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R J French

Publications and source records attributed to R J French.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
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Single sodium channels from rat brain incorporated into planar lipid bilayer membranes.

A voltage- and time-dependent conductance for sodium ions is responsible for the generation of impulses in most nerve and muscle cells. Changes in the sodium conductance are produced by the opening and closing of many discrete transmembrane channels. We present here the first report of electrical recordings from voltage-dependent sodium channels incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. In bilayers with many channels, batrachotoxin (BTX) induced a steady-state sodium current that was blocked by saxitoxin (STX) at nanomolar concentrations. All channels appeared in the bilayer with their STX blocking sites facing the side of vesicle addition, allowing us to define that as the extracellular side. Current fluctuations due to the opening and closing of single BTX-activated sodium channels were voltage-dependent (unit conductance, 30 pS in 0.5 M NaCl): the channels closed at large hyperpolarizing potentials. Slower fluctuations of the same amplitude, due to the blocking and unblocking of individual channels, were seen after addition of STX. Block of the sodium channels by STX was voltage-dependent, with hyperpolarizing potentials favouring block. The voltage-dependent gating, ionic selectivity and neurotoxin sensitivity suggest that these are the channels that normally underlie the sodium conductance change during the nerve impulse.

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Voltage-dependent calcium channels from brain incorporated into planar lipid bilayers.

Many important physiological processes, including neurotransmitter release and muscle contraction, are regulated by the concentration of Ca2+ ions in the cell. Levels of cytoplasmic Ca2+ can be elevated by the entry of Ca2+ ions through voltage-dependent channels which are selective for Ca2+, Ba2+ and Sr2+ ions. We have measured currents through single, voltage-dependent calcium channels from rat brain that have been incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. Channel gating was voltage-dependent: membrane depolarization increased the channel open times and decreased the closed times. The channels were selective for divalent cations over monovalent ions. The well-known calcium channel blockers, lanthanum and cadmium, produced a concentration-dependent reduction of the apparent single-channel conductance. Contrary to expectations, the nature of the divalent cation carrying current through the channel affected not only the single-channel conductance, but also the channel open times, with mean open times being shortest for barium.

Animals↗