Effect of transmembrane potential on noradrenaline transport in chromaffin granules]

Imposing a transmembrane potential positive with respect to the medium on chromaffin granule ghosts increased the initial rate of the delta pH-induced uptake of noradrenaline, whereas imposing a negative potential decreased this rate. The increase of the uptake rate was proportional to the potential. The ATP-induced uptake of noradrenaline was also sensitive to the potential since imposing a transient negative potential onto the positive potential generated by the membrane ATPase induced a latency in this transport.     

Endogenous oscillatory activity and TTX-sensitive spikes of the heart muscle in early juveniles of the isopod crustaceanLigia exotica

The heart beat of early juveniles of the littoral isopodLigia exotica occurred at a frequency of 250 to 350/min, associated with rhythmic activity of the heart muscle. Each burst was composed of a slow depolarizing potential with superimposed spike potentials. The spike potential was eliminated by perfusion with TTX-containing or Na⁺-free saline. In TTX-saline, the slow potential was unchanged in frequency and amplitude. By current injection into the heart muscle, the rhythm of the slow potential was phase-shifted and its frequency was changed in a membrane potential-dependent manner. These results show that the heart ofLigia early juveniles acts as an endogenous muscle oscillator generating oscillatory slow potentials and Na⁺-dependent spikes.     

Electrical responses to taste chemicals across the dorsal epithelium of bullfrog tongue

Summary Stimulation of the bullfrog tongue with taste chemicals produced a slow change in transepithelial potential difference across the dorsal epithelium. The potential profile was in many respects similar to that of the intracellularly recorded potential changes in taste cells and to the activity of taste fibers in frogs.     

Electrical responses to taste chemicals across the dorsal epithelium of bullfrog tongue

Stimulation of the bullfrog tongue with taste chemicals produced a slow change in transepithelial potential difference across the dorsal epithelium. The potential profile was in many respects similar to that of the intracellularly recorded potential changes in taste cells and to the activity of taste fibers in frogs.     

Über den Einfluss von Acetylcholin auf das Membranpotential denervierter Rattenzwerchfelle

Summary The membran potential of isolated rat-diaphragms has been measured by means of intracellular micro-electrodes, in order to study changes of the resting potential and of the depolarizing action of acetylcholine after section of the phrenic nerve. Within 80 days after denervation, the membrane potential was found to fall exponentially from 87 mV to 66 mV. The action of acetylcholine, on the other hand, was found to be independent of the duration of denervation: between the 4th and the 80th day of denervation: 10^–5g/ml acetylcholine always caused the membrane potential to fall by an average of the 9 mV.     

Tetrodotoxin slightly shortens action potential duration in ventricular but not in atrial heart muscle

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), at concentrations significantly decreasing maximal upstroke velocity (dV/dtmax) of the action potential, exerted variable effects on action potential duration (APD) in different myocardial preparations. APD was virtually unchanged by tetrodotoxin in the guinea pig atrium, but slightly shortened in the guinea pig ventricle at maximally effective concentrations. In the human ventricle, both dV/dtmax and APD were reduced in the same concentration range of TTX. These results suggest that a TTX-sensitive sodium current significantly contributes to the repolarization phase of the action potential in ventricular but not in atrial heart muscle.     

Increase in spontaneous beating frequency in rat heart cells cultured in homologous serum]

Rat serum at different concentrations added to cultured Rat heart cells medium increased spontaneous beating frequency of myoblasts. This increase occurred instantaneously and lasted more than 24 hrs. It was related to the serum concentration used. Electrophysiological recording showed a decrease in the iso-electric phase duration of membrane potential, with no change in action potential. In spite of the beating frequency increase, cells remained sensitive to the chronotrope positive action induced by Isoprenaline. There was no difference between male and female sera. The global results could partly be explained by the action of Ca++ in Rat serum.     

Identification of swelling-activated Cl<Superscript>-</Superscript> current in rabbit cardiac Purkinje cells

The presence and functional role of the swelling-activated Cl^- current (I_Cl(swell)) in rabbit cardiac Purkinje cells was examined using patch-clamp methodology. Extracellular hypotonicity (210 or 135 mOsm) activated an outwardly rectifying, time-independent current with a reversal potential close to the calculated Cl^- equilibrium potential (E_Cl). The magnitude of this current was related to tonicity of the superfusate. The current was blocked by 0.5 mM 4,4-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid (DIDS). These features are comparable to those of I_Cl(swell) found in sinoatrial nodal, atrial, and ventricular myocytes. I_Cl(swell) activation at 210 and 135 mOsm depolarized the resting membrane potential with 6 and 10 mV and shortened the action potential by 18 and 33%, respectively. DIDS partially reversed I_Cl(swell)-induced action potential changes. We conclude that I_Cl(swell) is present in Purkinje cells and its activation leads to action potential shortening and resting membrane potential depolarization, both of which can promote the development of reentrant arrhythmias.Received 20 January 2004; received after revision 17 February 2004; accepted 25 February 2004     

The effect of shock on blood oxidation-reduction potential.

