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J Neurophysiol 90: 586-598, 2003. First published April 30, 2003; doi:10.1152/jn.00007.2003
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Antagonistic Modulation of a Hyperpolarization-Activated Cl Current in Aplysia Sensory Neurons by SCPB and FMRFamide

Ned Buttner and Steven A. Siegelbaum

Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York City, New York 10032

Submitted 6 January 2003; accepted in final form 18 April 2003


    ABSTRACT
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 DISCLOSURES
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 REFERENCES
 
Whole cell voltage-clamp recordings from Aplysia mechanosensory neurons obtained from the pleural ganglion were used to investigate the actions on membrane currents of the neuropeptides SCPB and FMRFamide. At the start of whole cell recording, SCPB typically evoked an inward current at a holding potential of –40 mV, due to the cAMP-mediated closure of the S-type K+ channel, whereas FMRFamide evoked an outward current, due to the opening of the S-type K+ channels mediated by 12-lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid. However, after several minutes of whole cell recording with a high concentration of chloride in the whole cell patch pipette solution, the responses to SCPB and FMRF-amide at –40 mV were inverted; SCPB evoked an outward current, whereas FMRFamide and YGGFMRFamide evoked inward currents. Ion substitution experiments and reversal potential measurements revealed that these responses were due to the opposing regulation of a Cl current, whose magnitude was greatly enhanced by dialysis with the high Cl-containing pipette solution. SCPB inhibited this Cl current through production of cAMP and activation of PKA. YGGFMRFamide activated this Cl current by stimulating a cGMP-activated phosphodiesterase that hydrolyzed cAMP. Thus a cAMP-dependent Cl current undergoes antagonistic modulation by two neuropeptides in Aplysia sensory neurons.


    INTRODUCTION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 DISCLOSURES
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 REFERENCES
 
Modulation of ion channels by neurotransmitters is a powerful mechanism for regulating the electrical activity of neurons. The range of modulatory actions is often enhanced by having a single ion channel serve as the target for antagonistic actions of distinct neurotransmitters. For example, the delayed rectifier M-type K+ channel is suppressed by muscarinic agonists, substance P, luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone, bradykinin, and adrenaline (Brown and Yu 2000Go). In contrast, somatostatin, acting through 5-lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid and {beta}-adrenergic agonists, acting through the cyclic AMP (cAMP) cascade, have been shown to enhance the M current (Lammers et al. 1996Go).

In cardiac muscle, epinephrine and acetylcholine exert opposing actions on the L-type Ca2+ channel. {beta}-adrenergic agonists enhance the Ca2+ current by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation (Sako et al. 1998Go). Acetylcholine, acting through muscarinic receptors, inhibits the Ca2+ current through production of cyclic GMP (cGMP) (Sperelakis et al. 1996Go), which stimulates cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE), leading to a fall in cAMP levels (Fischmeister and Hartzell 1991Go). A similar antagonistic modulation of Ca2+ current by cAMP and cGMP has been demonstrated in hippocampal pyramidal neurons (Doerner and Alger 1988Go). Here again, cGMP opposes the action of cAMP via activation of a cAMP PDE.

In the mechanosensory neurons of Aplysia, serotonin (5-HT) and the small cardioactive peptide (SCPB) increase the excitability of the sensory neuron and cause presynaptic facilitation (Belardetti and Siegelbaum 1988Go; Byrne and Kandel 1996Go). In contrast, the neuropeptide FMRFamide decreases sensory neuron excitability and causes presynaptic inhibition (Belardetti and Siegelbaum 1988Go). 5-HT and SCPB enhance excitability, in part, by causing prolonged all-or-none closure of the S-type K+ channel through cAMP-dependent phosphorylation (Shuster et al. 1985Go). FMRFamide decreases excitability, in part, by enhancing the S channel open probability, an action mediated by 12-lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid (Belardetti et al. 1987Go; Buttner et al. 1989Go). FMRFamide also reverses S channel closure produced by 5-HT or cAMP (Belardetti et al. 1987Go) by stimulating protein dephosphorylation (Endo et al. 1995Go; Sweatt et al. 1989Go). Although opposing modulation of the S-type K+ channel has been described in most detail, Aplysia sensory neurons contain a variety of additional currents that are modulated by these transmitters, including the N and L-type Ca2+ currents (Edmonds et al. 1990Go), a calcium-activated K+ current (Walsh and Byrne 1989Go), and the delayed rectifier K+ current (Baxter and Byrne 1989Go; Baxter et al. 1999Go).

A distinct modulatory target of 5-HT and FMRFamide in other identified Aplysia neurons is a hyperpolarization-activated chloride current. 5-HT inhibits this current in several Aplysia neurons through a cAMP-dependent mechanism (Lotshaw and Levitan 1987Go). In the Aplysia neuron L2, FMRF-amide enhances this current, although a second messenger has not been identified (Thompson and Ruben 1988Go). Here, we show that in Aplysia sensory neurons, SCPB and FMRFamide modulate this Cl current in opposing directions. SCPB closes the Cl current through cAMP-dependent phosphorylation, whereas FMRFamide activates this current via the cGMP cascade. Moreover, the effect of cGMP is mediated through the recruitment of a cAMP PDE, which enhances the Cl current by lowering the intracellular concentration of cAMP, similar to the antagonistic modulation of the cardiac L-type Ca2+ channel by adrenergic and cholinergic agonists.


    METHODS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 DISCLOSURES
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 REFERENCES
 
Preparation

Aplysia sensory neurons were dissected from pleural ganglia and grown in cell culture (Bailey et al. 2000Go). Recordings were obtained 1–7 days after culture. The modulation of the Cl current studied here was similar throughout the culture period.

Electrophysiological recording

The patch-clamp technique was used to obtain whole cell voltage-clamp recordings with a List EPC7 patch-clamp amplifier (List-Medical). Patch electrodes were pulled from borosilicate glass micropipettes (Rochester Scientific, Rochester, NY) with a two-stage vertical puller (David Kopf Instruments, Tujunga, CA, or List-Medical). Electrodes were then fire-polished with a heating filament of platinum-iridium wire-coated with a bead of borosilicate glass (Narishige). Electrode resistances of 2–3 M{Omega} were used.

For whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings, the bath solution contained normal artificial sea water (ASW) solution (in mM) composed of 460 NaCl, 10 KCl, 11 CaCl2, 55 MgCl2, and 10 HEPES (pH 7.6); the pipette contained a solution of 550 KCl, 1 MgCl2, 1 CaCl2, 10 EGTA, 5 MgATP, 0.1 GTP, and 10 HEPES (pH 7.3). In experiments requiring K+ current blockade, both the bath and pipette solutions were adjusted by substituting CsCl for KCl.

After breaking into the cell, the extent of dialysis was monitored by the progressive increase in a slow inward current relaxation elicited by 15-s pulses from –40 to –80 mV, applied once every 100–200 s. Dialysis was judged to have reached completion when four successive voltage pulses yielded current relaxations of similar magnitude. This typically required ~30–45 min of dialysis. The pulse protocol was then switched to one of the two listed in the following text and the experiment begun.

Two types of whole cell voltage-clamp experiments were performed. First, current-voltage relationships were obtained using voltage-clamp ramps to provide a rapid, qualitative assay of drug-induced ionic current responses. Second, time-dependent currents were studied using 15-s-long steps to a single voltage. In the first type of experiment, the steady-state membrane potential was clamped at –40 mV, and 500-ms ramps from –80 to –5 mV were given once every 20 s. In the second type of experiment, the membrane potential was clamped at –40 mV, and 15-s steps to –80 mV were given once every 100 s. In some of these experiments, voltage steps were also given sequentially to: –70, –60, –50, –30, and –20 mV. Current traces obtained in response to voltage ramps or steps were digitized and stored on computer. Difference currents were then acquired by subtracting the average of three to four control current traces (absence of drug) from a similar average of experimental traces (presence of drug).

For reversal potential (Erev) measurements involving Na+ substitution, current responses were first recorded to drug applied in ASW in which Cs+ was substituted for K+. Voltage-clamp ramps were given throughout the experiment. Ramp current-voltage relationships thus generated were then compared with those obtained in response to drug applied in a low-Na+ solution containing (in mM) 300 N-methylglucamine, 170 NaCl, 11 CaCl2, 10 CsCl, 55 MgCl2, and 10 Na HEPES (pH 7.6).

For Erev experiments involving Cl substitution, a similar procedure was employed except that the external solution contained either 600 mM Cl or 200 mM Cl with 400 mM methane sulfonate. In addition, 100 µM TTX was added to the external solutions to block the voltage-dependent Na+ current, allowing adequate clamp control at positive voltages. In these experiments, the pipette solution contained 350 Cs methane sulfonate, 200 CsCl, 1 MgCl2, 1 CaCl2, 10 EGTA, 5 MgATP, 0.1 GTP, and 10 HEPES (pH 7.3). A prepulse protocol, in which ramps were preceded by 5-s pulses to –80 mV, was utilized to enhance the Cl current.

Drugs and perfusion

Drugs were applied directly to intact sensory neurons using continuous microperfusion. In addition, the culture dish as a whole was simultaneously perfused with the vehicle solution using a macroperfusion system run from a peristaltic pump (Rainin Instrument, Woburn, MA). The bath temperature was maintained between 16 and 18°C with a refrigerated circulating pump (NESLAB Instruments, Portsmouth, NH) attached to a copper cooling plate that served as the base for the culture dish. Bath temperature was recorded with a digital thermometer (Sensortek).

Aliquots of the peptides SCPB, FMRFamide, and YGGFMRFamide (Peninsula) were prepared at a concentration of 1 mM in 0.1 N acetic acid, lyophilized in a speed vacuum, and stored at –20°C. On the day of each experiment, aliquots were resuspended in vehicle at a concentration of 10 µM. Solutions containing 5-HT, 8-chlorophenylthiocyclic AMP (8-CPT-cAMP), 8-bromo-cyclic GMP (8-Br-cGMP), or 8-bromo-cyclic inosine monophosphate (8-Br-cIMP) were prepared fresh from solid on the day of the experiment (Sigma). Similarly, solutions containing 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), RO 20-1724, or K252a (CalBiochem) were prepared fresh from solid on the day of the experiment. IBMX experiments were conducted at a concentration of either 100 µM (no DMSO) or 200 µM (0.1% DMSO). RO 20-1724 was dissolved in DMSO (Sigma) at 100–250 mM and applied at a final concentration of 100–250 µM (0.1% DMSO). K252a was dissolved in DMSO in the dark at a concentration of 10 mM. Aliquots of stock solution were added to vehicle at a final concentration of 10 µM K252a and 0.1% DMSO. Experiments with K252a were conducted in the dark to ensure stability of the drug. Once prepared all solutions were vortexed and loaded into the microperfusion system.

After obtaining a stable recording, cells were superfused with control vehicle solution, and test drugs were subsequently applied. For peptides and 8-CPT-cAMP, drug application lasted as along as required to reach a peak response. For inhibitor experiments, K252a was perfused for 10–20 min prior to testing its effect on the current response to other drugs.


    RESULTS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 DISCLOSURES
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 REFERENCES
 
Effect of whole cell voltage-clamp dialysis on responses to SCPB and FMRFamide

Previous studies, using a two-microelectrode voltage-clamp or cell-attached patch recordings, have shown that Aplysia mechanoreceptor sensory neurons, at a holding potential of –40 mV, typically respond to application of 5-HT or SCPB with an inward current and respond to FMRFamide with an outward current, effects due to the respective closure and opening of the S-type K+ channel (see Belardetti and Siegelbaum 1988Go). In our studies using whole cell voltage clamp (WCVC) at a holding potential of –40 mV, we also observed these typical inward and outward current responses to SCPB and FMRFamide, respectively, immediately after achieving WCVC mode (Fig. 1A). However, after dialysis of the sensory neuron with the intracellular pipette solution (which contained 550 mM KCl) for periods >10 min, the current responses to SCPB and FMRFamide reversed. SCPB now produced an outward current at –40 mV, whereas FMRFamide produced an inward current (Fig. 1B). The 5-HT response reversed in the same fashion as the SCPB response (data not shown). An analog of FMRFamide present in mollusks, YGGFMRFamide (Leung and Stefano 1983Go), elicited this inward current more reliably than did FMRFamide, itself, when responses were compared within the same cell. Although we did not quantitate this difference, the probability of observing an inward current and the magnitude of response tended to be greater with YGGFMRFamide than with FMRFamide.



