title: Coupled potassium channels induced by arachidonic acid in cultured neurons.
abstract: Exposure of the inside surface of patches of membrane excised from cultured rat hippocampal neurons to arachidonic acid (10-100 microM) caused the appearance of potassium currents of variable amplitude similar to those activated by GABA or baclofen in cell-attached patches. The amplitude of single-channel currents increased with time after exposure to 20 or 50 microM arachidonic acid and also increased when arachidonic acid concentration was increased from 20 to 50 or 100 microM. Current-amplitude probability histograms had peaks at integral multiples of an 'elementary' current. It is proposed that arachidonic acid or its metabolites cause synchronous opening and closing of coupled conducting units (co-channels) in cell membranes.
authors.affiliation: John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Premkumar
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Gage
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004563:Electrochemistry; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D015221:Potassium Channels; D016718:Arachidonic Acid