Oxidation-reduction (redox) potential measurements were made in the blood of rabbits subjected to hemorrhagic shock followed by treatment with a mild oxidizing agent (albumin). Control redox potential reading corrected for pH was -8.8 +/- 1.3 millivolts (mV) in arterial blood (A) and -18.0 +/- 2.0 mV in venous blood (V). This A-V difference indicated that hydrogen equivalents coming from muscle and other tissues were partially consumed in the lungs. A 20-mV drop on the V and a 13 mV on the A side was seen after shock. This did not fully return to control 2 h after return of the shed blood. Infusion of 2 g of albumin/kg/h raised the V redox potential to control, but it returned to untreated levels when the albumin was discontinued. The reductive load imposed on the animal by shock appeared to be large and not readily reversed by reperfusion or by the quantity of albumin given. Thus, it may be concluded that cellular respiration had not been adequately restored. This reductive load may impede recovery by suppression of cellular respiration and other cell and organ functions.     

Some factors affecting Malpighian tubule fluid secretion and transepithelial potential inLocusta migratoria L.

Summary Both fluid secretion and transepithelial potential were stimulated by cAMP. Fluid secretion was unaffected by 5-HT over the concentration range 10^–8–10^–4 M. The presence of ouabain in the bathing medium effected a decrease in transepithelial potential.     

The effect of shock on blood oxidation-reduction potential

Oxidation-reduction (redox) potential measurements were made in the blood of rabbits subjected to hemorrhagic shock followed by treatment with a mild oxidizing agent (albumin). Control redox potential reading corrected for pH was –8.8±1.3 millivolts (mV) in arterial blood (A) and –18.0±2.0 mV in venous blood (V). This A-V difference indicated that hydrogen equivalents coming from muscle and other tissues were partially consumed in the lungs. A 20-mV drop on the V and a 13 mV on the A side was seen after shock. This did not fully return to control 2 h after return of the shed blood. Infusion of 2 g of albumin/kg/h raised the V redox potential to control, but it returned to untreated levels when the albumin was discontinued. The reductive load imposed on the animal by shock appeared to be large and not readily reversed by reperfusion or by the quantity of albumin given. Thus, it may be concluded that cellular respiration had not been adequately restored. This reductive load may impede recovery by suppression of cellular respiration and other cell and organ functions.     

Ein Beweis für das Vorhandensein des Knotpunktpotentials am Herzmuskel

Summary After administration of methoxamine, a synthetic sympathomimetic amine, a change in the transmembrane potential, suggestive of the presence of a junction potential between two cardiac cells, was observed in the guinea-pig's ventricular muscle.

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Durch die dankenswerte Unterstützung derPharmacological Research Foundation (Yakurikenkyu-kai, Tokyo) wurde diese Arbeit ermöglicht.     

Die Wirkung der Sulfationen auf das Membranpotential der isoliert durchströmten Säugetiermuskulatur

Summary Electrical potential measurements of membrane resting and action potentials were made by means of electrolyte-filled glass micro-electrodes on single fibres of the musculus gracilis of the cat using a perfused hind-limb preparationin situ. The release of potassium from muscle and the tension developed by the gastrocnemius muscle were simultaneously recorded. The normal resting potential in our series was 91.7 mV (s.d. ± 6.7 mV). Partial replacement of the chloride by sulfate in the perfusion fluid led to (a) potassium release from the perfused hind-limb, (b) reversible contracture of the gastrocnemius muscle, (c) depression of the membrane resting potential which was proportional to the degree of replacement of chloride by sulfate in the perfusion fluid and (d) to the occurrence of volleys of spontaneous fibrillation potentials some of which had the shape of damped oscillations. These findings are similar to those observed after treatment with veratrine and are interpreted to be due to (1) increase in sodium permeability and (2) disturbance of the Donnan equilibrium for chloride ions.     

Different biological behavior of AKR lymphoma cells from primary and metastatic tumors

AKR lymphoma cells derived from primary s.c. tumors (PT) and cells from their metastases (MT) were inoculated into recipient mice in order to compare their malignant behavior. A higher malignant potential of MT compared to PT cells was found. The results support the hypothesis that metastasis is a process of selection of cells possessing a potential to metastasize, which preexist in the primary tumor. In the model used, both the selection of 'variants' of malignancy and the assay of malignancy were as close as possible to natural tumor progression.     

Resting potential of excitable neuroblastoma cells in weak magnetic fields

The mechanism by which static and low-frequency magnetic fields are transduced into biological signals responsible for reported effects on brain electrical activity is not yet ascertained. To test the hypothesis that fields can cause a subthreshold change in the resting membrane potential of excitable cells, we measured changes in transmembrane current under voltage clamp produced in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, using the patch-clamp method in the whole-cell configuration. In separate experiments, cells were exposed to static fields of 1, 5, and 75 G, to time-varying fields of 1 and 5 G, and to combined static and time-varying fields tuned for resonance of Na+, K+, Ca2+, or H+. To increase sensitivity, measurements were made on cells connected by gap junctions. For each cell, the effect of the field was evaluated on the basis of 100 trials consisting of a 5-s exposure immediately followed by a 5-s control period. In each experiment, the field had no discernible effect on the transmembrane current in the vicinity of zero current (- 50 mV voltage clamp). The sensitivity of the measuring system was such that we would have detected a current corresponding to a change in membrane potential as small as 38 microV. Consequently, if sensitivity of mammalian cells to magnetic fields is mediated by subthreshold changes in membrane potential, as in sensory transduction of sound, light, and other stimuli, then the ion channels responsible for the putative changes are probably present only in specialized sensory neurons or neuroepithelial cells. A change in transmembrane potential in response to magnetic fields is not a general property of excitable cells in culture.     

