title: Properties of large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels in pyramidal neurons from the hippocampal CA1 region of adult rats.
abstract: The properties of large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels were studied in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons by using the patch-clamp technique in the excised-inside-out-patch configuration. The lowest [Ca(2+)](i) in which BK(Ca) channel activities were observed was 0.01 microM with the membrane potential of +20 mV and the [Ca(2+)](i) at which P(O) of the channel is equal to 0.5 was 2 microM. The unitary conductance of the single BK(Ca) channel was 245.4 pS with symmetrical 140 mM K(+) on both sides of the excised membrane. With a fixed [Ca(2+)](i) of 2 microM, P(O) increased e-fold with a 17.0 mV positive change in the membrane potential. Two exponentials, with time constants of 2.8 ms and 19.2 ms at the membrane potential of +120 mV with 2 microM [Ca(2+)](i), were required to describe the observed open time distribution of BK(Ca) channel, suggesting the existence of two distinct open channel states with apparently normal conductance. A BK(Ca) channel occasionally entered an apparent third open channel state with the single channel current amplitude about 45% of the normal amplitude. The properties of BK(Ca) channel, which were found in this study to be more steeply dependent on voltage and more sensitive to [Ca(2+)](i) in adult hippocampal neurons than in cultured or immature hippocampal neurons, may be responsible for the shortened duration of action potential in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons of adult rat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, The First Military Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tong
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051037:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel alpha Subunits; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated / Q000502:physiology*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D019789:Tetraethylammonium / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: C494842:Kcnma1 protein, rat; D051037:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel alpha Subunits; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; D019789:Tetraethylammonium; D002118:Calcium