title: Divalent cations as probes for structure-function relationships of cloned voltage-dependent sodium channels.
abstract: 1. Several cloned sodium channels were expressed in oocytes and compared with respect to their sensitivity to internal Mg2+ concerning the open-channel block and to external Ca2+ concerning open-channel block and shifts in steady-state activation. 2. A quantitative comparison between wild-type II channels and a mutant with a positive charge in the S4 segment of repeat I neutralized (K226Q) revealed no significant differences in the Mg2+ block. 3. The blocking effect of extracellular Ca2+ ions on single-channel inward currents was studied for type II, mutant K226Q and type III. A quantitative comparison showed that all three channel types differ significantly in their Ca2+ sensitivity. 4. The influence of extracellular Ca2+ on the voltage dependence of steady-state activation of macroscopic currents was compared for type II and K226Q channels. Extracellular Ca2+ increases the voltage of half-maximal activation, V1/2, more for K226Q than for wild-type II channels; a plot of V1/2 against [Ca]o is twice as steep for the mutant K226Q as for the wild-type on a logarithmic concentration scale. 5. The differential effects of extracellular Ca2+ and intracellular Mg2+ on wild-type II and K226Q channels are discussed in terms of structural models of the Na+ channel protein.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pusch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D002413:Cations, Divalent / Q000494:pharmacology; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D008274:Magnesium / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D002413:Cations, Divalent; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015222:Sodium Channels; D008274:Magnesium; D002118:Calcium