title: Transmembrane ion movements elicited by sodium pump inhibition in Helix aspersa neurons.
abstract: 1. Transmembrane ion movements upon sodium-pump inhibition were studied in identified neurons of the subesophageal ganglia of Helix aspersa. A two-microelectrode, voltage-clamp technique was used to measure transmembrane currents. Changes in intracellular Na+, K+, and Ca2+ concentrations were measured, in unclamped neurons, with Na(+)-sensitive microelectrodes, K(+)-sensitive microelectrodes, and with the fluorescent probe fura-2, respectively. 2. Inhibition of the sodium pump with ouabain (1 mM) elicited an increase in intracellular Na+ concentration, [Na+]i, at an initial rate of 0.42 +/- 0.05 mM/min (mean +/- SE; n = 27), and a membrane depolarization often followed by hyperpolarization. In cells clamped at -50 or -60 mV, ouabain produced an inward shift in membrane-holding current followed by an outward current usually having two components, transient and sustained, respectively. 3. Replacing external Na+ with either N-methyl-D-glucammonium or tetraethylammonium (TEA+) abolished both the ouabain-induced inward membrane current and the rise in [Na+]i, suggesting that Na+ was the charge carrier of the inward current. 4. Cd2+ (400 microM) reduced the rate of rise of the inward current by 60% and the estimated net Na+ flux by 47%. 5. The outward current was abolished by K(+)-channel blockers (10 mM TEA+ and 5 mM 4-aminopyridine or 10 nM apamin). Cd2+ (400 microM), a Ca(2+)-entry blocker, also abolished the outward current. 6. Inhibition of the sodium pump elicited a fall in [K+]i at an initial rate of 1.4 +/- 0.2 mM/min (n = 9 cells). 7. Upon inhibition of the sodium pump in neurons loaded with fura-2, [Ca2+]i increased from an estimated resting level of 147 +/- 37 nM to a maximum of 764 +/- 248 nM (n = 12 cells). 8. The rise in [Ca2+]i in the sustained presence of ouabain was transient, lasting 19.5 +/- 2.8 min, and could be prevented by removal of external Ca2+ before ouabain application or curtailed by removal of external Ca2+ during sustained ouabain exposure. The latter effect was not a consequence of exhaustion of caffeine-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. 9. It is concluded that 1) the rise in [Ca2+]i upon Na(+)-pump inhibition requires the presence of external Ca2+, 2) the outward current observed upon pump inhibition is a Ca(2+)-activated K+ current flowing through apamin-sensitive channels, 3) the resting Na+ permeability involves a Cd(2+)-sensitive component, 4) a large fraction (approximately 30-60%) of the previously described ouabain-induced cell shrinkage may result from Ca(2+)-activated K+ efflux contributing to net solute and water loss.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurobiología, Instituto Mexicano de Psiquiatría, México, D.F.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Leefmans
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cruzblanca
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gamiño
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Altamirano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nani
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reuss
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D017952:Ganglia, Invertebrate / Q000502:physiology*; D006372:Helix, Snails; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D012964:Sodium; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium