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R L Barchi

Publications and source records attributed to R L Barchi.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Monoclonal antibodies against the voltage-sensitive sodium channel from rat skeletal muscle: mapping antibody binding sites.

Twenty-one monoclonal antibodies specific for the rat skeletal muscle voltage-sensitive sodium channel have been characterized according to subunit reactivity, recognition of carbohydrates, and mutual binding interactions. All antibodies recognize the 260-kDa alpha-subunit of the sodium channel on immunoblots. N-Acetylneuraminic acid inhibited the binding of five antibodies in a concentration-dependent manner, but five other monosaccharides known to be components of the channel had no effect on antibody binding. Competition studies using biosynthetically labeled antibodies separated these 21 antibodies into groups recognizing at least nine distinct domains. Through common interactions between domains, these could in turn be associated into two larger topologically related regions. One region encompasses seven interacting domains and 16 antibodies. This region is probably extracellular by virtue of the interaction of one subgroup with N-acetylneuraminic acid, and may represent a particularly immunogenic region on this channel protein.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Voltage-sensitive sodium channels: an evolving molecular view.

Sodium channel proteins have now been isolated from a number of nerve and muscle preparations. All are characterized by the presence of a very large glycoprotein subunit of approximately 260 kilodaltons which may contain the structural features required for voltage-dependent channel gating and cation selectivity. These purified proteins have been reconstituted into vesicle systems and planar bilayers and demonstrate the ensemble and single-channel behavior characteristic of the native sodium channel. Although the sodium channel from eel appears to consist of only the 260-kilodalton protein, the channels from rat brain and rat or rabbit skeletal muscle contain one or more smaller subunits of 37-39 kilodaltons. In skeletal muscle, a 38-kilodalton subunit is present in both conventionally purified channel and channel isolated with immunoaffinity techniques. The stoichiometry of the large (alpha) and the small (beta) subunits appears to be 1:1 in skeletal muscle but 1:2 in rat brain. The role of the small subunits in the normal functioning of the sodium channel remains to be defined.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Localization of sodium channel subtypes in adult rat skeletal muscle using channel-specific monoclonal antibodies.

Five monoclonal antibodies specific for the 260 kDa subunit of the rat skeletal muscle sodium channel were used to probe the distribution of this channel in adult muscle. All the antibodies reacted with the surface membrane of fast- and slow-twitch fibers in the rat anterior tibial and soleus muscles. Immunoreactivity was also present in the endplate region; this was significantly more intense than that in the surrounding extrajunctional membrane. At the electron microscopic level, this junctional immunoreactivity could be traced uniformly throughout the secondary folds of the post-synaptic membrane. Three of the monoclonal antibodies (A/B2, F/E4, and I/E3) exhibited an additional distinct immunoreactivity pattern, staining the interior of selected fibers in the anterior tibial muscle that were subsequently identified as slow-twitch fibers. An identical reactivity pattern was observed with most of the soleus muscle fibers. In longitudinal sections of slow fibers examined at the light microscopic level, transversely oriented, regularly spaced doublets of fluorescence were localized at the junction of the A and I bands in each sarcomere. In permeabilized slow fibers exposed to A/B2 and examined at the electron microscopic level, internal reactivity was associated exclusively with the membranes of the T-tubular system. A/B2 also strongly stained a transversely oriented pattern within cardiac muscle fibers exhibiting the characteristics of the T-tubular system in that tissue. We conclude that at least 3 subpopulations of sodium channels are present in adult skeletal muscle: those in the sarcolemma of fast and slow fibers, those in slow-twitch fiber T-tubular membranes, and those in the T-tubular system of fast fibers. The channels in the slow fiber T-system apparently share common epitopes with those in the T-system of cardiac fibers.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Immunoaffinity isolation of Na+ channels from rat skeletal muscle. Analysis of subunits.

Polyclonal antiserum and monoclonal antibodies raised against the sodium channel from rat skeletal muscle sarcolemma have been immobilized on Sepharose and used to immunoaffinity purify this channel directly from skeletal muscle without the intervening purification of surface membranes. These antibodies isolate a approximately 260-kDa protein from whole muscle, although each purifies predominantly a 150-kDa component when isolated sarcolemmal membranes are used as starting material. A 45-kDa band is also found in the material purified from sarcolemma but not that obtained from whole muscle. In addition, these immunoaffinity columns isolate a 38-kDa band from both whole muscle and sarcolemma that copurifies with the 260-kDa protein. In some preparations this component appears as two closely spaced bands of 37 and 39 kDa. These small subunits coelute with the 260-kDa subunit when thiocyanate gradients are used to displace protein bound to the immunoaffinity columns and behave as integral components of the sodium channel. Estimates of stoichiometry were made for the large and small subunits of the muscle channel protein. After correction for labeling efficiency, values consistent with a ratio of one 260-kDa subunit to one 38-kDa subunit were obtained. We conclude that the rat skeletal muscle sodium channel contains a large alpha subunit of approximately 260 kDa that is sensitive to proteolytic nicking during the isolation of sarcolemmal membranes. In addition, at least one 38-kDa beta subunit is associated with each alpha subunit in the native channel.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Voltage-dependent activation in purified reconstituted sodium channels from rabbit T-tubular membranes.

We have examined the voltage-dependent gating of batrachotoxin-modified sodium channels purified from rabbit T-tubular membranes in two ways. First, purified channels were reconstituted into planar bilayers and single-channel properties were measured. Batrachotoxin-activated channels showed steep voltage-dependent activation with half-maximal opening probabilities at potentials between -95 and -116 mV. The single-channel conductance (500 mM Na+ cis, 200 mM Na+ trans) averaged 20 pS and was independent of membrane potential. Channels usually inserted with their extracellular faces on the trans side of the bilayer; addition of tetrodotoxin to the cis side had no effect, whereas addition to the trans side blocked greater than 95% of channel openings at -77 mV. A second approach was used to establish that this voltage dependence was a characteristic of the entire population of purified channels and not just those few channels observed in planar bilayers. Channels reconstituted into egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles were functionally oriented by inclusion of internal saxitoxin; vesicle membrane potentials were then generated by K+ gradients in the presence of valinomycin. After batrachotoxin activation, Vm was altered by shifts of K+o. All of the specific 22Na+ influx activated by batrachotoxin and blocked by saxitoxin was found to be voltage sensitive, activating between predicted membrane potentials of -100 and -50 mV. The single-channel properties of the purified T-tubular sodium channel correspond closely to those seen with native sodium channels from rat sarcolemma. The voltage-dependent activation of the batrachotoxin-modified reconstituted channel is the same as that seen with native channels in situ or in bilayers after exposure to this toxin. Most importantly, this voltage-dependent gating is a property of all of the purified channels capable of specific pharmacological activation.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Developmental appearance of sodium channel subtypes in rat skeletal muscle cultures.

22Na influx was measured in the established muscle cell line L-6 and in primary rat skeletal muscle cultures following activation of sodium channels by veratridine and sea anemone toxin II. Inhibition of the activated channels by tetrodotoxin (TTX) was analyzed with computer-assisted fits to one- or two-site binding models. In L-6 cultures, two inhibitable sodium channel populations were resolved at all ages in culture: a TTX-sensitive (K = 0.6-5.0 X 10(-8) M) and an insensitive population (Ki = 3.3-4.9 X 10(-6) M). In primary rat muscle cultures, the sensitivity of the toxin-stimulated channels to TTX changed with time in culture. In 4-day-old cultures, a single sodium channel population was detected using TTX (Ki = 2.4 X 10(-7)M). A single population was also found in 6-day-old cultures (Ki = 5.3 X 10(-7) M). By day 7 in culture, the inhibition of 22Na influx by TTX could be resolved into two components with high- and low-affinity sites for the toxin (Ki = 1.3 X 10(-9) M and 9.6 X 10(-7) M). We conclude that a single, toxin-activated sodium channel population with low affinity for TTX exists at early stages, whereas a second, high-affinity population evolves with time in primary rat muscle cultures. The expression of a high-affinity site apparently does not require ongoing neuronal involvement and may reflect an intrinsic property of the muscle cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Biochemistry of sodium channels from mammalian muscle.

Sodium channels from rat and rabbit skeletal muscle have been isolated, characterized, and functionally reconstituted. These channel proteins closely resemble those purified from the eel electroplax and from rat brain. Work now in progress on the determination of the primary sequence of the 260 kDa subunit through the cloning and sequencing of the muscle message should shed further light on the relationship between these unique voltage-sensitive sodium channels.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Purification and functional reconstitution of the voltage-sensitive sodium channel from rabbit T-tubular membranes.

The voltage-sensitive sodium channel has been purified from rabbit T-tubular membranes and reconstituted into defined phospholipid vesicles. Membranes enriched in T-tubular elements (specific [3H]nitrendipine binding = 41 +/- 9 pmol/mg of protein, n = 7) were isolated from fast skeletal muscle. After solubilization with Nonidet P-40, the sodium channel protein was purified to greater than 95% of theoretical homogeneity based on the specific activity of [3H]saxitoxin binding. Two subunits of Mr approximately 260,000 and 38,000 were found; these bands co-distributed with the peak of [3H]saxitoxin binding on sucrose gradients. The purified protein was reconstituted into egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles and retained the ability to gate specific 22Na+ influx in response to activation by batrachotoxin or veratridine. All activated fluxes were blocked by saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin. On sucrose gradients, the distribution of protein capable of functional channel activity paralleled the distribution of specific [3H]saxitoxin binding and of the Mr 260,000 and 38,000 components. The cation selectivity for the reconstituted, batrachotoxin-activated channel was Na+ greater than K+ greater than Rb+ greater than Cs+, with flux ratios of 1:0.13:0.02:0.008. Nine of 25 monoclonal antibodies raised against the rat sarcolemmal sodium channel cross-reacted with the rabbit T-tubular sodium channel in a solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Six of these antibodies showed specific binding to immunoblot transfers of T-tubular membrane proteins. Each labeled a single band at Mr approximately 260,000 corresponding in mobility to the large subunit of the sodium channel.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Transmembrane calcium movement in 20,25-diazacholesterol myotonia.

An abnormality in myoplasmic Ca2+ regulation has frequently been proposed in 20,25-diazacholesterol (20,25-D) myotonia. We report here the results of several studies of transmembrane Ca2+ movement in this animal model. (i) Physiologic Ca2+ release by intact sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was examined in chemically skinned single muscle fibers preloaded in EGTA-buffered Ca2+ solutions (pCa2+7.0 to 6.4). Isometric tension development and Ca2+ release thresholds in response to Cl- or caffeine showed no differences between control and 20,25-D fibers at any pCa2+. (ii) The kinetics of energy-dependent Ca2+ accumulation in purified SR vesicles were followed spectrophotometrically using Ca2+-sensitive dyes. The apparent rate for ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake and Ca2+ sequestering capacity were unchanged in SR from 20,25-D animals vs. controls. (iii) Surface membrane Ca2+ATPase activity was measured in red blood cell ghosts and sarcolemma. Enzyme Vmax was decreased by 25 to 50% in both membranes in the 20,25-D-treated animals with a compensatory increase in the number of Ca2+ATPase molecules. In general, the SR handling of Ca2+ appears normal in 20,25-D myotonia, although the activity of Ca2+ATPase in membranes with high sterol content may be altered in response to changes in the lipid environment in this model.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1984

Monoclonal antibodies against the voltage-sensitive Na+ channel from mammalian skeletal muscle.

A panel of 13 monoclonal antibodies against the voltage-sensitive Na+ channel of rat skeletal muscle has been characterized. Each of these antibodies reacted with the purified Na+ channel protein in a solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Nine antibodies specifically immunoprecipitated the Na+ channel in a form that retained its characteristic high affinity for saxitoxin, and 11 recognized the channel in a crude mixture of solubilized membrane proteins separated on a Sepharose CL-6B column. Six antibodies specifically labeled skeletal muscle in immunofluorescence techniques. In each case, antibody was localized only to the surface membrane of the muscle fibers. Eleven antibodies produced detectable reaction on immunoblot transfers of sarcolemmal membrane proteins; each of these bound to a diffuse 160- to 200-kDa band that comigrated with the large glycoprotein subunit of the purified Na+ channel. Further studies were carried out with one of these antibodies, L/D3. In immunoblots of a glycoprotein fraction prepared from muscle that had been homogenized rapidly in a solution containing detergent, EGTA, and protease inhibitors, L/D3 recognized only a single 260-kDa band. Incubation of solubilized muscle proteins at 4 degrees C for 24 hr without EGTA prior to isolation of the glycoprotein fraction resulted in partial conversion of this 260-kDa component to a smaller component between 160 and 200 kDa that comigrated with the principal immunoreactive component of sarcolemma. Based on its immunoreactivity with monoclonal antibodies, the large subunit of the rat skeletal muscle Na+ channel appears to be approximately equal to 260 kDa in its native state but may be sensitive to proteolysis during the isolation of sarcolemmal membranes.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Cation selectivity characteristics of the reconstituted voltage-dependent sodium channel purified from rat skeletal muscle sarcolemma.

In this report, the alkali metal cation selectivity of the purified, voltage-dependent sodium channel from rat skeletal muscle is described. Isolated sodium channel protein (980-2840 pmol of saxitoxin binding/mg of protein) was reconstituted into egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles, and channels were subsequently activated by either batrachotoxin (5 X 10(-6) M) or veratridine (5 X 10(-4) M). Activation of the reconstituted sodium channel by batrachotoxin permitted rapid specific influx of cations into channel-containing vesicles. Quenched flow kinetic techniques were adapted to allow resolution of the kinetics of cation movement. Uptake rates for 42K+, 86Rb+, and 137Cs+ were measured directly and half-times for equilibration at 18 degrees C were determined to be 350 ms, 2.5 s, and 10 s, respectively, in this vesicle population. 22Na+ equilibration occurred within the mimimum quenching time of the apparatus (90 ms) but an upper limit of 50 ms at 18 degrees C could be assigned to its half-time. Based on this upper estimate for Na+, cation selectivity ratios of the batrachotoxin-activated channel were Na+ (1):K+ (0.14):Rb+ (0.02):Cs+ (0.005). Toxin-stimulated influx could be blocked by saxitoxin with a Ki of approximately 5 X 10(-9) M at 18 degrees C. Rates of cation movement through veratridine-activated channels were much slower, with half-times of 1.0, 1.2, 2.0, and 2.6 min at 36 degrees C for Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+, respectively. The temperature dependences of batrachotoxin and veratridine-stimulated cation uptake were markedly different. The activation energies for 86Rb+ and 137Cs+ movement into batrachotoxin-activated vesicles were 7.6 and 6.1 kcal/mol, respectively, while comparable measurements for these two cations in veratridine-activated vesicles yielded activation energies of 31 kcal/mol. Measurements of cation exchange with batrachotoxin-activated channels may reflect characteristics of an open sodium channel while the process of channel opening itself may be rate-limiting when veratridine is used for activation.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Protein components of the purified sodium channel from rat skeletal muscle sarcolemma.

Sensitive detection systems have been used to study the protein components of the sodium channel purified from rat skeletal muscle sarcolemma. This functional, purified sodium channel contains at least three subunits on 7-20% gradient sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: a large glycoprotein which migrates anomalously in the high-molecular-weight range, a 45,000 molecular weight polypeptide, and a third protein often seen as a doublet at 38,000. The large glycoprotein runs as a diffuse band and stains very poorly with Coomassie blue, but is adequately visualized with silver staining or iodination followed by autoradiography. This glycoprotein exhibits anomalous electrophoretic behavior in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. The apparent molecular weight of the center of the band varies from approximately 230,000 on 13% acrylamide gels to approximately 130,000 on 5% gels; on 7-20% gradient gels a value of 160,000 is found. Plots of relative migration versus gel concentration suggest an unusually high apparent free solution mobility. Lectin binding to purified channel peptides separated by gel electrophoresis indicates that the large glycoprotein is the only subunit that binds either concanavalin A or wheat germ agglutinin, and this component has high binding capacity for both lectins. The smaller channel components run consistently at 45,000 and 38,000 molecular weight in a variety of gel systems and do not appear to be glycosylated.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Sarcolemmal desmosterol accumulation and membrane physical properties in 20,25-diazacholesterol myotonia.

In rats treated biweekly with 20,25-diazacholesterol (200 mg/kg orally), the desmosterol level in skeletal muscle sarcolemma increased progressively to about 80% of membrane sterol while total sterol levels remained constant. Following a single oral dose of 20,25-D, the kinetics of desmosterol accumulation and subsequent loss in sarcolemma were more rapid than in whole muscle homogenates. The anisotropy of diphenylhexatriene fluorescence and the calculated microviscosity of the probe's microenvironment decreased significantly with increasing desmosterol levels in a temperature-dependent manner, although fluorescent lifetimes were not altered. Fluorescent probes which localize in more superficial regions of the membrane detected no change. Studies with erythrocyte ghost membranes yielded results comparable to sarcolemma. Replacement of membrane yielded results comparable to sarcolemma. Replacement of membrane cholesterol with desmosterol reduced the local microviscosity of membrane cholesterol with desmosterol reduced the local microviscosity of the membrane hydrophobic region associated with phospholipid acyl chains and sterol side chains, but had little apparent effect on more superficial, polar regions. These observations can be correlated with the membrane location of the unsaturated side chain in desmosterol.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Functional reconstitution of the purified sodium channel protein from rat sarcolemma.

The purified saxitoxin (STX) binding component of the rat sarcolemmal sodium channel (SBC) has been reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles. The reconstituted SBC displays the pharmacological properties and the ability to control sodium fluxes expected of a functional sodium channel. Batrachotoxin (BTX) increases 22Na+ influx into reconstituted SBC vesicles by greater than 100% over control at early time points. The BTX-stimulated 22Na+ influx is specifically and quantitatively blocked by STX. Veratridine and aconitine also stimulate Na+-flux--although less effectively than BTX--in the order: BTX greater than veratridine greater than aconitine. The logarithmic dose--response curves for BTX and veratridine are sigmoidal with a K0.5 of 1.5 microM and 35 microM, respectively. Vesicles containing the reconstituted SBC demonstrate 3H-labeled STX binding to a single class of high affinity sites witha Kd of 5--7 nM at 0 degrees C; the thermal stability of the STX receptor is markedly enhanced by reconstitution. Our results confirm that the purified STX binding component from rat sarcolemma constitutes the sodium channel itself and contains at least those components sufficient for channel activation, transmembrane ion movement, and inhibition by STX.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

A mechanistic approach to the myotonic syndromes.

The electrical characteristics of myotonia in skeletal muscle appear remarkably similar in a variety of natural disorders and animal models. Recent experimental work has made it clear, however, that the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying these myotonic discharges can be quite different. A mechanistic classification that subdivides these disorders into groups sharing common pathophysiologic features may provide additional insight into their pathogenesis. This article will review our knowledge of myotonic mechanisms and propose one approach to such a classification.

Animals↗