Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 8, 1181-1193, Copyright © 1988 by Society for Neuroscience
Egg-laying hormone, serotonin, and cyclic nucleotide modulation of ionic currents in the identified motoneuron B16 of Aplysia
MD Kirk, R Taussig and RH Scheller
Department of Biology, Boston University, Massachusetts 02215.
We have used the 2-electrode voltage-clamp technique to analyze the effects
of the neuropeptide, egg-laying hormone (ELH), and the biogenic amine 5-HT
on ionic currents in the buccal motoneuron B16 of Aplysia. When B16 is
voltage-clamped near resting membrane potential, bath- applied ELH induces
a prolonged inward shift in holding current. The ELH-induced inward current
is not due to a decrease in the transient, the delayed, or the
calcium-activated potassium currents. Current- voltage measurements, along
with ion substitution and channel-blocking experiments, indicate that ELH
primarily induces or increases a voltage- dependent slow inward current
carried by sodium. Serotonin also causes a prolonged inward shift in
holding current in B16. Like ELH, 5-HT induces or enhances the
voltage-dependent inward current carried by sodium. In addition, 5-HT
increases an inwardly rectifying potassium current, and, in some
preparations, decreases an outward current that is activated when the cell
is depolarized to -40 mV and above. None of the currents modulated by ELH
or by 5-HT are affected by 200 microM ouabain or by reducing extracellular
chloride concentration. Extracellular application of isobutylmethylxanthine
(IBMX), forskolin, 8-bromo-cAMP and 8-bromo-cGMP, and intracellular
injection of cAMP elicits the slow inward current carried by sodium. The
inward current response to ELH is blocked by prior application of
8-bromo-cAMP, while, under these conditions, 5-HT continues to elicit the
increase in inward- rectifier potassium current, but decreases the slow
inward sodium current. Serotonin also reduces the slow inward sodium
current when applied after ELH. These results suggest that the modulation
of B16 by ELH may be mediated entirely by either cAMP or cGMP, while at
least a portion of the response to 5-HT may involve an unidentified second
messenger in addition to cyclic nucleotides.