title: Actions of perchlorate ions on rat soleus muscle fibres.
abstract: 1. The effects of perchlorate (ClO4-) on contraction have been studied in rat soleus muscle fibres using (i) potassium (K+) contracture and (ii) two-microelectrode-point voltage clamp techniques. 2. Membrane potentials (Vm) at all external [K+] were 3-5 mV more negative in ClO4-. The hyperpolarization could not be attributed to a change in Na+, K+, or Cl- permeability, or to an effect on the Na(+)-K+ pump. 3. ClO4- shifts the voltage dependence of tension activation, and contraction threshold, to more negative membrane potentials without altering maximum tension. Consequently, twitches and submaximal K+ contractures were potentiated, whereas tetanic contractions and 200 mM-K+ contractures were unaltered. 4. The decay of K+ contractures during steady depolarization with ClO4- developed a slow exponential phase with an average time constant of 6.05 +/- 0.76 min at -38 mV, and 1.68 +/- 0.15 min at -19 mV. This slow component was (a) under the rapid control of the surface Vm and (b) did not depend on external Ca2+. 5. Inactivation of E-C coupling was measured with a test 200 mM-K+ depolarization following 3-10 min depolarizations in conditioning solutions containing 20-120 mM-K+. ClO4- induced a negative shift in the curve-relating test K+ contracture amplitude to conditioning Vm but did not alter the rate of repriming of tension upon repolarization. 6. The results suggest that ClO4- increases the amount of activator produced during depolarization and thus allows the slow inactivation step in excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling to be reflected in the decay of K+ contracture tension. 7. A 'perchlorate contracture', which did not depend on the activation of E-C coupling, was observed. The contracture depended on external Ca2+, but not on voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels or Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange.
authors.affiliation: Muscle Research Group, JCSMR, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Dulhunty
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ahern
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D010472:Perchlorates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D010472:Perchlorates; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium