Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 7, 1728-1731, Copyright © 1987 by Society for Neuroscience
The Conus toxin geographutoxin IL distinguishes two functional sodium channel subtypes in rat muscle cells developing in vitro
T Gonoi, Y Ohizumi, H Nakamura, J Kobayashi and WA Catterall
Sodium currents in cultured rat muscle cells converted to myoballs by
treatment with colchicine were recorded using a giga-ohm seal voltage-
clamp procedure in the whole-cell configuration. Geographutoxin II (GTX
II), a novel polypeptide toxin from the piscivorous marine snail Conus
geographus, reduces sodium currents in rat myoballs without marked
alteration of the time course or voltage dependence of activation of the
remaining current. Titration of the inhibition of sodium currents by GTX II
showed that, in individual myoballs, a fraction of the sodium current
averaging 49 +/- 9% (SEM) was inhibited by saturating (25 microM)
concentrations of GTX II. The concentration-effect curve fit a
noncooperative, 1:1 binding isotherm with a single KD for GTX II of 19 nM
characteristic of inhibition of the TTX-sensitive sodium channels of adult
rat muscle. Titration of the sodium current remaining in the presence of
2.5 microM GTX II with TTX gave complete inhibition. The dose-response
curve fit a noncooperative, 1:1 binding isotherm with a single KD for TTX
of 1.3 microM characteristic of TTX-insensitive sodium channels of
embryonic muscle. The action of GTX II was not frequency dependent. The
all-or-none inhibition of these 2 sodium channel subtypes by GTX II
suggests substantial structural differences in the region of neurotoxin
receptor site 1 on TTX-sensitive and - insensitive sodium channels and
provides definitive evidence that these 2 sodium channel subtypes function
in parallel in muscle cells developing in the absence of innervation.