Browsing by Subject "Membrane Potentials"

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12

Open Access
A mathematical model for persistent post-CSD vasoconstriction.
(PLoS computational biology, 2020-07-15) Xu, Shixin; Chang, Joshua C; Chang, Joshua C; Chow, Carson C; Brennan, KC; Huang, Huaxiong
Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is the propagation of a relatively slow wave in cortical brain tissue that is linked to a number of pathological conditions such as stroke and migraine. Most of the existing literature investigates the dynamics of short term phenomena such as the depolarization and repolarization of membrane potentials or large ion shifts. Here, we focus on the clinically-relevant hour-long state of neurovascular malfunction in the wake of CSDs. This dysfunctional state involves widespread vasoconstriction and a general disruption of neurovascular coupling. We demonstrate, using a mathematical model, that dissolution of calcium that has aggregated within the mitochondria of vascular smooth muscle cells can drive an hour-long disruption. We model the rate of calcium clearance as well as the dynamical implications on overall blood flow. Based on reaction stoichiometry, we quantify a possible impact of calcium phosphate dissolution on the maintenance of F0F1-ATP synthase activity.
Open Access
A novel role for primary cilia in airway remodeling.
(American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology, 2017-08) Trempus, Carol S; Song, Weifeng; Lazrak, Ahmed; Yu, Zhihong; Creighton, Judy R; Young, Bethany M; Heise, Rebecca L; Yu, Yen Rei; Ingram, Jennifer L; Tighe, Robert M; Matalon, Sadis; Garantziotis, Stavros
Primary cilia (PC) are solitary cellular organelles that play critical roles in development, homeostasis, and disease pathogenesis by modulating key signaling pathways such as Sonic Hedgehog and calcium flux. The antenna-like shape of PC enables them also to facilitate sensing of extracellular and mechanical stimuli into the cell, and a critical role for PC has been described for mesenchymal cells such as chondrocytes. However, nothing is known about the role of PC in airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) in the context of airway remodeling. We hypothesized that PC on ASMCs mediate cell contraction and are thus integral in the remodeling process. We found that PC are expressed on ASMCs in asthmatic lungs. Using pharmacological and genetic methods, we demonstrated that PC are necessary for ASMC contraction in a collagen gel three-dimensional model both in the absence of external stimulus and in response to the extracellular component hyaluronan. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that the effect of PC on ASMC contraction is, to a small extent, due to their effect on Sonic Hedgehog signaling and, to a larger extent, due to their effect on calcium influx and membrane depolarization. In conclusion, PC are necessary for the development of airway remodeling by mediating calcium flux and Sonic Hedgehog signaling.
Open Access
A whole-cell and single-channel study of the voltage-dependent outward potassium current in avian hepatocytes.
(J Gen Physiol, 1988-02) Marchetti, C; Premont, RT; Brown, AM
Voltage-dependent membrane currents were studied in dissociated hepatocytes from chick, using the patch-clamp technique. All cells had voltage-dependent outward K+ currents; in 10% of the cells, a fast, transient, tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ current was identified. None of the cells had voltage-dependent inward Ca2+ currents. The K+ current activated at a membrane potential of about -10 mV, had a sigmoidal time course, and did not inactivate in 500 ms. The maximum outward conductance was 6.6 +/- 2.4 nS in 18 cells. The reversal potential, estimated from tail current measurements, shifted by 50 mV per 10-fold increase in the external K+ concentration. The current traces were fitted by n2 kinetics with voltage-dependent time constants. Omitting Ca2+ from the external bath or buffering the internal Ca2+ with EGTA did not alter the outward current, which shows that Ca2+-activated K+ currents were not present. 1-5 mM 4-aminopyridine, 0.5-2 mM BaCl2, and 0.1-1 mM CdCl2 reversibly inhibited the current. The block caused by Ba was voltage dependent. Single-channel currents were recorded in cell-attached and outside-out patches. The mean unitary conductance was 7 pS, and the channels displayed bursting kinetics. Thus, avian hepatocytes have a single type of K+ channel belonging to the delayed rectifier class of K+ channels.
Open Access
Enhancing the Hodgkin-Huxley Equations: Simulations Based on the First Publication in the Biophysical Journal.
