title: Expression and distribution of sodium channels in short- and long-term denervated rodent skeletal muscles.
abstract: 1. Loose-patch voltage-clamp recordings were made from rat and mouse skeletal muscle fibres denervated for up to 6 weeks. Innervated muscles possessed a Na+ current density of 107 +/- 3.3 mA cm-2 in endplate membrane, and 6.3 +/- 0.6 mA cm-2 in extrajunctional membrane. This high concentration of Na+ channels at the endplate was gradually reduced following denervation. After 6 weeks of denervation, the endplate Na+ channel concentration was reduced by 40-50%, and the density of Na+ channels in extrajunctional membrane was increased by about 30%. 2. The tetrodotoxin (TTX)-resistant form of the Na+ channel appeared after 3 days of denervation and comprised approximately 43% of the endplate Na+ channels 5-6 days after denervation. Subsequently, TTX-resistant Na+ channels were reduced in density to approximately 25% of the postjunctional Na+ channels and remained at this level up to 6 weeks after denervation. 3. RNase protection analysis showed that mRNA encoding the TTX-resistant Na+ channel was virtually absent in innervated muscle, rose > 50-fold after 3 days of denervation, then decreased by 95% 6 weeks after denervation. The density of TTX-resistant Na+ channels correlated qualitatively with changes in mRNA levels. 4. These results suggest that the density of Na+ channels at neuromuscular junctions is maintained by two mechanisms, one influenced by the nerve terminal and the other independent of innervation.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, Denver 80262, USA.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lupa
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Krzemien
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Caldwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009121:Muscle Denervation; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000378:metabolism; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015222:Sodium Channels; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D012964:Sodium