title: Pharmacological dissection of multiple types of Ca2+ channel currents in rat cerebellar granule neurons.
abstract: The diversity of Ca2+ channel types in rat cerebellar granule neurons was investigated with whole-cell recordings (5 mM external Ba2+). Contributions of five different high-voltage-activated Ca2+ channel current components were distinguished pharmacologically. Nimodipine-sensitive L-type current and omega-CTx-GVIA-sensitive N-type current contributed 15 and 20% of the total current, respectively. The bulk of the remaining current (46%) was inhibited by omega-Aga-IVA. The current blocked by this toxin was further subdivided into two components, P-type and Q-type, on the basis of differences in their inactivation kinetics and sensitivity to omega-Aga-IVA. P-Type current was noninactivating during 0.1 sec depolarizations, half-blocked at about 1-3 nM omega-Aga-IVA, and contributed approximately 11% of the total current; Q-type current was prominently inactivating, half-blocked at approximately 90 nM omega-Aga-IVA, and comprised 35% of the total current. Both P- and Q-type currents were potently inhibited by the Conus magus toxin omega-CTx-MVIIC. A current component resistant to all of the aforementioned blockers (R-type) displayed more rapid inactivation than the other components and constituted 19% of the total current. The Q-type current, the largest of the current components in the granule neurons, resembles currents that can be generated in Xenopus oocytes by expression of cloned alpha 1A subunits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Beckman Center, Stanford University Medical Center, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Tsien
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001464:Barium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D013111:Spider Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D020867:omega-Agatoxin IVA; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA; D020960:omega-Conotoxins
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D010455:Peptides; D013111:Spider Venoms; D020867:omega-Agatoxin IVA; D020960:omega-Conotoxins; C075851:omega-conotoxin-MVIIC; D001464:Barium; D009553:Nimodipine; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA