PROPERTIES of R-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID ACTIVATED CHLORIDE CHANNELS in MAMMALIAN NEURONES by Claire Fiona Newland a Thesis Subm Itted
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PROPERTIES OF r-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID ACTIVATED CHLORIDE CHANNELS IN MAMMALIAN NEURONES b y Claire Fiona Newland A Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of London. Department of Pharmacology University College London Supervisors: Dr. S. G. Cull-Candy & Prof. D. Colquhoun, FRS. 1990 1 ProQuest Number: 10609808 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10609808 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT GABA a receptor-channels in dissociated rat sympathetic ganglion neurones have been studied by conventional patch clamp techniques, with both whole-cell and outside-out patch configurations* T hese GABA a receptor-channels are shown to be pharmacologically similar to those of mammalian central neurones, being inhibited by bicuculline, picrotoxin, picrotoxinin and penicillin, and potentiated by pentobarbitone. Furthermore, peripheral GABAA-channels resemble central ones in their cur rent-voltage relationship (whole-cell and Bingle-channel) and in the voltage-dependence of their kinetic properties (noise an aly sis). The mechanism of action of the well established GABA a antagonist, picrotoxin, has been further investigated in these neurones. The effects of picrotoxin on GABA noise, on the GABA current-voltage relationship, and on single-channel currents have been considered. Also the rate of onset of block by picrotoxin was found to be ’use-dependent*. Based on these results and previous reports, the mechanism of action of picrotoxin appears to be a complex channel block rather than an open channel block, as originally proposed. The analysis of GABA a single-channel currents evoked by high concentrations of GABA has provided basic information about the kinetic behaviour of this receptor-channel in rat superior cervical ganglion neurones. Analysis of the ’probability of being open’ of these channels has revealed kinetic heterogeneity, which was not apparent from previously reported single-channel analysis employing low agonist concentrations. Randomization testing of observed and simulated single-channel activity (simulated activity of identical and independent channels) verify that this kinetic heterogeneity was a reed phenomenon. The most frequently observed conductance level of the GABA a receptor-channels in these neurones (measured from single-channel currents) was approximately 30pS (at room temperature). Conductance levels of 15-18pS and 22-23pS were also common, while conductance levels of 33-36pS and 7-9pS were occasionally, but reliably observed. Increasing the temperature or reducing the pH, increased the amplitude of the most frequently occurring conductance level. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page number ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................6 LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................................6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 8 1. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................9 2. METHODS 2 .1 Preparation of dissociated c e lls ........................................................................ 10 2 .2 Electrophysiological recording .............................................................................10 2 .3 Ionophoretic application of GABA ........................................................................ 11 2 .4 Analysis of whole-cell current noise . ...................................................... 12 2 .5 Analysis of single-channel data 2 .5 .1 Shut time, open time and burst length distributions..........................13 2 .5 .2 Probability of being open ................................................................................... 14 2 .5 .3 Amplitude distributions........................................................................................14 2 .5 .4 Pandomiza ti on tes t ...................................................................................................15 3. MECHANISM OF ACTION OF PICROTOXIN ON GABA a RECEPTOR-CHANNELS IN SYMPA THETIC NEURONES OF THE RAT 3.1 SUMMARY............................................................................................................................... 18 3 .2 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 20 RESULTS 3 .3 Influence of picrotoxin on GABA current no ise............................................. 22 3 .4 Picrotoxin on whole-cell current-voltage relationship ............................28 3 .5 Single-channel burst-length and opening frequency 3 .5 .1 Distributions of shut tim es...............................................................................28 3 .5 .2 Distributions of burst lengths........................................................................35 3 .5 .3 Integrated open-time .............................................................................................. 36 3 .6 Rate of onset of block by picrotoxin ................................................................. 37 DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................. 44 3.7 General properties of GABA A receptoi—channels ................................................ 44 3 .8 Possible mechanisms of action o f picrotoxin on GABAk receptor- channels 3 .8 .1 Simple open channel block .................................................................................. 46 Intermediate dissociation ra te ........................................................................48 Page number Rapid dissociation ra te ....................................................................................... 48 Slow dissociation ra te ..........................................................................................49 3 .8 .2 Complex channel block ............................................................................................52 3 .8 .3 Combination of mechanisms................................................................................... 54 4. GABA a receptor - channels in rat superior cervical ganglion NEURONES ACTIVATED BY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF GABA 4.1 SUPMARY............................................................................................................................... 57 4 .2 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 59 RESULTS 4.3 Basic features of responses to high concentrations of GABA . .60 4.4 Multiple conductance sta te s................................................................................... 63 4.5 Probability of being open as a function of GABA concentration 4 .5 .1 Shut time distribution and choice of critical gap length . .72 4 .5 .2 Intracluster shut tim es........................................................................................73 4 .5 .3 Estimates of pQ curves..........................................................................................75 4 .5 .4 Expected spread of pQ for a homogeneous population of receptor- channels........................................................................................................................................ 75 4 .5 .5 Effect of ^ on the estimation of p ^ ...........................................................81 4 .5 .6 Two channels active simultaneously............................................................... 81 4 .6 Randomization test for heterogeneity of bursts......................................... 84 4.7 Whole-cell dose-response relationship .............................................................87 4 .8 Effect of guanosine 5 ’-triphosphate (GTP) .................................................... 90 4 .9 Effect of adenosine 5 ’-triphosphate and pentobarbitone ....................... 93 DISCUSSION 4.10 Multipie conductance sta te s.................................................................................97 4.11 Heterogeneous properties o f GABAA receptors in rat sympathetic n e u r o n e s.................................................................................................................................... 100 4.12 General features of the pQ curve....................................................................103 4.13 Possible intracellular modulation of GABAA receptoi—channels . .105 5. SOME GENERAL PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GABA a RECEPTOR-CHANNELS