Electrophysiological Properties from Computations at a Single Voltage: Testing Theory with Stochastic Simulations

We use stochastic simulations to investigate the performance of two recently developed methods for calculating the free energy profiles of ion channels and their electrophysiological properties, such as current–voltage dependence and reversal potential, from molecular dynamics simulations at a single applied voltage. These methods require neither knowledge of the diffusivity nor simulations at multiple voltages, which greatly reduces the computational effort required to probe the electrophysiological properties of ion channels. They can be used to determine the free energy profiles from either forward or backward one-sided properties of ions in the channel, such as ion fluxes, density profiles, committor probabilities, or from their two-sided combination. By generating large sets of stochastic trajectories, which are individually designed to mimic the molecular dynamics crossing statistics of models of channels of trichotoxin, p7 from hepatitis C and a bacterial homolog of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel, GLIC, we find that the free energy profiles obtained from stochastic simulations corresponding to molecular dynamics simulations of even a modest length are burdened with statistical errors of only 0.3 kcal/mol. Even with many crossing events, applying two-sided formulas substantially reduces statistical errors compared to one-sided formulas. With a properly chosen reference voltage, the current–voltage curves can be reproduced with good accuracy from simulations at a single voltage in a range extending for over 200 mV. If possible, the reference voltages should be chosen not simply to drive a large current in one direction, but to observe crossing events in both directions.

Effects of Diffusion Coefficients and Permanent Charge on Reversal Potentials in Ionic Channels

In this work, the dependence of reversal potentials and zero-current fluxes on diffusion coefficients are examined for ionic flows through membrane channels. The study is conducted for the setup of a simple structure defined by the profile of permanent charges with two mobile ion species, one positively charged (cation) and one negatively charged (anion). Numerical observations are obtained from analytical results established using geometric singular perturbation analysis of classical Poisson–Nernst–Planck models. For 1:1 ionic mixtures with arbitrary diffusion constants, Mofidi and Liu (arXiv:1909.01192) conducted a rigorous mathematical analysis and derived an equation for reversal potentials. We summarize and extend these results with numerical observations for biological relevant situations. The numerical investigations on profiles of the electrochemical potentials, ion concentrations, and electrical potential across ion channels are also presented for the zero-current case. Moreover, the dependence of current and fluxes on voltages and permanent charges is investigated. In the opinion of the authors, many results in the paper are not intuitive, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to reveal all cases without investigations of this type.

Coincident Activation of Glutamate Receptors Enhances GABAA Receptor-Induced Ionic Plasticity of the Intracellular Cl--Concentration in Dissociated Neuronal Cultures

Massive activation of γ-amino butyric acid A (GABA_A) receptors during pathophysiological activity induces an increase in the intracellular Cl^--concentration ([Cl^-]_i), which is sufficient to render GABAergic responses excitatory. However, to what extent physiological levels of GABAergic activity can influence [Cl^-]_i is not known. Aim of the present study is to reveal whether moderate activation of GABA_A receptors mediates functionally relevant [Cl^-]_i changes and whether these changes can be augmented by coincident glutamatergic activity. To address these questions, we used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from cultured cortical neurons [at days in vitro (DIV) 6-22] to determine changes in the GABA reversal potential (E_GABA) induced by short bursts of GABAergic and/or synchronized glutamatergic stimulation. These experiments revealed that pressure-application of 10 short muscimol pulses at 10 Hz induced voltage-dependent [Cl^-]_i changes. Under current-clamp conditions this muscimol burst induced a [Cl^-]_i increase of 3.1 ± 0.4 mM (n = 27), which was significantly enhanced to 4.6 ± 0.5 mM (n = 27) when glutamate was applied synchronously with the muscimol pulses. The muscimol-induced [Cl^-]_i increase significantly attenuated the inhibitory effect of GABA, as determined by the GABAergic rheobase shift. The synchronous coapplication of glutamate pulses had no additional effect on the attenuation of GABAergic inhibition, despite the larger [Cl^-]_i transients under these conditions. In summary, these results indicate that moderate GABAergic activity can induce functionally relevant [Cl^-]_i transients, which were enhanced by coincident glutamate pulses. This ionic plasticity of [Cl^-]_i may contribute to short-term plasticity of the GABAergic system.