(Biophys J, 2015-10-06) Moore, John W
The experiments in the Cole and Moore article in the first issue of the Biophysical Journal provided the first independent experimental confirmation of the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) equations. A log-log plot of the K current versus time showed that raising the HH variable n to the sixth power provided the best fit to the data. Subsequent simulations using n(6) and setting the resting potential at the in vivo value simplifies the HH equations by eliminating the leakage term. Our article also reported that the K current in response to a depolarizing step to ENa was delayed if the step was preceded by a hyperpolarization. While the interpretation of this phenomenon in the article was flawed, subsequent simulations show that the effect completely arises from the original HH equations.
Open Access
Growth factor erv1-like modulates Drp1 to preserve mitochondrial dynamics and function in mouse embryonic stem cells.
(Mol Biol Cell, 2010-04-01) Todd, Lance R; Damin, Matthew N; Gomathinayagam, Rohini; Horn, Sarah R; Means, Anthony R; Sankar, Uma
The relationship of mitochondrial dynamics and function to pluripotency are rather poorly understood aspects of stem cell biology. Here we show that growth factor erv1-like (Gfer) is involved in preserving mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) mitochondrial morphology and function. Knockdown (KD) of Gfer in ESCs leads to decreased pluripotency marker expression, embryoid body (EB) formation, cell survival, and loss of mitochondrial function. Mitochondria in Gfer-KD ESCs undergo excessive fragmentation and mitophagy, whereas those in ESCs overexpressing Gfer appear elongated. Levels of the mitochondrial fission GTPase dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) are highly elevated in Gfer-KD ESCs and decreased in Gfer-overexpressing cells. Treatment with a specific inhibitor of Drp1 rescues mitochondrial function and apoptosis, whereas expression of Drp1-dominant negative resulted in the restoration of pluripotency marker expression in Gfer-KD ESCs. Altogether, our data reveal a novel prosurvival role for Gfer in maintaining mitochondrial fission-fusion dynamics in pluripotent ESCs.
Open Access
Junctophilin-2 expression silencing causes cardiocyte hypertrophy and abnormal intracellular calcium-handling.
(Circulation. Heart failure, 2011-03) Landstrom, AP; Kellen, CA; Dixit, SS; Van Oort, RJ; Garbino, A; Weisleder, N; Ma, J; Wehrens, XHT; Ackerman, MJ
Junctophilin-2 (JPH2), a protein expressed in the junctional membrane complex, is necessary for proper intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) signaling in cardiac myocytes. Downregulation of JPH2 expression in a model of cardiac hypertrophy was recently associated with defective coupling between plasmalemmal L-type Ca(2+) channels and sarcoplasmic reticular ryanodine receptors. However, it remains unclear whether JPH2 expression is altered in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). In addition, the effects of downregulation of JPH2 expression on intracellular Ca(2+) handling are presently poorly understood. We sought to determine whether loss of JPH2 expression is noted among patients with HCM and whether expression silencing might perturb Ca(2+) handling in a prohypertrophic manner.JPH2 expression was reduced in flash-frozen human cardiac tissue procured from patients with HCM compared with ostensibly healthy traumatic death victims. Partial silencing of JPH2 expression in HL-1 cells by a small interfering RNA probe targeted to murine JPH2 mRNA (shJPH2) resulted in myocyte hypertrophy and increased expression of known markers of cardiac hypertrophy. Whereas expression levels of major Ca(2+)-handling proteins were unchanged, shJPH2 cells demonstrated depressed maximal Ca(2+) transient amplitudes that were insensitive to L-type Ca(2+) channel activation with JPH2 knockdown. Further, reduced caffeine-triggered sarcoplasmic reticulum store Ca(2+) levels were observed with potentially increased total Ca(2+) stores. Spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations were elicited at a higher extracellular [Ca(2+)] and with decreased frequency in JPH2 knockdown cells.Our results show that JPH2 levels are reduced in patients with HCM. Reduced JPH2 expression results in reduced excitation-contraction coupling gain as well as altered Ca(2+) homeostasis, which may be associated with prohypertrophic remodeling.
Open Access
Molecular endpoints of Ca2+/calmodulin- and voltage-dependent inactivation of Ca(v)1.3 channels.
