Abstract
Voltage clamp technique was used to study macroscopic ionic currents in Rana esculenta oocytes. Depolarization steps led to the activation of a single type of outward current (I out) when contaminant potassium and calcium-dependent chloride currents were pharmacologically inhibited. The voltage threshold of I out activation was 10 mV and this current, which did not inactivate, presented a deactivation the time constant of 73±21 msec (n=26) corresponding to a membrane voltage of −60 mV. Its reversal potential (E rev) was dependent on the magnitude of the depolarization and also on pulse duration. These changes in E rev were thought to reflect intracellular ion depletion occurring during activation of the remaining outward current. Furthermore, the activation threshold of I out was clearly affected by modifications in extracellular and intracellular H+ concentrations. Indeed, intracellular alkalinization (evoked by external application of ammonium chloride) or extracellular acidification induced a rightward shift in the activation threshold while intracellular acidification (evoked by external application of sodium acetate) or extracellular alkalinization shifted this threshold toward a more negative value. Lastly, I out was dramatically reduced by divalent cations such as Cd2+, Ni2+ or Zn2+ and was strongly decreased by 4 Aminopyridine (4-AP), wellknown H+ current antagonists already described in many cell types. Therefore, it was suggested that the outward current was prominently carried by H+ ions, which may play a key role in the regulation of intracellular pH and subsequent pH dependent processes in Rana oocyte.
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Humez, S., Fournier, F. & Guilbault, P. A voltage-dependent and pH-sensitive proton current in Rana esculenta oocytes. J. Membarin Biol. 147, 207–215 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00233548
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00233548