title: The K-Cl cotransporter in the lobster stretch receptor neurone--a kinetic analysis.
abstract: Experiments were performed to define quantitatively the substrate (K(+) and Cl(-)) dependence of the transport function (production of equally large and oppositely directed K(+)and Cl(-) flows/currents) of an earlier (Theander et al., 1999) identified electroneutral K-Cl cotransporter in the slowly adapting stretch receptor neurone of the European lobster. The experiments were based on microelectrode techniques. This allowed us to perform steady-state measurements of the so-called "instantaneous" current-voltage relationships (around a holding voltage of -65 mV after a blockage of the cell's action potential and hyperpolarization-activated currents) and intracellular ion concentrations at various settings of the extracellular K(+) and Cl(-) concentrations. From the results, we could then define steady-state values of all of the cell's non-KCl cotransporter K(+) and Cl(-) currents. Finally, the negative sums of the inferred non-KCl cotransporter K(+) and Cl(-) currents could be taken as equivalents of the K-Cl cotransporter's K(+) and Cl(-) currents for the reason that, in steady state, all membrane currents add up to zero. For the cotransporter currents, thus inferred for a range from 2.5/410.5 to 40.0/448.0 mM external K(+)/Cl(-), we found that their absolute values increased in a nonlinear fashion from about 5 nA cell(-1) at the lowest, to about 20 nA cell(-1) at the highest external K(+)/Cl(-) concentrations. Formally, this relationship could be reproduced by a Hill function-based enzyme kinetic expression simulating inward and outward transmembrane electroneutral ion transports. Following insertion of this expression into a comprehensive model of electrical membrane functions and intracellular solute and solvent control in the lobster stretch receptor neurone, the model predictions suggested that the K-Cl cotransporter does play an important role in (a) keeping intracellular Cl(-) low for a proper function of the cell's inhibitory system, and (b) enabling rapid transmembrane K(+) shifts that provide for a stabilization of the cell's membrane voltage and membrane excitability in cases of varying extracellular K(+) concentrations. The model predictions gave, however, no clear evidence that the K-Cl cotransporter is critically involved in the cell's volume regulation in conditions of varying extracellular osmolalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, Section of Neurophysiology, University of Lund, BMC F11 S-221 84, Lund, Sweden
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fåhraeus
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Theander
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Edman
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grampp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002713:Chlorine / Q000378:metabolism; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008121:Nephropidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D027981:Symporters / Q000502:physiology*; D000096922:K Cl- Cotransporters
chemical_list: D002713:Chlorine; D011188:Potassium; D027981:Symporters; D000096922:K Cl- Cotransporters