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FIG. 1. The effect of whole cell voltage-clamp (WCVC) dialysis on responses to 5-HT and FMRFamide. A: holding current responses to 10 µM SCPB and 10 µM FMRFamide at VH = –40 mV. Responses were elicited shortly after breaking into the cell. B: holding current responses to 10 µM SCPB and 500 nM YGGFMRFamide at VH = –40 mV. Responses were elicited after 30 min of WCVC dialysis with a pipette solution containing 550 mM KCl as the major salt. The period of drug application is demarcated by a bar overlying each response.

 

I-V curves for current responses to SCPB and YGGFMRFamide

The outward current response to SCPB displayed a nearly ohmic I-V curve in response to 500-ms voltage ramps. In the example of Figures 1B and 2A, 10 µM SCPB induced an outward current at the holding potential, –40 mV, and the peak outward current during the voltage ramp occurred at the most hyperpolarized potentials (–70 to –80 mV). The extrapolated Erev for the difference current was –8 mV. On average, 10 µM SCPB elicited an outward current of 630 ± 320 pA at –70 to –80 mV (n = 18).



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FIG. 2. I-V curves for current responses to neuropeptides and membrane-permeable cyclic nucleotides. Voltage-clamp ramps (500 ms) from –80 to –5 mV were applied at 0.1 Hz before, during, and after application of neuropeptides or cyclic nucleotide analogues. The difference currents (current in presence of drug minus current in absence of drug) yield ohmic I-V curves with an Erev near 0 mV. A: I-V curves for current responses to 10 µM SCPB and 500 nM YGGFMRFamide. B: I-V curves for 8-chlorophenylthiocyclic AMP (8-CPT-cAMP). (Because Cs+ was not present in this experiment with 8-CPT-cAMP, the current response may contain a small inward S-K+ current response to 8-CPT-cAMP that might account for the more hyperpolarized Erev.). C: comparison of I-V curves for 8-bromo-cyclic inosine monophosphate (8-Br-cIMP) and 8-bromo-cyclic GMP (8-Br-cGMP).

 

Similar to the currents evoked by SCPB, FMRFamide or YGGFMRFamide produced current responses characterized by a near linear I-V curve. However, the shape and slope of these curves were opposite to those produced by SCPB. In the example shown in Fig. 2A, 500 nM YGGFMRFamide evoked an inward current, whose peak value was reached at the most hyperpolarized potential, –80 mV. The extrapolated Erev for the difference current was +7 mV. On average, 0.5–10 µM FMRFamide or YGGFMRFamide elicited an inward current of 310 ± 200 SE pA at –80 mV (n = 13). Although YGGFMRFamide tended to be somewhat more potent than FMRFamide (see preceding text), the data sets for these peptides were pooled because they produced similar responses. In two additional experiments using a constant holding potential of –40 mV, 10 µM FMRFamide produced a large holding current (Fig. 1B), whose mean amplitude in these two cells was 900 pA.

The fact that the direction and voltage dependence of the currents elicited by FMRFamide and SCPB were opposite to one another suggested that these peptides modulated the same current but in opposing directions. The finding that the two I-V curves were nearly linear (although with opposite slopes), indicated that there was voltage-gating on the time scale of the 500-ms voltage ramps (see also Fig. 9). Furthermore, the positive slope of the FMRFamide difference I-V curve indicated that it produced an increase in conductance, whereas the negative slope of the SCPB I-V curve indicated that it produced a decrease in conductance. During repeated experiments, the extrapolated reversal potentials for both I-V curves was approximately equal to 0 mV. (The small variations in the precise shape of the I-V curve and extrapolated reversal potential among different experiments was likely to be due to relatively small variations in the size of the large, transmitter-insensitive background current during the long time course of these experiments). In the following text we show that this novel current response was due to the modulation of a Cl current, whose magnitude was greatly enhanced upon dialysis with the high intracellular Cl concentration during the whole cell recordings. The high Cl concentration also caused ECl to lie near 0 mV, close to the extrapolated reversal potential of the ramp I-V curves. SCPB inhibited the Cl current, whereas FMRFamide enhanced the current.



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FIG. 9. Opposing regulation of inward rectifier current. Currents elicited by 10-s hyperpolarizing voltage steps at indicated potentials. A: application of SCPB inhibited the slow time-dependent inward rectifier current. The voltage-dependent difference current in response to 10 µM SCPB was 225 pA at steady state. B: in contrast to SCPB, 8-Br-cIMP enhanced the slow time-dependent inward rectifier; 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP produced a voltage-dependent difference current of 250 pA at steady state.

 

SCPB inhibited the Cl current through cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation

SCPB, like 5-HT, elevates the levels of cAMP in Aplysia sensory neurons, thereby leading to S channel closure (Jarrard et al. 1993Go). However, SCPB has a simpler action than 5-HT in that the neuropeptide does not recruit a protein kinase C pathway utilized by 5-HT (Braha et al. 1990Go; Sacktor and Schwartz 1990Go). Similar to the modulation of the S current, the induction of the outward current response by SCPB described in the preceding text appears to occur via activation of the cAMP cascade. Thus application of 8-CPT-cAMP, a membrane-permeable analogue of cAMP, elicited an outward current at negative potentials and yielded a difference ramp I-V curve whose shape, slope, and reversal potential were similar to those elicited by SCPB (Fig. 2B). On average 1 mM 8-CPT-cAMP produced an outward current of 434 ± 330 pA at –80 mV (n = 4).

The effects of SCPB and 8-CPT-cAMP were dependent on protein kinase activation. Thus application of the membrane permeable kinase inhibitor, K252a, inhibited the outward current induced by SCPB (Fig. 3A) and by 8-CPT-cAMP (Fig. 3B). On average 10 µM K252a produced a ~60% inhibition of the peak current response at –80 mV to either 10 µM SCPB (n = 4) or 1 mM 8-CPT-cAMP (n = 3). This inhibitory effect was consistently observed in all seven experiments. Perfusion with 10 µM K252a (0.1% DMSO) also had no consistent effect on sensory neuron holding current (n = 4). Perfusion with 0.1% DMSO, the vehicle used to dissolve the kinase inhibitor, had no effect on the sensory neuron current responses (n = 2). The inhibitory action of K252a is consistent with the idea that the actions of SCPB and 8-CPT-cAMP are mediated by PKA. Because the inhibition was incomplete (~60%), we cannot rule out some effect due to a direct action of 8-CPT-cAMP on the channel (Fesenko et al. 1985Go).



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FIG. 3. K252a inhibited the Cl current response to SCPB and 8-CPT-cAMP. A: SCPB (10 µM) difference currents in absence (SCPB) and 10 min after addition of the protein kinase inhibitor K252a (10 µM, SCPB + K252a). B: effect of K252a on response to 1 mM 8-CPT-cAMP.

