title: Effects of external pH variations on brain presynaptic sodium and calcium channels; repercussion on the evoked release of amino acid neurotransmitters.
abstract: The effects of external pH (pHout) variations on the Na+ and on the Ca2+ dependent fractions of the evoked amino acid neurotransmitter release were separately investigated, using GABA as a model transmitter. In [3H]GABA loaded mouse brain synaptosomes, the external acidification (pHout 6.0) markedly decreased the Na+ dependent fraction of [3H]GABA release evoked by veratridine (10 microM) in the absence of external Ca2+, as well as the Ca2+ dependent fraction of [3H]GABA release evoked by high (20 mM) K+ in the absence of external Na+. The depolarization-induced elevation of [Na(i)] (monitored in synaptosomes loaded with the Na+ indicator dye, SBFI) and the depolarization-induced elevation of [Ca(i)] (monitored in synaptosomes loaded with the Ca2+ indicator dye fura-2) were also markedly decreased at pHout 6. On the contrary, the external alkalinization (pHout 8) facilitated all the above responses. A slight increase of the baseline release of the [3H]GABA was observed when pHout was changed from 7.4 to 8. This effect was only observed in the presence of Ca2+. pHout changes from 7.4 to 6 or to 7 did not modify the baseline release of the transmitter. All the effects of pHout variations on [3H]GABA release were independent on the presence of HCO3-. It is concluded that external H+ regulate amino acid neurotransmitter release by their actions on presynaptic Na+ channels, as well as on presynaptic Ca2+ channels.
authors.affiliation: Depto. de Biología Celular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM, México, DF. sitges@servidor.unam.mx
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sitges
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014701:Veratridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D015222:Sodium Channels; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D014701:Veratridine; D012964:Sodium; D002118:Calcium