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PMID: 7696505 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

alpha-Bungarotoxin-sensitive hippocampal nicotinic receptor channel has a high calcium permeability.

Biophysical journal ·Vol. 68 ·No. 2 ·1995-02-00 ·Pages 516-24

Castro NG, Albuquerque EX

Abstract

The hippocampal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a newly identified ligand-gated ion channel that is blocked by the snake toxin alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BGT) and that probably contains the alpha 7 nAChR subunit in its structure. Here its ion selectivity was characterized and compared with that of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor channel. The reversal potentials (VR) of acetylcholine- and NMDA-activated whole-cell currents were determined under various ionic conditions. Using ion activities and a Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation for VR shifts in the presence of Ca2+, permeability ratios were calculated. For the alpha-BGT-sensitive nAChR, PNa/PCs was close to 1 and Cl- did not contribute to the currents. Changing the [Ca2+]0 from 1 to 10 mM, the VRs of the nAChR and NMDA currents were shifted by +5.6 +/- 0.4 and +8.3 +/- 0.4 mV, respectively, and the nAChR current decay was accelerated. These shifts yielded PCa/PCss of 6.1 +/- 0.5 for the nAChR channel and 10.3 +/- 0.7 for the NMDA channel. Thus, the neuronal alpha-BGT-sensitive nAChR is a cation channel considerably selective to Ca2+ and may mediate a fast rise in intracellular Ca2+ that would increase in magnitude with membrane hyperpolarization.

MeSH Terms
Acetylcholine/pharmacology Animals Bungarotoxins/pharmacology Calcium/physiology Cell Membrane Permeability Cesium/pharmacology Chlorides/physiology Hippocampus/physiology In Vitro Techniques Ion Channel Gating/drug effects Membrane Potentials Patch-Clamp Techniques Rats Rats, Sprague-Dawley Receptors, Nicotinic/drug effects
Chemicals
Bungarotoxins Chlorides Receptors, Nicotinic Cesium Acetylcholine Calcium
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Castro N G
Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201-1559.
Albuquerque E X
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44 references, click to expand
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Article Info
Journal
Biophysical journal
Abbr.
Biophys J
ISSN
0006-3495
DOI
10.1016/S0006-3495(95)80213-4
Published
1995-02-00
Pages
516-24
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0370626
PMCID
PMC1281716
Subset
IM
Grants
NIEHS NIH HHS · ES05730 · United States
NINDS NIH HHS · NS25296 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3495(95)80213-4 PMC Full Text View journal details
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