Synaptic Inhibition in Avian Interaural Level Difference Sound Localizing Neurons

Synaptic inhibition plays a fundamental role in the neural computation of the interaural level difference (ILD), an important cue for the localization of high-frequency sound. Here, we studied the inhibitory synaptic currents in the chicken posterior portion of the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (LLDp), the first binaural level difference encoder of the avian auditory pathway. Using whole-cell recordings in brain slices, we provide the first evidence confirming a monosynaptic inhibition driven by direct electrical and chemical stimulation of the contralateral LLDp, establishing the reciprocal inhibitory connection between the two LLDps, a long-standing assumption in the field. This inhibition was largely mediated by GABAA receptors; however, functional glycine receptors were also identified. The reversal potential for the Cl- channels measured with gramicidin-perforated patch recordings was hyperpolarizing (-88 mV), corresponding to a low intracellular Cl- concentration (5.2 mm). Pharmacological manipulations of KCC2 (outwardly Cl- transporter) activity demonstrate that LLDp neurons can maintain a low intracellular Cl- concentration under a high Cl- load, allowing for the maintenance of hyperpolarizing inhibition. We further demonstrate that hyperpolarizing inhibition was more effective at regulating cellular excitability than depolarizing inhibition in LLDp neurons.

How to Properly Measure a Current-Voltage Relation?-Interpolation vs. Ramp Methods Applied to Studies of GABAA Receptors

The relation between current and voltage, I-V relation, is central to functional analysis of membrane ion channels. A commonly used method, since the introduction of the voltage-clamp technique, to establish the I-V relation depends on the interpolation of current amplitudes recorded at different steady voltages. By a theoretical computational approach as well as by experimental recordings from GABA_A-receptor mediated currents in mammalian central neurons, we here show that this interpolation method may give reversal potentials and conductances that do not reflect the properties of the channels studied under conditions when ion flux may give rise to concentration changes. Therefore, changes in ion concentrations may remain undetected and conclusions on changes in conductance, such as during desensitization, may be mistaken. In contrast, an alternative experimental approach, using rapid voltage ramps, enable I-V relations that much better reflect the properties of the studied ion channels.

Neonatal tissue injury reduces the intrinsic excitability of adult mouse superficial dorsal horn neurons

Tissue damage during the neonatal period evokes long-lasting changes in nociceptive processing within the adult spinal cord which contribute to persistent alterations in pain sensitivity. However, it remains unclear if the observed modifications in neuronal activity within the mature superficial dorsal horn (SDH) following early injury reflect shifts in the intrinsic membrane properties of these cells. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to identify the effects of neonatal surgical injury on the intrinsic excitability of both GABAergic and presumed glutamatergic neurons within lamina II of the adult SDH using in vitro patch clamp recordings from spinal cord slices prepared from glutamic acid decarboxylase-green fluorescent protein (Gad-GFP) mice. The results demonstrate that hindpaw surgical incision at postnatal day (P) 3 altered the passive membrane properties of both Gad-GFP and adjacent, non-GFP neurons in the mature SDH, as evidenced by decreased membrane resistance and more negative resting potentials in comparison to naïve littermate controls. This was accompanied by a reduction in the prevalence of spontaneous activity within the GABAergic population. Both Gad-GFP and non-GFP neurons displayed a significant elevation in rheobase and decreased instantaneous firing frequency after incision, suggesting that early tissue damage lowers the intrinsic membrane excitability of adult SDH neurons. Isolation of inward-rectifying K(+) (K(ir)) currents revealed that neonatal incision significantly increased K(ir) conductance near physiological membrane potentials in GABAergic, but not glutamatergic, lamina II neurons. Overall, these findings suggest that neonatal tissue injury causes a long-term dampening of intrinsic firing across the general population of lamina II interneurons, but the underlying ionic mechanisms may be cell-type specific.