 

Action of FMRFamide is mediated by cGMP

Unlike SCPB, whose actions appear to be universally dependent on cAMP, FMRFamide has been reported to regulate a diverse array of ion channels through diverse mechanisms, including activation of S-K+ channels through arachidonic acid metabolites (Piomelli et al. 1987bGo) and {beta}{gamma} subunits of G proteins (van Tol-Steye et al. 1999Go), antagonism of PKA actions through phosphatase activation (Endo et al. 1995Go; Sweatt et al. 1989Go), inhibition of voltage-gated calcium currents through activation of Go (Man-Son-Hing et al. 1992Go) and direct activation of a ligand-gated Na+ channel (Lingueglia et al. 1995Go). In Aplysia neuron R14, FMRFamide induces an inward current similar to that studied here, and this current is also activated by cGMP injection (Ichinose and McAdoo 1988Go, 1989Go). We therefore explored the role of cGMP in the inward current response to FMRFamide in Aplysia sensory neurons.

Application of a membrane-permeable analog of cGMP, 8-Br-cGMP, to dialyzed sensory neurons mimicked the inward current response to FMRFamide (Fig. 2C). Thus difference currents in response to 8-Br-cGMP yielded I-V curves with the same shape and slope characteristic of the FMRFamide-activated inward current. On average 1 mM 8-Br-cGMP produced an inward current of 225 ± 112 pA at –80 mV (observed in 4 of 7 cells; 3 cells showed no response).

Cyclic GMP activates a variety of intracellular effectors, including cGMP-dependent protein kinase, cGMP-regulated PDEs, and cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels. To distinguish among some of these effector mechanisms, we studied responses to a membrane permeant analogue of cIMP, a cyclic nucleotide that is much more effective at stimulating cGMP-activated PDE than at activating cGMP dependent protein kinase (Miller et al. 1973Go; Wexler et al. 1998Go). 8-Br-cIMP also produced a large and consistent enhancement of the Cl current. Figure 2C illustrates an experiment in which 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP evoked a peak inward current at –80 mV of 500 pA, whereas the response to 8-Br-cGMP was 250 pA. On average, 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP produced an inward current of 340 ± 120 pA at –80 mV (n = 22 of 22 cells). The large response to 8-Br-cIMP is consistent with the view that Cl current activation was mediated, at least in part, by the stimulation of a cGMP-activated PDE that hydrolyzed cAMP and thus relieved an inhibitory effect of basal cAMP-dependent phosphorylation.

Cyclic IMP-induced inward current occluded the FMRFamide response

We found that application of cGMP analogues not only simulated the action of FMRFamide, it also occluded the ability of FMRFamide to activate the Cl current, consistent with the view that cGMP and FMRFamide target the same channel. Thus in the experiment of Fig. 4A, 10 µM YGGFMRFamide alone elicited an inward current of 200 pA at VH = –40 mV and 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP alone produced an inward current of 300–400 pA. However, when YGGFMRFamide was applied in the presence of 8-Br-cIMP, no further response was observed. In five experiments, the FMRFamide-induced and cGMP analogue-induced inward currents occluded one another by 100% at a holding potential of –40 mV.



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FIG. 4. Role of cGMP and phosphodiesterase in the action of YGGFMRFamide. A: cGMP analogues occluded the response to YGGFMRFamide. YGGFMRFamide (10 µM) elicited an inward current at a holding potential of –40 mV that reversed upon washout and was occluded by subsequent application of 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP. B: 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) inhibited the effect of YGGFMRFamide on the Cl current. In this experiment, 500 nM YGGFMRFamide evoked an inward current of 200 pA at –80 mV. After 3 min of perfusion with 100 µM IBMX, the YGGFMRFamide response was reduced to 40 pA.

 

The preceding results showed that exogenous cGMP analogues reproduced the effect of FMRFamide to activate the Cl current, whereas exogenous 8-CPT-cAMP reproduced the effect of SCPB to decrease this current. Biochemical studies have demonstrated that the sensory neurons are capable of synthesizing cAMP (Bernier et al. 1982Go). Do the sensory neurons possess the requisite machinery to synthesize cGMP? Previous studies suggested the importance of cGMP for the induction of long-term hyperexcitability of Aplysia sensory neurons in response to noxius stimulation (Lewin and Walters, 1999Go). Our attempts to measure cGMP in the sensory neurons using a radioimmunoassay were inconclusive, probably due to the small amounts of available tissue. Instead, we approached this question indirectly using zaprinast, a specific inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase that hydrolyzes cGMP (cGMP PDE) (Choi et al. 2002Go). Zaprinast alone produced a substantial inward current response that had a similar slope, shape, and reversal potential as the current activated by FMRFamide or cGMP analogues (data not shown). Moreover, nitric oxide (NO), known to activate soluble guanylate cyclase, mimics these same responses (Armitage et al. 1991Go). These results indicate that the sensory neurons contain an active guanylate cyclase.

Effects of inhibitors of cAMP phosphodiesterase

If FMRFamide and 8-Br-cIMP activate the Cl current by stimulating a PDE that hydrolyses cAMP, inhibitors of the cAMP PDE should inhibit the effects of both FMRFamide and 8-Br-cIMP to elicit the inward current. Indeed, we found that IBMX, an inhibitor of cAMP PDE, reduced the inward current response to FMRFamide. In the experiment of Fig. 4B, 100 µM IBMX (no DMSO) inhibited the peak response to 500 nM YGGFMRFamide at –80 mV by 80%. Both 100 and 200 µM IBMX produced similar and robust inhibition of the responses to FMRFamide or YGGFMRFamide, decreasing them on average by 78% (n = 4). This inhibitory effect of IBMX was observed in all experiments.

IBMX also inhibited the inward current response to 8-Br-cIMP. Figure 5A illustrates an experiment in which 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP induced a peak inward current of 630 pA at –80 mV. After perfusion of the sensory cell with 200 µM IBMX for 5–6 min, the peak response to 8-Br-cIMP was reduced to 280 pA. On average, 100 µM IBMX produced a 26% inhibition (n = 2) and 200 µM IBMX produced a 51% inhibition (n = 2) of the 8-Br-cIMP-induced difference current at –80 mV. The inhibitory effect of IBMX on the inward current responses to either neuropeptides or 8-Br-cIMP was consistently observed in all experiments where examined.



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FIG. 5. Inhibitors of cAMP phosphodiesterase reduced the response to 8-Br-cIMP and prolonged the response to SCPB. A: IBMX inhibited the current response to 8-Br-cIMP. After perfusion with 200 µM IBMX for 5 min, the peak inward current response at –80 mV to 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP was reduced from 630 to 280 pA. B: RO 20-1724 inhibited the response to 8-Br-cIMP. Following perfusion with 250 µM RO 20-1724 for 20 min, the peak inward current response at –80 mV to 8-Br-cIMP was reduced from 500 to 90 pA. C: RO 20-1724 (250 µM) had no effect on the amplitude of the Cl current response to SCPB. D: RO 20-1724 prolonged the holding current response to SCPB. This recording was from the same cell shown in C. The duration of SCPB application was the same before (top) and during (bottom) perfusion with RO 20-1724. The period during which SCPB was applied is demarcated by the bar. Brief spikes in current trace represent capacitative currents in response to small voltage pulses used to monitor input resistance.

 

A more specific inhibitor of cAMP PDE, RO 20-1724 (Purcell and Carew 2001Go; Wells and Miller 1988Go), also inhibited the response to 8-Br-cIMP (Fig. 5B). On average, 100 µM RO 20-1724 inhibited the 8-bromo-cIMP difference current at –80 mV by 28% (n = 2); 250 µM RO 20-1724 produced an average inhibition of 67 ± 28% (n = 7). RO 20-1724 had little or no effect on the holding current in these experiments.

In contrast to its inhibitory effect on the 8-Br-cIMP-induced current, RO 20-1724 had little or no effect on the magnitude of the response to SCPB. Figure 5C illustrates an experiment in which application of 10 µM SCPB evoked a peak outward current of 1.4 nA at –80 mV. After perfusion with 250 µMRO 20-1724 (0.1% DMSO), the SCPB difference current at –80 mV was virtually unchanged (1.4 nA; Fig. 5C). On average, the magnitude of the SCPB difference current after 10 min of perfusion with 250 µM RO 20-1724 was 91 ± 14% of the response prior to application of RO 20-1724 (n = 4). However, although the magnitude of the SCPB response was unchanged upon inhibition of cAMP-PDE, the time course of the current response was prolonged threefold, from ~2–3 to ~8–9 min (Fig. 5D), consistent with a prolonged elevation of cAMP levels upon inhibition of hydrolysis. In three other experiments, the holding current response to SCPB never fully recovered after inhibition of cAMP-PDE.

Ionic basis of the current responses

The extrapolated reversal potentials for the SCPB and FMRFamide I-V curves are ~0 mV, as described in the preceding text. One possibility, then, is that the current they modulate is a nonselective cation current. Several groups have indeed described an inward Na+-dependent current that is modulated in opposing ways by FMRFamide and 5-HT (Ichinose and McAdoo 1988Go; Ruben et al. 1986Go; Taussig et al. 1989Go). According to this view, FMRFamide would activate this Na+ current and SCPB would inhibit it. If this is indeed the case, external perfusion with a low-Na+ solution should reduce the amplitude of the inward current activated by FMRFamide (or cGMP analogues) and shift its reversal potential (Erev) to more hyperpolarized voltages. Similarly, the low-Na+ solution should decrease the magnitude of the outward SCPB sensitive current at negative potentials (because there would be a smaller initial inward Na+ current for SCPB to deactivate) and also shift its reversal potential to more negative potentials. In contrast to these expectations, we found that perfusion with a low-external-Na+ solution (reduced to 37% of normal) caused little or no change in Erev (if anything, producing a slight positive shift) and slightly enhanced the outward current response to 10 µM SCPB (Fig. 6A). The average Erev in the presence of low-Na+ solution was +7 mV (n = 4) relative to Erev in normal ASW, whereas the expected shift for a Na+-selective current under these conditions is –25 mV. On average, responses to 10 µM SCPB were increased 1.7-fold during perfusion with low-Na+ solution (n = 4). The basis for the enhancement of the SCPB-induced current by the low-Na+ solution is unclear.



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FIG. 6. Effect of reducing external Na+ concentration on current responses. A: the effect of external Na+ on the outward current response to SCPB. SCPB difference currents during perfusion with normal (460 mM) Na+ artificial seawater (ASW; SCPB) or during perfusion with 37% Na+ ASW (170 mM Na+) (SCPB + low Na+). Note, Cs+ was not included in the solutions for this experiment. Therefore a small component of the SCPB response may be due to a decreased outward S current, which could contribute to Erev being negative to that expected for a pure Cl current. In other experiments where Cs+ was included in the pipette and bathing solutions, perfusion with low-Na+ solution also failed to shift Erev of the SCPB response. B: Erev of the 8-Br-cIMP response was insensitive to changes in [Na+]o. Same Na+ concentrations used as in A.

 

We next determined the sensitivity of the inward current response to the external Na+ concentration (Fig. 6B). In these experiments, we elicited the inward current with 8-Br-cIMP, which activates the same current as FMRFamide (Fig. 4A) and 8-Br-cGMP (Fig. 2C). Although perfusion with a low-Na+ solution (37%) did inhibit the inward current response to 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP, it did not significantly shift the Erev. On average, the magnitude of the current response to 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP was inhibited to 47% of its initial level during perfusion with low-Na+ solution (n = 3). In contrast, the average shift in Erev was +2 mV (n = 3), whereas the expected shift in Erev for a Na+ current under these conditions is –25 mV. Thus although changes in the external Na+ concentration do affect the amplitude of the currents evoked by SCPB and 8-Br-cIMP, the reversal potentials remained largely unchanged. Therefore Na+ could not be the charge carrier for these currents.

Cl was a second candidate for the charge carrier since its equilibrium potential was –2 mV under our whole cell recording conditions ([Cl]i = 555 mM and [Cl]o = 600 mM). We measured Erev for difference current I-V curves elicited in 600 and 200 mM Clo. To keep the reversal potential negative, which is necessary to ensure a large current due to its inward rectification, the internal Cl concentration was set to 200 mM (using methane sulfonate as the replacement anion). To further enhance the magnitude of the Cl current, we used a prepulse protocol (see following text) in which a 5-s hyperpolarizing pulse to –80 mV from a holding potential of –40 mV preceded the voltage-clamp ramp (500-ms ramp from –80 to +20 mV). 100 µM TTX was also included in the external solution to allow control of the voltage ramp at depolarized potentials.

Reduction of external Cl from 600 to 200 mM altered both the magnitude of the 8-CPT-cAMP- and 8-Br-cIMP-sensitive currents and shifted their reversal potentials to more positive potentials, in a manner consistent with a Cl-selective current (Fig. 7). Thus the reduction of external Cl increased the positive current response to 8-CPT-cAMP at negative potentials (Fig. 7A) and shifted the reversal potential by +29 mV (n = 2), similar to the shift predicted for a Cl selective current under these conditions (+27.5 mV). Similarly, reduction of external Cl enhanced the magnitude of the negative current elicited by 8-Br-cIMP (Fig. 7B) and shifted the reversal potential by +24.5 mV (n = 2).



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FIG. 7. Sensitivity of currents to external Cl concentration. A: Erev of the 8-CPT-cAMP response was sensitive to changes in [Cl]o. The response to 8-CPT-cAMP applied in normal ASW (600 mM [Cl]o) reversed at –24 mV. Perfusion with external solution containing 200 mM [Cl]o shifted Erev by +28 mV, as expected for a Cl current. In this experiment, [Cl]i was 200 mM. B: Erev of the 8-Br-cIMP response was also sensitive to changes in [Cl]o. The response to 8-Br-cIMP applied in normal ASW (600 mM [Cl]o) reversed at –20 mV. Perfusion with external solution containing 200 mM [Cl]o shifted Erev from –20 mV to +4 mV, close to the 27.5-mV shift expected for a Cl current. In this experiment, [Cl]i was 200 mM.

 

FMRFamide antagonized the action of SCPB

The preceding data suggested that SCPB and FMRFamide modulated the same Cl current in opposing directions via the up- and downregulation of cAMP levels. This hypothesis led to the prediction that FMRFamide should antagonize the action of SCPB. In addition, the effect of FMRFamide to activate the Cl current in the absence of SCPB should require that resting levels of cAMP be sufficiently elevated so that the Cl current would be tonically inhibited. Figure 8 illustrates an experiment that was consistent with this model.



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FIG. 8. Antagonism of cAMP response by FMRFamide. A: an initial application of 10 µM YGGFMRFamide elicited no response in this experiment. B: 10 µM SCPB produced an outward current due to characteristic inhibition of the Cl current (620 pA at –80 mV). C: when 10 µM YGGFMRFamide was applied again in the presence of 10 µM SCPB, YGGFMRFamide elicited its characteristic enhancement of the Cl current (–620 pA at –80 mV). D: after perfusion with 250 µM RO 20-1724 (0.1% DMSO), the amplitude of the response to SCPB was not significantly altered. E: RO 20-1724 inhibited the response to YGGFMRFamide when applied in the presence of SCPB.

 

In this particular cell, 10 µM SCPB initially elicited a large outward current, due to Cl current inhibition (Fig. 8B). In the same cell, an initial application of 10 µM YGGFMRFamide failed to elicit any current response (Fig. 8A). However, during a prolonged application of SCPB to the same cell, application of YGGFMRFamide now succeeded in eliciting a large increase in the Cl current (Fig. 8C) that reversed the response to SCPB. Perfusion of the sensory neuron with RO 20-1724 had no effect on the magnitude of the Cl current inhibition with SCPB (Fig. 8D), consistent with our previous results (Fig. 5C). However, RO 20-1724 did inhibit the action of YGGFMRFamide to increase the Cl current in the presence of SCPB (Fig. 8E). These results were consistent with the view that cAMP levels in this cell were initially too low to cause significant tonic inhibition of the Cl current. As a result, there was no preexisting tonic inhibition for YGGFMRFamide to relieve. However, once Cl channels were inhibited by elevated cAMP levels in response to SCPB, YGGFMRFamide was able to enhance the Cl current by relieving this inhibition; this effect required PDE activation.

Effects of SCPB and 8-Br-cIMP on a slow time-dependent inward rectifier

Several Aplysia neurons have been shown to contain slow voltage-dependent Cl currents, which increase with hyperpolarization and decrease with depolarization, with kinetics that are on the time scale of many seconds (Chesnoy-Marchais 1983Go; Lotshaw and Levitan 1987Go; Thompson and Ruben 1988Go). Moreover, hyperpolarization-activated Cl currents are inhibited by cAMP (Lotshaw and Levitan 1987Go) and enhanced by Cl loading (Chesnoy-Marchais 1983Go), leading us to ask whether the Cl current modulation in the sensory neurons that we have studied here is due regulation of a hyperpolarization-activated Cl conductance. We therefore used prolonged hyperpolarizing voltage steps to determine whether such a current was present in the sensory neurons and whether it was subject to antagonistic modulation.

Hyperpolarizing steps from –40 to –80 mV did indeed activate a slow inward current in the sensory neurons (Fig. 9). We further found that the magnitude of this current was greatly enhanced during whole cell dialysis with elevated intracellular Cl (data not shown) and was sensitive to changes in external Cl, consistent with this current representing the hyperpolarization-activated Cl current. Importantly, we found that this current was modulated in an identical manner to the Cl current characterized above with voltage ramps. Thus application of SCPB inhibited the slow time-dependent inward current, whereas 8-Br-cIMP enhanced the current (Fig. 9). On average, 10 µM SCPB inhibited the slow inward current relaxations by 21 ± 8% (n = 3), whereas 1 mM 8-Br-cIMP caused a 30% enhancement. Thus the modulation of the slow time-dependent inward rectifier current mirrors that seen for the Cl current present at the resting potential of –40 mV and during subsequent voltage ramps. SCPB inhibited both currents and 8-Br-cIMP enhanced both currents, leading us to tentatively conclude that the modulation of the same hyperpolarization-activated Cl channel underlies both sets of currents.


    DISCUSSION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 DISCLOSURES
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 REFERENCES
 
Using whole cell recordings from Aplysia sensory neurons, we found that after extensive dialysis, SCPB and 5-HT elicited an outward current response, whereas FMRFamide elicited an inward current response at the resting potential. Surprisingly, these responses were in the opposite direction to those previously reported for these transmitters and peptides in the same neurons, but using microelectrode recordings (Belardetti and Siegelbaum, 1988Go). The voltage dependence and ion selectivity of the current responses we have studied here indicate that they represent opposing modulation of a hyperpolarization-activated Cl current. Because this Cl current is highly sensitive to levels of intracellular chloride, it becomes particularly prominent when the internal Cl concentration is high, as in our whole cell recording conditions.

Identification of a cyclic nucleotide regulated, hyperpolarization-activated Cl current

The demonstration of Cl current modulation in the sensory neurons suggests that modulation of the inward rectifier Cl current may be more widespread than previously realized. The current itself appears to be ubiquitous in its phylogenetic distribution and may be quite old in evolutionary terms. For example, the existence of a slow hyperpolarization-activated Cl current has been reported in a wide range of tissues including green algae, Torpedo electroplax, molluscan neurons, toad skin, crayfish and frog muscle, rabbit kidney, and rat sympathetic and hippocampal pyramidal neurons (Chesnoy-Marchais 1983Go; Madison et al. 1986Go; Sansom et al. 1990Go). Although the molecular identity of the Aplysia Cl current remains unknown, its slow hyperpolarization-dependent activation and strong dependence on internal Cl concentration suggest that it is a member of the ClC family of ion channels (Jentsch et al. 2002Go). While the current itself seems to be prevalent in a wide range of tissues, relatively few studies have reported its modulation (Lotshaw and Levitan 1987Go; Madison et al. 1986Go; Thompson and Ruben 1988Go).

The current has several unusual properties that may contribute to its modulation having been previously overlooked or the current misidentified. First, the current often requires internal Cl loading for strong expression, and this may vary from preparation to preparation. Thus Cl loading is mandatory for expression of hyperpolarization-activated Cl currents in some neurons (Chesnoy-Marchais 1983Go; Lotshaw and Levitan 1987Go), but not in other neurons (Madison et al. 1986Go; Thompson and Ruben 1988Go). In those cells that require high internal Cl, attempts to measure reversal potential changes with a low external Cl solution may be thwarted by depletion of internal Cl, which will inhibit the current (Chesnoy-Marchais 1983Go; Thompson and Ruben 1988Go).

Another unusual feature of the Cl current response is its sensitivity to extracellular Na+. Thus we found that the response to both FMRFamide and 8-Br-cIMP was inhibited upon lowering the external Na+ concentration. Although the reversal potential was not Na+ sensitive, the effect of external Na+ could lead to the false conclusion that the current was indeed carried by Na+. Ichinose and McAdoo (1988Go, 1989Go) reported that FMRFamide and cGMP induce a slow voltage-dependent inward current in Aplysia neuron R14, similar to the effect of FMRFamide in the sensory neurons reported here. As in the case of the sensory neurons, reduction of Na+o inhibited the FMRFamide-induced current in R14, leading the authors to conclude that the inward current is likely to be carried by Na+. However, the current was also sensitive to changes in external Cl, raising the possibility that it represents the same current we have studied here.

Role of cAMP and cGMP in antagonistic Cl current regulation

The effect of SCPB to decrease the Cl current depends on the stimulation of synthesis of cAMP (Jarrard et al. 1993Go). Thus the effects of SCPB were mimicked by 8-CPT-cAMP, a membrane permeable cAMP analogue, and prolonged by RO 20-1724, an inhibitor of cAMP PDE. These results are in agreement with a previous study in Aplysia by Lotshaw and Levitan (1987Go) showing that 5-HT decreases the Cl current through a cAMP cascade. Their conclusion was based on the ability of forskolin to mimic the response to 5-HT. We also provided evidence for the involvement of the AMP-dependent protein kinase, based on the ability of the non-specific kinase inhibitor, K252a, to antagonize the actions of both SCPB and 8-CPT-cAMP.

Furthermore, the ability of FMRFamide to activate the Cl conductance appears to be due to its ability to antagonize the cAMP cascade, an effect that is mediated by cGMP. Thus we found that cGMP analogues and zaprinast (an inhibitor of cGMP PDE) mimic the effects of FMRFamide. Moreover, cGMP analogues occlude the response to FMRFamide. Ichinose and McAdoo (1989Go) have obtained similar evidence for a role of cGMP in mediating the effects of FMRFamide to increase an inward current in Aplysia neuron R14. We have also previously found that nitric oxide can stimulate cGMP synthesis in Aplysia sensory cells (Armitage et al. 1991Go).

Our results further suggest that the most likely mode of action of cGMP is to stimulate the cAMP PDE, leading to a decrease in cAMP and thus an increase in Cl current. Thus 8-Br-cGMP, which elicited Cl current responses that mimicked the response to FMRFamide, is an agonist for several cGMP targets, including cGMP-dependent protein kinase (Corbin et al. 1988aGo,bGo). Evidence that this effect was due to PDE activation came from studies of 8-Br-cIMP, which is more selective for the cGMP-activated PDE and which produced a large and robust Cl current activation. Further support for this view was provided by the findings that IBMX and RO 20-1724, two inhibitors of cAMP PDE, inhibited the responses to FMRFamide and 8-Br-cIMP. Similar cGMP-dependent actions due to cAMP PDE stimulation have been reported for Ca2+ channel modulation in the heart (Fischmeister and Hartzell 1987Go) and hippocampal neurons (Doerner and Alger 1988Go).

The mechanism by which FMRFamide stimulates cGMP synthesis was not addressed by our experiments. Two possibilities are stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase through nitric oxide (Garthwaite 1991Go) or direct activation of a membrane receptor guanylate cyclase (Wedel and Garbers 2001Go). However, neuronal NO synthase is a calcium-dependent enzyme and FMRFamide has been shown to reduce, not elevate, intracellular calcium in Aplysia sensory neurons (Blumenfeld et al. 1990Go). In some systems, arachidonic acid or its metabolites can activate guanylate cyclase and thereby elevate levels of cGMP (Kiesel and Catt 1987Go). 12-HPETE and 5-HPETE metabolites of arachidonic acid, but not 12-HETE or 5-HETE, stimulate cGMP formation in Aplysia neural tissue (Piomelli et al. 1987aGo). Moreover, FMRFamide stimulates the synthesis of 12-HPETE in the sensory neurons (Piomelli et al. 1987bGo). Thus arachidonic acid-induced elevation of cGMP is an attractive mechanism for the activation of the inward rectifier Cl current by FMRFamide.