(J Gen Physiol, 2010-03) Tadross, Michael R; Ben Johny, Manu; Yue, David T
Ca(2+)/calmodulin- and voltage-dependent inactivation (CDI and VDI) comprise vital prototypes of Ca(2+) channel modulation, rich with biological consequences. Although the events initiating CDI and VDI are known, their downstream mechanisms have eluded consensus. Competing proposals include hinged-lid occlusion of channels, selectivity filter collapse, and allosteric inhibition of the activation gate. Here, novel theory predicts that perturbations of channel activation should alter inactivation in distinctive ways, depending on which hypothesis holds true. Thus, we systematically mutate the activation gate, formed by all S6 segments within Ca(V)1.3. These channels feature robust baseline CDI, and the resulting mutant library exhibits significant diversity of activation, CDI, and VDI. For CDI, a clear and previously unreported pattern emerges: activation-enhancing mutations proportionately weaken inactivation. This outcome substantiates an allosteric CDI mechanism. For VDI, the data implicate a "hinged lid-shield" mechanism, similar to a hinged-lid process, with a previously unrecognized feature. Namely, we detect a "shield" in Ca(V)1.3 channels that is specialized to repel lid closure. These findings reveal long-sought downstream mechanisms of inactivation and may furnish a framework for the understanding of Ca(2+) channelopathies involving S6 mutations.
Open Access
Non-monotonic effects of GABAergic synaptic inputs on neuronal firing.
(PLoS computational biology, 2022-06-06) Abed Zadeh, Aghil; Turner, Brandon D; Calakos, Nicole; Brunel, Nicolas
GABA is generally known as the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, usually acting by hyperpolarizing membrane potential. However, GABAergic currents sometimes exhibit non-inhibitory effects, depending on the brain region, developmental stage or pathological condition. Here, we investigate the diverse effects of GABA on the firing rate of several single neuron models, using both analytical calculations and numerical simulations. We find that GABAergic synaptic conductance and output firing rate exhibit three qualitatively different regimes as a function of GABA reversal potential, EGABA: monotonically decreasing for sufficiently low EGABA (inhibitory), monotonically increasing for EGABA above firing threshold (excitatory); and a non-monotonic region for intermediate values of EGABA. In the non-monotonic regime, small GABA conductances have an excitatory effect while large GABA conductances show an inhibitory effect. We provide a phase diagram of different GABAergic effects as a function of GABA reversal potential and glutamate conductance. We find that noisy inputs increase the range of EGABA for which the non-monotonic effect can be observed. We also construct a micro-circuit model of striatum to explain observed effects of GABAergic fast spiking interneurons on spiny projection neurons, including non-monotonicity, as well as the heterogeneity of the effects. Our work provides a mechanistic explanation of paradoxical effects of GABAergic synaptic inputs, with implications for understanding the effects of GABA in neural computation and development.
Open Access
Novel hybrid action of GABA mediates inhibitory feedback in the mammalian retina.
(PLoS biology, 2019-04) Grove, James CR; Hirano, Arlene A; de Los Santos, Janira; McHugh, Cyrus F; Purohit, Shashvat; Field, Greg D; Brecha, Nicholas C; Barnes, Steven
The stream of visual information sent from photoreceptors to second-order bipolar cells is intercepted by laterally interacting horizontal cells that generate feedback to optimize and improve the efficiency of signal transmission. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of graded photoreceptor synaptic output in this nonspiking network have remained elusive. Here, we analyze with patch clamp recording the novel mechanisms by which horizontal cells control pH in the synaptic cleft to modulate photoreceptor neurotransmitter release. First, we show that mammalian horizontal cells respond to their own GABA release and that the results of this autaptic action affect cone voltage-gated Ca2+ channel (CaV channel) gating through changes in pH. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate that chemogenetic manipulation of horizontal cells with exogenous anion channel expression mimics GABA-mediated cone CaV channel inhibition. Activation of these GABA receptor anion channels can depolarize horizontal cells and increase cleft acidity via Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) proton extrusion, which results in inhibition of cone CaV channels. This action is effectively counteracted when horizontal cells are sufficiently hyperpolarized by increased GABA receptor (GABAR)-mediated HCO3- efflux, alkalinizing the cleft and disinhibiting cone CaV channels. This demonstrates how hybrid actions of GABA operate in parallel to effect voltage-dependent pH changes, a novel mechanism for regulating synaptic output.
Open Access
Systematic mapping of the state dependence of voltage- and Ca2+-dependent inactivation using simple open-channel measurements.