Polystyrene nanoparticle exposure induces ion-selective pores in lipid bilayers

A diverse range of molecular interactions can occur between engineered nanomaterials (ENM) and biomembranes, some of which could lead to toxic outcomes following human exposure to ENM. In this study, we adapted electrophysiology methods to investigate the ability of 20nm polystyrene nanoparticles (PNP) to induce pores in model bilayer lipid membranes (BLM) that mimic biomembranes. PNP charge was varied using PNP decorated with either positive (amidine) groups or negative (carboxyl) groups, and BLM charge was varied using dioleoyl phospholipids having cationic (ethylphosphocholine), zwitterionic (phosphocholine), or anionic (phosphatidic acid) headgroups. Both positive and negative PNP induced BLM pores for all lipid compositions studied, as evidenced by current spikes and integral conductance. Stable PNP-induced pores exhibited ion selectivity, with the highest selectivity for K(+) (PK/PCl~8.3) observed when both the PNP and lipids were negatively charged, and the highest selectivity for Cl(-) (PK/PCl~0.2) observed when both the PNP and lipids were positively charged. This trend is consistent with the finding that selectivity for an ion in channel proteins is imparted by oppositely charged functional groups within the channel's filter region. The PK/PCl value was unaffected by the voltage-ramp method, the pore conductance, or the side of the BLM to which the PNP were applied. These results demonstrate for the first time that PNP can induce ion-selective pores in BLM, and that the degree of ion selectivity is influenced synergistically by the charges of both the lipid headgroups and functional groups on the PNP.

The negative impact of α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex deficiency on matrix substrate-level phosphorylation

A decline in α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC) activity has been associated with neurodegeneration. Provision of succinyl-CoA by KGDHC is essential for generation of matrix ATP (or GTP) by substrate-level phosphorylation catalyzed by succinyl-CoA ligase. Here, we demonstrate ATP consumption in respiration-impaired isolated and in situ neuronal somal mitochondria from transgenic mice with a deficiency of either dihydrolipoyl succinyltransferase (DLST) or dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (DLD) that exhibit a 20-48% decrease in KGDHC activity. Import of ATP into the mitochondrial matrix of transgenic mice was attributed to a shift in the reversal potential of the adenine nucleotide translocase toward more negative values due to diminished matrix substrate-level phosphorylation, which causes the translocase to reverse prematurely. Immunoreactivity of all three subunits of succinyl-CoA ligase and maximal enzymatic activity were unaffected in transgenic mice as compared to wild-type littermates. Therefore, decreased matrix substrate-level phosphorylation was due to diminished provision of succinyl-CoA. These results were corroborated further by the finding that mitochondria from wild-type mice respiring on substrates supporting substrate-level phosphorylation exhibited ~30% higher ADP-ATP exchange rates compared to those obtained from DLST(+/-) or DLD(+/-) littermates. We propose that KGDHC-associated pathologies are a consequence of the inability of respiration-impaired mitochondria to rely on "in-house" mitochondrial ATP reserves.

Short-term ionic plasticity at GABAergic synapses

Fast synaptic inhibition in the brain is mediated by the pre-synaptic release of the neurotransmitter γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)and the post-synaptic activation of GABA-sensitive ionotropic receptors. As with excitatory synapses, it is being increasinly appreciated that a variety of plastic processes occur at inhibitory synapses, which operate over a range of timescales. Here we examine a form of activity-dependent plasticity that is somewhat unique to GABAergic transmission. This involves short-lasting changes to the ionic driving force for the post-synaptic receptors, a process referred to as short-term ionic plasticity. These changes are directly related to the history of activity at inhibitory synapses and are influenced by a variety of factors including the location of the synapse and the post-synaptic cell's ion regulation mechanisms. We explore the processes underlying this form of plasticity, when and where it can occur, and how it is likely to impact network activity.