Cell-to-cell coupling studied in isolated ventricular cell pairs

Cell pairs isolated from adult rat and guinea pig ventricles were used to study the electrical properties of the nexal membrane. Each cell of a pair was connected to a voltage-clamp system so as to enable whole-cell, tight-seal recording. The current-voltage relationship of the nexal membrane was found to be linear, revealing a resistance rn of 2-4 M omega. rn was insensitive to the sarcolemmal membrane potential (range: -90 to +30 mV), and exerted no time-dependent gating behavior (range: 0.1 to 10 s). Lowering pHi yielded a small increase in rn. Vigorous elevations in [Ca2+]i gave rise to an increase in rn which was associated with a cell shortening. Uncoupling caused by aliphatic alcohols or halothane did not produce cell shortening. Cell pairs were also used to study action potential transfer.     

Die Wirkung von Adrenalin auf das Ruhepotential von Myokardfasern des Vorhofs

Summary Dog auricle fibres were impaled by 2 intracellular electrodes. The first electrode measured the effect of adrenaline on the resting potential, and through the second one electrotonic impulses were applied.Adrenaline increases the resting potential by 1–35 mV. The polarisation is higher at a low resting potential and increases with the dose.Small polarisations were not accompanied by a detectable change of the membrane resistance. During higher polarisations, the membrane resistance was reduced to 50%.

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Ausgeführt mit Unterstützung der deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Microbial potential in deep-sea sediments

Summary In spite of high pressures and low temperatures in abyssal sediments of the North Atlantic Ocean, bacterial activity is evident and highest in the top 10 cm. At these locations the input of degradable organic material to the deep-sea bottom is low. Oxygen, therefore, remains the dominant oxidant in surface sediments. Although alternative electron acceptors like nitrate, oxidized manganese and sulfate are present in large amounts, they are not utilized in this natural habitat. In sediment cores which were collected from the site for laboratory perturbation studies, it was possible to stimulate microbially mediated processes which are dormant in situ. When the oxygen supply was cut off, nitrate and manganese reduction occurred. Denitrification was the major process observed in the upper anoxic layers, while nitrate-ammonification and manganese reduction occurred in deeper sediment strata (4–8 cm). This is evidence for the presence of a variety of different bacteria and of an anaerobic heterotrophic potential. Most of the activity is located in the top 10 cm of these sediments. The shift to anaerobiosis initiates microbial activities through which metals are converted into their mobile species at the lowered redox potential. Evaluation of the suitability of the deep sea as a repository for waste materials will have to account for the large dormant potential of microbial activities and the consequences of their release by changing the environmental conditions at the sea floor.     

Tetrodotoxin slightly shortens action potential duration in ventricular but not in atrial heart muscle

Summary Tetrodotoxin (TTX), at concentrations significantly decreasing maximal upstroke velocity (dV/dt_max) of the action potential, exerted variable effects on action potential duration (APD) in different myocardial preparations. APD was virtually unchanged by tetrodotoxin in the guinea pig atrium, but slightly shortened in the guinea pig ventricle at maximally effective concentrations. In the human ventricle, both dV/dt_max and APD were reduced in the same concentration range of TTX. These results suggest that a TTX-sensitive sodium current significantly contributes to the repolarization phase of the action potential in ventricular but not in atrial heart muscle.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Na 105/5-5) and by the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie. Author to whom reprint requests should be addressed. We thank Mrs. Johanna Rupp for expert technical help. We also thank one referee for suggesting the experiments depicted in figure 4.     

大鼠侧脑室下区神经干细胞具有不易兴奋性

目的建立体外培养大鼠侧脑室下区神经干细胞的方法,观察大鼠侧脑室下区神经干细胞的膜兴奋性。方法无血清培养方法体外分离、纯化孕15～16dwistar胎鼠的侧脑室下区神经干细胞,用免疫荧光鉴定干细胞标记蛋白nestin表达情况、用tuj-1和GFAP免疫染色研究体外NSC的分化情况;取第二代神经干细胞给予DiBACA（3）染色后,经高浓度氯化钾刺激,激光共聚焦显微镜动态扫描,观察侧脑室神经干细胞的兴奋性。结果采用无血清培养基体外分离的神经干细胞具有自我增殖、多向分化潜能等干细胞一般特点,且表达干细胞的标记蛋白nestin;采用DiBAC4（3）染色,高浓度钾刺激后,细胞荧光强度无显著变化,即细胞膜电位无明显改变,神经干细胞具有不易兴奋性。结论采用无血清培养方法成功分离扩增大鼠脑内神经干细胞;由大鼠侧脑室分离而来的神经干细胞具有不易兴奋性。