aim of this paper is twofold. First, to describe a method for the measurement of the unidirectional flux of Na from the outer bathing solution into epithelium (JOT), and second, to describe the use of this method under a variety of experimental conditions in order to obtain some insight into the nature of this flux. The method developed is based on the exposure of a frog skin to a Ringer solution containing 22Na. The exposure is made so that neighboring points along the surface remain in contact with the 22Na solution for gradually longer periods, ranging from 0 to 46 sec. Some 8 to 10 samples of the exposed part are used to obtain the time course of the uptake of 22Na and this time course is used, in turn, to evaluate JOT. This flux is then studied in skins mounted between two identical Ringer solutions with 115 mM Na (11.25 ± 0.10 [18] µmole·hr-2 cm-2), and in skins mounted with Ringer with 1 mM Na on the outside and 115 mM Na on the inside (0.43 ± 0.05 [18] µmole·hr-1·cm-2. From the observations that the flux is much larger than the net Na flux across the whole skin, that it is inhibited by K+, and is unaffected by ouabain, it is concluded that the penetration of Na+ into the epithelium does not occur by simple diffusion and is not directly dependent on an ouabain-sensitive mechanism. In the course of these experiments it was observed that when the skin was crushed between two chambers the uptake of Na in the neighboring exposed areas was decreased.
Molecular Aspects of Interferon Induction by Viruses
Authors: Burke D. C.
Published: May 2004

Virus-induced interferon formation depends on the presence within the cell of a viral ribonucleic acid. This RNA may either be double stranded or, in certain cases, single stranded. The double-stranded RNA can be derived from a virus, such as reovirus, which contains this type of RNA, or it may be synthesized within the cell using viral single-stranded RNA as a template. Single-stranded RNA must possess a stable configuration in solution to be active, and certain viral RNA molecules appear to be active for this reason. The presence of this RNA triggers a derepression event, which is probably nuclear, by an unknown mechanism, and this is followed by the production of an interferon messenger RNA and its translation. Little is known of the derepression event or the events that follow it.
Leukocidin, Tetraethylammonium Ions, and the Membrane Acyl Phosphatases in Relation to the Leukocyte Potassium Pump
Authors: Woodin A. M. , Wieneke Antonnette A.
Published: May 2004

The response of the leukocyte to leukocidin and its relevance to excitable and secreting tissues are described. New data are presented on the leukocyte membrane phosphatases and the action of tetraethylammonium ion (TEA) on the leukocyte. The leukocyte surface membrane lacks a cation-sensitive ATPase but possesses a potassium- and ouabain-sensitive p-nitrophenyl phosphatase. The p-nitrophenyl phosphatase shows peak activity at three pH values and the pH dependence and potassium sensitivity depend on the state of the membranes. In the presence of magnesium, potassium can stimulate over the range pH 6 to 8. The relation of the leukocyte p-nitrophenyl phosphatase to electrolyte control in the leukocyte and to the properties of cation-sensitive phosphatases in other cells suggests that the leukocyte enzyme is a component of an electrogenic potassium pump. Leukocidin stimulates the leukocyte p-nitrophenyl phosphatase under all the conditions studied. The effect is specific and occurs under conditions that induce cytotoxic effects in the cell. It is concluded that the potassium pump is the site of action of leukocidin. TEA prevents the effects of leukocidin by inhibiting the action of leukocidin and not the responses of the cell to injury. TEA does not inhibit the p-nitrophenyl phosphatase nor prevent its stimulation by leukocidin. The enhancement of leukocidin by diisopropylphosphofluoridate (DFP) is briefly described. It is concluded that TEA acts in the opposite way to DFP and blocks the ion pathway activated by leukocidin in the leukocyte potassium pump.
Interferon and Interferon Inducers in Protozoal Infections
Authors: Jahiel Rene I.
Published: May 2004

Several interferon inducers (Newcastle disease virus, statolon, and poly rI:poly rC) as well as exogenous mouse interferon protect mice from sporozoite-induced Plasmodium berghei malaria, as long as they are administered before the end of the preerythrocytic phase of development of the parasite. The protective effect of the interferon inducers was related to their interferon-inducing effect; the protective effect of the interferon preparations was related to the interferon titer of the preparations, and it exhibited other attributes of interferon such as species specificity. In contrast to sporozoite-induced infection, blood forms-induced P. berghei malaria was only weakly susceptible to the protective effect of interferon inducers. This difference may provide an approach to study the mechanism of protection. The growth in cell cultures of another intracellular protozoon, Toxoplasma gondii, is also inhibited by interferon (22). The fact that P. berghei and T. gondii (as well as another group of intracellular parasites susceptible to interferon, the Chlamydia) have their own ribosomes raises questions, concerning the role of host cell ribosomes in the host cell-parasite relationship of these intracellular parasites and in the mechanism of interferon action against them, that can be approached experimentally. The possibility of therapeutic or prophylactic application of interferon or of its inducers to certain protozoal diseases of man and of other animals is still remote, but it has to be considered for long range planning.