Role of sodium-calcium exchanger in modulating the action potential of ventricular myocytes from normal and failing hearts

Increased Na+-Ca2+ exchange (NCX) activity in heart failure and hypertrophy may compensate for depressed sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ uptake, provide inotropic support through reverse-mode Ca2+ entry, and/or deplete intracellular Ca2+ stores. NCX is electrogenic and depends on Na+ and Ca2+ transmembrane gradients, making it difficult to predict its effect on the action potential (AP). Here, we examine the effect of [Na+]i on the AP in myocytes from normal and pacing-induced failing canine hearts and estimate the direction of the NCX driving force using simultaneously recorded APs and Ca2+ transients. AP duration shortened with increasing [Na+]i and was correlated with a shift in the reversal point of the NCX driving force. At [Na+]i > or =10 mmol/L, outward NCX current during the plateau facilitated repolarization, whereas at 5 mmol/L [Na+]i, NCX had a depolarizing effect, confirmed by partially inhibiting NCX with exchange inhibitory peptide. Exchange inhibitory peptide shortened the AP duration at 5 mmol/L [Na+]i and prolonged it at [Na+]i > or =10 mmol/L. With K+ currents blocked, total membrane current was outward during the late plateau of an AP clamp at 10 mmol/L [Na+]i and became inward close to the predicted reversal point for the NCX driving force. The results were reproduced using a computer model. These results indicate that NCX plays an important role in shaping the AP of the canine myocyte, helping it to repolarize at high [Na+]i, especially in the failing heart, but contributing a depolarizing, potentially arrhythmogenic, influence at low [Na+]i.

Voltage dependence of slow inactivation in Shaker potassium channels results from changes in relative K(+) and Na(+) permeabilities

Time constants of slow inactivation were investigated in NH(2)-terminal deleted Shaker potassium channels using macro-patch recordings from Xenopus oocytes. Slow inactivation is voltage insensitive in physiological solutions or in simple experimental solutions such as K(+)(o)//K(+)(i) or Na(+)(o)//K(+)(i). However, when [Na(+)](i) is increased while [K(+)](i) is reduced, voltage sensitivity appears in the slow inactivation rates at positive potentials. In such solutions, the I-V curves show a region of negative slope conductance between approximately 0 and +60 mV, with strongly increased outward current at more positive voltages, yielding an N-shaped curvature. These changes in peak outward currents are associated with marked changes in the dominant slow inactivation time constant from approximately 1.5 s at potentials less than approximately +60 mV to approximately 30 ms at more than +150 mV. Since slow inactivation in Shaker channels is extremely sensitive to the concentrations and species of permeant ions, more rapid entry into slow inactivated state(s) might indicate decreased K(+) permeation and increased Na(+) permeation at positive potentials. However, the N-shaped I-V curve becomes fully developed before the onset of significant slow inactivation, indicating that this N-shaped I-V does not arise from permeability changes associated with entry into slow inactivated states. Thus, changes in the relative contributions of K(+) and Na(+) ions to outward currents could arise either: (a) from depletions of [K(+)](i) sufficient to permit increased Na(+) permeation, or (b) from voltage-dependent changes in K(+) and Na(+) permeabilities. Our results rule out the first of these mechanisms. Furthermore, effects of changing [K(+)](i) and [K(+)](o) on ramp I-V waveforms suggest that applied potential directly affects relative permeation by K(+) and Na(+) ions. Therefore, we conclude that the voltage sensitivity of slow inactivation rates arises indirectly as a result of voltage-dependent changes in the ion occupancy of these channels, and demonstrate that simple barrier models can predict such voltage-dependent changes in relative permeabilities.