PUBLICATION

Recovery from open channel block by acetylcholine during neuromuscular transmission in zebrafish

Authors
Legendre P., Ali, D.W., and Drapeau, P.
ID
ZDB-PUB-000126-8
Date
2000
Source
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience   20(1): 140-148 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Drapeau, Pierre, Legendre, Pascal
Keywords
fast-flow; single channels; nonstationary kinetics; neuromuscular junction; mEPC; locomotion
MeSH Terms
  • Acetylcholine/pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/drug effects
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/physiology
  • Ion Channel Gating/drug effects
  • Ion Channel Gating/physiology
  • Kinetics
  • Larva/physiology
  • Motor Neurons/chemistry
  • Motor Neurons/physiology
  • Neuromuscular Junction/chemistry*
  • Neuromuscular Junction/physiology*
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Receptors, Cholinergic/physiology*
  • Synaptic Transmission/drug effects*
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
10627590 Full text @ J. Neurosci.
Abstract
At larval zebrafish neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), miniature end plate currents mEPCs) recorded in vivo have an unusually fast time course. We used fast-flow application of acetylcholine (ACh) onto outside-out patches to mimic the effect of synaptic release onto small numbers of ACh receptor channels (AChRs). Positively charged ACh acted at hyperpolarized potentials and at millimolar concentrations as a fast ("flickering") open channel blocker of AChRs. Because of filtering, the open channel block resulted in reduced amplitude of single channel currents. Immediately after brief (1 msec) application (without significant desensitization) of millimolar ACh at hyperpolarized potentials, a slower, transient current appeared because of delayed reversal of the block. This rebound current depended on the ACh concentration and resembled in time course the mEPC. A simple kinetic model of the AChR that includes an open channel-blocking step accounted for our single channel results, as well as the experimentally observed slowing of the time course of mEPCs recorded at a hyperpolarized compared with a depolarized potential. Recovery from AChR block is a novel mechanism of synaptic transmission that may contribute in part at all NMJs.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
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