title: Polypeptide neurotoxins modify gating and apparent single-channel conductance of veratridine-activated sodium channels in planar lipid bilayers.
abstract: The effects of scorpion and sea anemone polypeptide toxins on partially purified veratridine (VER)-activated Na channels from rat brain were studied at the single-channel level in planar lipid bilayers. The probability of the VER-activated channel being open (Po) increased with depolarization; Po was 0.5 at -40 to -50 mV. Saxitoxin (STX) blocked VER-activated channels with an apparent dissociation constant of about 1 nM at -45 mV. The apparent single-channel conductance was approximately 9 pS, similar to that seen in VER-activated Na channels from skeletal muscle transverse tubules. Addition of sea anemone or scorpion polypeptide toxins to VER-activated Na channels resulted in a 19% increase in apparent single-channel conductance and a hyperpolarizing shift in the Po vs. Vm relation such that the channels were more likely to be open at potentials less than 40 mV. These effects of the polypeptide toxins on the single-channel properties of VER-activated Na channels may account for the previously described potentiation of VER action by polypeptide toxins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Krueger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D004553:Electric Conductivity / Q000502:physiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000378:metabolism*; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012605:Scorpions; D012615:Sea Anemones; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014701:Veratridine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014702:Veratrine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D009498:Neurotoxins; D015222:Sodium Channels; D014701:Veratridine; D014702:Veratrine