title: Low-threshold Ca2+ currents in dendritic recordings from Purkinje cells in rat cerebellar slice cultures.
abstract: Voltage-dependent Ca2+ conductances were investigated in Purkinje cells in rat cerebellar slice cultures using the whole-cell and cell-attached configurations of the patch-clamp technique. In the presence of 0.5 mM Ca2+ in the extracellular solution, the inward current activated with a threshold of -55 +/- 1.5 mV and reached a maximal amplitude of 2.3 +/- 0.4 nA at -31 +/- 2 mV. Decay kinetics revealed three distinct components: a fast (24.6 +/- 2 msec time constant), a slow (304 +/- 46 msec time constant), and a nondecaying component. Rundown of the slow and sustained components of the current, or application of antagonists for the P/Q-type Ca2+ channels, allowed isolation of the fast-inactivating Ca2+ current, which had a threshold for activation of -60 mV and reached a maximal amplitude of 0.7 nA at a membrane potential of -33 mV. Both activation and steady-state inactivation of this fast-inactivating Ca2+ current were described with Boltzmann equations, with half-activation and inactivation at -51 mV and -86 mV, respectively. This Ca2+ current was nifedipine-insensitive, but its amplitude was reduced reversibly by bath-application of NiCl2 and amiloride, thus allowing its identification as a T-type Ca2+ current. Channels with a conductance of 7 pS giving rise to a fast T-type ensemble current (insensitive to omega-Aga-IVA) were localized with a high density on the dendritic membrane. Channel activity responsible for the ensemble current sensitive to omega-Aga-IVA was detected with 10 mM Ba2+ as the charge carrier. These channels were distributed with a high density on dendritic membranes and in rare cases were also seen in somatic membrane patches.
authors.affiliation: Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, CH-8029 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mouginot
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bossu
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Gähwiler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology*; D004056:Differential Threshold; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D007700:Kinetics; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D002118:Calcium