title: Abnormal axonal physiology is associated with altered expression and distribution of Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 K+ channels after chronic spinal cord injury.
abstract: Dysfunction of surviving axons which traverse the site of spinal cord injury (SCI) has been linked to altered sensitivity to the K+ channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and appears to contribute to post-traumatic neurological deficits although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, sucrose gap electrophysiology in isolated dorsal column strips, Western blotting and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy were used to identify the K+ channels associated with axonal dysfunction after chronic (6-8 weeks postinjury) clip compresssion SCI of the thoracic cord at T7 in rats. The K+ channel blockers 4-AP (200 microM, 1 mM and 10 mM) and alpha-dendrotoxin (alpha-DTX, 500 nM) resulted in a significant relative increase in the amplitude and area of compound action potentials (CAP) recorded from chronically injured dorsal column axons in comparison with control noninjured preparations. In contrast, TEA (10 mM) and CsCl (2 mM) had similar effects on injured and control spinal cord axons. Western blotting and quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy showed increased expression of Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 K+ channel proteins on spinal cord axons following injury. In addition, Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 showed a dispersed staining pattern along injured axons in contrast to a paired juxtaparanodal localization in uninjured spinal cord axons. Furthermore, labelled alpha-DTX colocalized with Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 along axons. These findings suggest a novel mechanism of axonal dysfunction after SCI whereby an increased 4-AP- and alpha-DTX-sensitive K+ conductance, mediated in part by increased Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 K+ channel expression, contributes to abnormal axonal physiology in surviving axons.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery and The Playfair Neuroscience Unit, The Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, M5T 2S8, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nashmi
authors.forename: O T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fehlings
mesh_terms: D015761:4-Aminopyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D002586:Cesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017136:Ion Transport; D051662:Kv1.1 Potassium Channel; D051663:Kv1.2 Potassium Channel; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D051381:Rats; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019789:Tetraethylammonium / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D004546:Elapid Venoms; C496972:Kcna2 protein, rat; D051663:Kv1.2 Potassium Channel; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D051662:Kv1.1 Potassium Channel; D002586:Cesium; D019789:Tetraethylammonium; C020273:dendrotoxin; D015761:4-Aminopyridine; C028019:cesium chloride; D011188:Potassium