Effects of divalent cations on beta-cell electrical activity.

The effects of various divalent cations, added to the external medium, upon beta-cell action potential were studied using intracellular microelectrodes. Changes of spike peak potential, as a function of external cation concentration, indicate that Sr2+ or Ba2+ may substitute for Ca2+ as a charge carrier. Complete blockage by Mn2+ of electrical activity elicited by Sr2+, Ba2+, or Ca2+ suggests that these cations penetrate the membrane though the same Ca2+ channel. The increase of maximum rate of depolarization, dV(d)/dtmax, and decrease of maximum rate of repolarization, dV(r)/dtmax, when Sr2+ is substituted for Ca2+ suggest that Sr2+ penetrates more readily the Ca2+ channel but is less effective than Ca2+ in activating K permeability. Reversal of these effects by addition of equimolar Ca2+ to Sr2+ indicates that Ca2+ has a greater affinity than Sr2+ for the receptor site. The blockage of electrical activity by Ba2+ at a depolarized membrane level suggests that Ba2+ markedly reduces all K+ permeabilities. Analysis of dV(d)/dtmax at various Ca2+ concentrations, in the presence of nonpermeant divalent cations (Co2+, Mn2+, and Mg2+), shown that these cations bind competitively at the same receptor site with differing dissociation constants, For all of these divalent cations, the order of binding would be Co2+ greater than Mn2+ greater than Ca2+ greater than Sr2+, Mg2+.