Identified ion channels in the squid nervous system.

Our modern understanding of channels as discrete voltage-sensitive and ion-selective entities comes largely from a series of classical studies using the squid giant axon. This system has also been critical for understanding how transporters and synaptic transmission operate. This review outlines attempts to assign molecular identities to the extensively studied physiological properties of this system. As it turns out, this is no simple task. Molecular candidates for voltage-gated Na(+), K(+), and Ca(2+) channels, as well as ion transporters have been isolated from the squid nervous system. Both physiological and molecular approaches have been used to equate these cloned gene products with their native counterparts. In the case of the delayed rectifier K(+) conductance, the most thoroughly studied example, two major issues further complicate the equation. First, the ability of K(+) channel monomers to form heteromultimers with unique properties must be considered. Second, squid K(+) channel mRNAs are extensively edited, a process that can generate a wide variety of channel proteins from a common gene. The giant axon system is beginning to play an important role in understanding the biological relevance of this latter process.

Natural substitutions at highly conserved T1-domain residues perturb processing and functional expression of squid Kv1 channels.

Shaker-type K-channel alpha-subunits (SqKv1A, B, D) expressed in neurons of the squid stellate ganglion differ in the length of their N-termini and in the species of amino acid present at several points in the T1 domain, an intracellular region involved in the tetramerization process during channel assembly. Heterologous expression of wild-type SqKv1A, B, and D in Xenopus oocytes reveals large differences in the level of both functional channels (assayed by whole-oocyte voltage clamp) and total channel protein (assayed by immunoblotting). Functional expression is poorest with SqKv1A and by far the best with SqKv1D. Biophysical properties of the three SqKv1 channels are essentially identical (assayed by cell-attached patch clamp). Site-directed mutagenesis was used to determine whether the observed differences in expression level are impacted by two residues in the T1 domain at which SqKv1A and B (but not D) differ from the consensus sequences found in many other taxa. In SqKv1A, glycine is substituted for arginine in an otherwise universally conserved sequence (FFDR in the T1(B) subdomain). In SqKv1B, glycine replaces serine in a sequence that is conserved within the Kv1 subfamily (SGLR in the T1(A) subdomain). Restoration of the consensus amino acid at these positions largely accounts for the observed differences in expression level. Analysis of the glycosylation state of aberrant versus restored alpha-subunits suggests that the anomalous amino acids in SqKv1A and B exert their influence during early steps in channel processing and assembly which take place in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).

Seasonal variation in conduction velocity of action potentials in squid giant axons.

To determine whether the electrical properties of the squid giant axon are seasonally acclimated, action potentials, recorded at different temperatures, were compared between giant axons isolated from Loligo pealei caught in May, from relatively cold waters (approximately 10 degrees-12 degrees C), and in August, from relatively warm waters (approximately 20 degrees C). Parameters relating to the duration of the action potential (e.g., maximum rate of rise, maximum rate of fall, and duration at half-peak) did not change seasonally. The relationship between conduction velocity and temperature remained constant between seasons as well, in spite of the fact that May axons were significantly larger than August axons. When normalized to the fiber diameter, mean May conduction velocities were 83% of the August values at all temperatures tested, and analysis of the rise time of the action potential foot suggested that a change in the axoplasmic resistivity was responsible for this difference. Direct measurements of axoplasmic resistance further supported this hypothesis. Thus seasonal changes in the giant axon's size and resistivity are not consistent with compensatory thermal acclimation, but instead serve to maintain a constant relationship between conduction velocity and temperature.

A family of delayed rectifier Kv1 cDNAs showing cell type-specific expression in the squid stellate ganglion/giant fiber lobe complex.

Squid giant axons are formed by giant fiber lobe (GFL) neurons of the stellate ganglion (SG). Other large motoneurons in the SG form a parallel system. A small family of cDNAs (SqKv1A-D) encoding Kv1 alpha-subunits was identified in a squid (Loligo opalescens) SG/GFL library. Members have distinct 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) and initial coding regions, but beyond a certain point (nucleotide 34 of SqKv1A) only nine differences exist. 3' UTRs are identical. Predicted alpha-subunits are nearly identical, and only the N termini differ significantly, primarily in length. RNase protection assays that use RNA isolated from specific SG regions show that SqKv1A mRNA is expressed prominently in the GFL but not in the SG proper. SqKv1B yields the opposite pattern. SqKv1D also is expressed only in the SG. SqKv1C expression was not detectable. In situ hybridizations confirm these results and reveal that SqKv1B mRNA is abundant in many large neurons of the SG, whereas SqKv1D expression is limited to small isolated clusters of neurons. SqKv1A and B are thus the predominant Kv1 mRNAs in the SG/GFL complex. Activation properties of SqKv1A and B channels expressed in oocytes are very similar to one another and compare favorably with properties of native delayed rectifier channels in GFL neurons and large SG neurons. The Kv1 complement in these squid neurons thus seems to be relatively simple. Several differences exist between cloned and native channels, however, and may reflect differences in the cellular environments of oocytes and neurons.

Fast inactivation of delayed rectifier K conductance in squid giant axon and its cell bodies.