One problem with this model is that FMRFamide has not been so far found to reduce cAMP levels in the sensory neurons (Ocorr and Byrne 1985Go; Sweatt et al. 1989Go). However, these previous studies were carried out in the presence of IBMX, which would have eliminated any contribution of PDE activation. Moreover, the effect of PDE activation may be more pronounced in cells where cAMP has previously been elevated (Fischmeister and Hartzell 1987Go) (see Fig. 6). It is also possible that FMRFamide may cause the direct dephosphorylation of the Cl channel, independent of changes in PDE activity (Sweatt et al. 1989Go) due to either phosphatase activation (Ichinose et al. 1990Go) or direct kinase inhibition (Piomelli et al. 1989Go). Finally, FMRFamide may also recruit other phosphorylation-independent mechanisms for modulating the Cl channel (Buttner et al. 1989Go; Fesenko et al. 1985Go).

The activation of a PDE by FMRFamide may well contribute to it's modulation of other sensory neuron proteins in addition to the Cl channel. For example, PDE activation may act in parallel with phosphatase activation to mediate FMRFamide's antagonism of S K+ channel closure by 5-HT or cAMP (Belardetti et al. 1987Go; Endo et al. 1995Go). Similarly, PDE activation and consequent inhibition of CREB1 phosphorylation may act in parallel with CREB2 activation to mediate FMRFamide's inhibition of long-term facilitation by 5-HT (Guan et al. 2002Go). However, it is also possible that any effect of PDE activation may be limited to the Cl channel, given the existence of local signaling complexes (Davare et al. 2001Go) and restricted cyclic nucleotide microdomains (Rich et al. 2001Go).

Physiological role for Cl current regulation

The physiological role of the inward rectifier Cl current in Aplysia sensory neurons at present is not clear. Previous studies have shown that under physiological conditions, the predominant effects of cAMP modulation are a decrease in resting K+ conductance, due to closure of the S-K+ channel (Goldsmith and Abrams 1992Go; Klein et al. 1982; Siegelbaum et al. 1982Go), a decrease in a delayed rectifier K+ current (Goldsmith and Abrams 1992Go), and modulation of a calcium-activated K+ current (Walsh and Byrne, 1989Go). In addition, cAMP also enhances the magnitude of an L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ current (Edmonds et al. 1990Go). In contrast, FMRFamide is known to enhance the S-K+ current (Belardetti et al. 1987Go), inhibit a dihydropyridine-insensitive Ca current important for transmitter release (Edmonds et al. 1990Go) and to antagonize cAMP-mediated protein phosphorylation through activation of a phosphoprotein phosphatase (Endo et al. 1995Go; Sweatt et al. 1989Go). In this context of pleiotropic actions of these transmitters, a natural question arises as to the physiological significance of the Cl current modulation we have identified here, especially given the necessity of using internal Cl loading to observe a significant effect.

The role of a hyperpolarization-activated Cl current is perhaps most clearly understood in Torpedo where its subcellular localization contributes to the formation of a voltage gradient across the cell, creating a "battery" for the electric organ. Madison et al. (1986Go) proposed that a similar current may be specifically localized to the dendritic membrane in hippocampal pyramidal cells and thereby may regulate dendritic excitability. Although Cl loading is required in some preparations (Chesnoy-Marchais 1983Go; Lotshaw and Levitan 1987Go), in other cases a large inward rectifier current is clearly observed in the absence of Cl loading for expression (Madison et al. 1986Go; Thompson and Ruben 1988Go). One interesting possibility is that the Cl current may be more important at early developmental stages, where the internal Cl concentration is high due to a lack of expression of a Cl pump at this developmental stage (Rivera et al. 1999Go). The current may also become activated during intense bouts of inhibitory synaptic input, which can cause Cl loading of cellular processes (Chesnoy-Marchais 1983Go; Lotshaw and Levitan 1987Go). The hyperpolarization-activated Cl current may also, paradoxically, predominate when a cell is strongly excited. Thus Chesnoy-Marchais (1983Go) found that in Aplysia cerebral ganglion A neurons, Cl loading is no longer required to activate the Cl current after a short train of depolarizing pulses. This feature of the current may be particularly relevant in the Aplysia sensory cells where activity-dependent modulation has been shown to contribute to plasticity (Small et al. 1989Go).

Even under conditions where the Cl current may be functional, it is difficult to predict the relative contribution of Cl current modulation to the actions of SCPB and FMRFamide. Although the magnitude of the Cl current varied considerably from preparation to preparation, its modulation typically produced smaller amplitude currents than modulation of the S K+ current. The contribution of Cl current modulation relative to that of other sensory neuron currents (Baxter et al. 1999Go; Goldsmith and Abrams 1992Go) will depend on a variety of factors, including [Cl]i and cellular activity (see preceding text), the levels of resting cAMP and cGMP, and the membrane voltage. In normal resting neurons, EK and ECl lie near the resting potential. Thus opening of both K+ and Cl channels tend to oppose excitability and help stabilize the cell by contributing to repolarization. As a result, the decrease in input resistance produced by up modulating the Cl current with FMRFamide may decrease cellular excitability, an effect synergistic with the inhibitory actions of FMRFamide to activate K+ current (Belardetti et al. 1987Go) and inhibit Ca2+ current (Edmonds et al. 1990Go). In contrast, the effect of SCPB to inhibit Cl conductance may cause an increase in cellular excitability, also producing a synergistic effect with the up-modulation of Ca2+ current and down-modulation of S-K+ current produced by this neuropeptide in these cells.

The coordinate targeting of these different channels by modulatory pathways may serve to extend the range of potentials over which such pathways can exert regulatory control. Thus the Cl current may be dominant at hyperpolarized voltages because of its voltage dependence and because of the proximity of EK to such negative potentials. In contrast, the S-K+ current tends to be the predominant background conductance at more depolarized voltages because it does not inactivate with depolarization and because EK is normally very negative. The ability of individual neurotransmitters to produce divergent actions through modulation of multiple ion channels simultaneously can thus provide a means to influence cellular activity over a wide range of conditions. In addition, our results elucidate the way in which the actions of multiple transmitters can converge on a single ion channel, in this case the hyperpolarization-activated Cl channel. These convergent properties are important in allowing the cell to integrate information from a number of sources.


    DISCLOSURES
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 DISCLOSURES
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 REFERENCES
 
This work was supported by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Grant NS-19569.


    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 DISCLOSURES
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 REFERENCES
 
We thank E. Odell for help with the figures and manuscript.

Present address of N. Buttner, Laboratory for Structural Neuroscience, Dept. of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478.


    FOOTNOTES
 
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

Address for reprint requests: S. A. Siegelbaum, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St., New York, NY 10032 (E-mail: sas8{at}columbia.edu).


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