(J Gen Physiol, 2010-03) Tadross, Michael R; Yue, David T
The state from which channel inactivation occurs is both biologically and mechanistically critical. For example, preferential closed-state inactivation is potentiated in certain Ca(2+) channel splice variants, yielding an enhancement of inactivation during action potential trains, which has important consequences for short-term synaptic plasticity. Mechanistically, the structural substrates of inactivation are now being resolved, yielding a growing library of molecular snapshots, ripe for functional interpretation. For these reasons, there is an increasing need for experimentally direct and systematic means of determining the states from which inactivation proceeds. Although many approaches have been devised, most rely upon numerical models that require detailed knowledge of channel-state topology and gating parameters. Moreover, prior strategies have only addressed voltage-dependent forms of inactivation (VDI), and have not been readily applicable to Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation (CDI), a vital form of regulation in numerous contexts. Here, we devise a simple yet systematic approach, applicable to both VDI and CDI, for semiquantitative mapping of the states from which inactivation occurs, based only on open-channel measurements. The method is relatively insensitive to the specifics of channel gating and does not require detailed knowledge of state topology or gating parameters. Rather than numerical models, we derive analytic equations that permit determination of the states from which inactivation occurs, based on direct manipulation of data. We apply this methodology to both VDI and CDI of Ca(V)1.3 Ca(2+) channels. VDI is found to proceed almost exclusively from the open state. CDI proceeds equally from the open and nearby closed states, but is disfavored from deep closed states distant from the open conformation. In all, these outcomes substantiate and enrich conclusions of our companion paper in this issue (Tadross et al. 2010. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.200910308) that deduces endpoint mechanisms of VDI and CDI in Ca(V)1.3. More broadly, the methods introduced herein can be readily generalized for the analysis of other channel types.
Open Access
Toward a Neurocentric View of Learning.
(Neuron, 2017-07) Titley, Heather K; Brunel, Nicolas; Hansel, Christian
Synaptic plasticity (e.g., long-term potentiation [LTP]) is considered the cellular correlate of learning. Recent optogenetic studies on memory engram formation assign a critical role in learning to suprathreshold activation of neurons and their integration into active engrams ("engram cells"). Here we review evidence that ensemble integration may result from LTP but also from cell-autonomous changes in membrane excitability. We propose that synaptic plasticity determines synaptic connectivity maps, whereas intrinsic plasticity-possibly separated in time-amplifies neuronal responsiveness and acutely drives engram integration. Our proposal marks a move away from an exclusively synaptocentric toward a non-exclusive, neurocentric view of learning.
Open Access
TRPV4 is necessary for trigeminal irritant pain and functions as a cellular formalin receptor.
(Pain, 2014-12) Chen, Yong; Kanju, Patrick; Fang, Quan; Lee, Suk Hee; Parekh, Puja K; Lee, Whasil; Moore, Carlene; Brenner, Daniel; Gereau, Robert W; Wang, Fan; Liedtke, Wolfgang
Detection of external irritants by head nociceptor neurons has deep evolutionary roots. Irritant-induced aversive behavior is a popular pain model in laboratory animals. It is used widely in the formalin model, where formaldehyde is injected into the rodent paw, eliciting quantifiable nocifensive behavior that has a direct, tissue-injury-evoked phase, and a subsequent tonic phase caused by neural maladaptation. The formalin model has elucidated many antipain compounds and pain-modulating signaling pathways. We have adopted this model to trigeminally innervated territories in mice. In addition, we examined the involvement of TRPV4 channels in formalin-evoked trigeminal pain behavior because TRPV4 is abundantly expressed in trigeminal ganglion (TG) sensory neurons, and because we have recently defined TRPV4's role in response to airborne irritants and in a model for temporomandibular joint pain. We found TRPV4 to be important for trigeminal nocifensive behavior evoked by formalin whisker pad injections. This conclusion is supported by studies with Trpv4(-/-) mice and TRPV4-specific antagonists. Our results imply TRPV4 in MEK-ERK activation in TG sensory neurons. Furthermore, cellular studies in primary TG neurons and in heterologous TRPV4-expressing cells suggest that TRPV4 can be activated directly by formalin to gate Ca(2+). Using TRPA1-blocker and Trpa1(-/-) mice, we found that both TRP channels co-contribute to the formalin trigeminal pain response. These results imply TRPV4 as an important signaling molecule in irritation-evoked trigeminal pain. TRPV4-antagonistic therapies can therefore be envisioned as novel analgesics, possibly for specific targeting of trigeminal pain disorders, such as migraine, headaches, temporomandibular joint, facial, and dental pain, and irritation of trigeminally innervated surface epithelia.

Browsing by Subject "Membrane Potentials"

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