Inactivation of delayed rectifier K conductance (gk) was studied in squid giant axons and in the somata of giant fiber lobe (GFL) neurons. Axon measurements were made with an axial wire voltage clamp by pulsing to VK (approximately -10 mV in 50-70 mM external K) for a variable time and then assaying available gK with a strong, brief test pulse. GFL cells were studied with whole-cell patch clamp using the same prepulse procedure as well as with long depolarizations. Under our experimental conditions (12-18 degrees C, 4 mM internal MgATP) a large fraction of gK inactivates within 250 ms at -10 mV in both cell bodies and axons, although inactivation tends to be more complete in cell bodies. Inactivation in both preparations shows two kinetic components. The faster component is more temperature-sensitive and becomes very prominent above 12 degrees C. Contribution of the fast component to inactivation shows a similar voltage dependence to that of gK, suggesting a strong coupling of this inactivation path to the open state. Omission of internal MgATP or application of internal protease reduces the amount of fast inactivation. High external K decreases the amount of rapidly inactivating IK but does not greatly alter inactivation kinetics. Neither external nor internal tetraethylammonium has a marked effect on inactivation kinetics. Squid delayed rectifier K channels in GFL cell bodies and giant axons thus share complex fast inactivation properties that do not closely resemble those associated with either C-type or N-type inactivation of cloned Kvl channels studied in heterologous expression systems.

Molecular identification of SqKv1A. A candidate for the delayed rectifier K channel in squid giant axon.

We have cloned the cDNA for a squid Kvl potassium channel (SqKv1A). SqKv1A mRNA is selectively expressed in giant fiber lobe (GFL) neurons, the somata of the giant axons. Western blots detect two forms of SqKv1A in both GFL neuron and giant axon samples. Functional properties of SqKv1A currents expressed in Xenopus oocytes are very similar to macroscopic currents in GFL neurons and giant axons. Macroscopic K currents in GFL neuron cell bodies, giant axons, and in Xenopus oocytes expressing SqKv1A, activate rapidly and inactivate incompletely over a time course of several hundred ms. Oocytes injected with SqKv1A cRNA express channels of two conductance classes, estimated to be 13 and 20 pS in an internal solution containing 470 mM K. SqKv1A is thus a good candidate for the "20 pS" K channel that accounts for the majority of rapidly activating K conductance in both GFL neuron cell bodies and the giant axon.

Amino acid sequence of a putative sodium channel expressed in the giant axon of the squid Loligo opalescens.

A full-length cDNA encoding a putative Na+ channel (GFLN1) has been cloned from a library prepared from the stellate ganglion of Loligo opalescens. The cDNA encodes a predicted protein of 1784 amino acids. Regions of the GFLN1 protein with defined functional importance (membrane span S4, the SS1 and SS2 segments, and interdomain III-IV) are highly conserved among all vertebrate Na+ channel alpha-subunit structures. Northern blot hybridization and RNase protection assays verify that mRNA corresponding to GFLN1 is expressed in neurons of the giant fiber lobe that form the giant axon. We propose that GFLN1 encodes the Na+ channel that has been extensively studied in the squid axon.

The contribution of general practice to medical education: expectations and fulfillment.

The aim of this study was to discover what students expected to learn during their fourth-year general practice attachment, to compare this with their GP tutors' expectations and to determine the extent to which the students' expectations were fulfilled. Questionnaires were used to gather this information; students completed them on the first and last days of the 4-week attachment and tutors shortly after the attachment. Students and their tutors had the highest expectations of the course in helping to raise awareness of the psychological and social aspects of ill health and develop clinical decision-making and management skills. At the end of the course students thought that they had gained most in these areas. Both students and tutors had lower expectations of the course helping to develop physical examination and practical skills and to improve knowledge in certain clinical areas. These were also rated lowest in terms of fulfillment. This study was carried out at a time when it is being suggested that more undergraduate teaching should take place in general practice and that this could include the teaching of practical skills and clinical subjects traditionally associated with hospital-based teaching. The results suggest that the expectations of students and GP tutors would need to be modified, as well as extra resources provided, if there is to be a shift in teaching towards the community.

The radiological accident in Goiânia: the initial remedial actions.

The removal of a 50.9-TBq 137Cs source from a radiation therapy facility in Goiânia gave rise to a radiological accident in September 1987 whose proportions were aggravated by the 16-d interval from the beginning of a series of acts that resulted in the contamination of people and areas, to the moment of identification and seeking of aid. Data gathered from the declarations of persons involved in the accident, matched with the medical assessment and radiation monitoring of areas affected, made it possible to determine procedures for care of victims and for decontaminating operations of these areas. The priorities of these procedures were to provide care to victims and eliminate critical paths by which other persons might be affected by exposure to radiation or contamination. This paper presents (1) remedial actions taken during the first weeks, (2) management problems associated with the accident, and (3) lessons learned from this episode that are of benefit to us and, hopefully, to others.

Lipid shape as a determinant of lipid composition in Clostridium butyricum. The effects of incorporation of various fatty acids on the ratios of the major ether lipids.

The lipid composition of Clostridium butyricum is strongly influenced by the aliphatic chain compositions of the membrane lipids. Growth on cis-monounsaturated fatty acids in the absence of biotin was shown to affect the relative proportions of phosphatidylethanolamine, plasmenylethanolamine, and the glycerol acetal of plasmenylethanolamine most strongly, with smaller effects on the acidic lipids, phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin. The ratio of the glycerol acetal of plasmenylethanolamine to total phosphatidylethanolamine in cells grown on a series of fatty acids is shown to decrease in the following order; cis-vaccenic acid greater than or equal to oleic acid = C19-cyclopropane fatty acid greater than linoleic acid greater than petroselinic acid greater than elaidic acid greater than 14-methylhexadecanoic acid (anteiso-C17) greater than 12-methyltridecanoic acid (iso-C14). All fatty acids were extensively incorporated into the lipid acyl, alkenyl, and alkyl chains. There was considerable chain-elongation of the iso-C14 to iso-C16. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the membrane lipid composition is strongly influenced by lipid shape and that the observed changes in lipid composition serve to stabilize the bilayer arrangement of the cell membrane.