title: Inactivation of macroscopic late Na+ current and characteristics of unitary late Na+ currents in sensory neurons.
abstract: Na+ currents in adult rat large dorsal root ganglion neurons were recorded during long duration voltage-clamp steps by patch clamping whole cells and outside-out membrane patches. Na+ current present >60 ms after the onset of a depolarizing pulse (late Na+ current) underwent partial inactivation; it behaved as the sum of three kinetically distinct components, each of which was blocked by nanomolar concentrations of tetrodotoxin. Inactivation of one component (late-1) of the whole cell current reached equilibrium during the first 60 ms; repolarizing to -40 or -50 mV from potentials of -30 mV or more positive gave rise to a characteristic increase in current (tau >/= 5 ms), attributed to removal of inactivation. A second component (late-2) underwent slower inactivation (tau > 80 ms) at potentials more positive than -80 mV, and steady-state inactivation appeared complete at -30 mV. In small membrane patches, bursts of brief openings (gamma = 13-18 pS) were usually recorded. The distribution of burst durations indicated that two populations of channel were present with inactivation rates corresponding to late-1 and late-2 macroscopic currents. The persistent Na+ current in the whole cell that extended to potentials more positive than -30 mV appeared to correspond to sporadic, brief openings that were recorded in patches (mean open time approximately 0.1 ms) over a wide potential range. None of the three types of gating described corresponded to activation/inactivation gating overlap of fast transient currents.
authors.affiliation: Sobell Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bostock
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015222:Sodium Channels