Title
Maternal Diabetes Increases Small Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ (SK) Currents That Alter Action Potential Properties and Excitability of Cardiac Motoneurons in the Nucleus Ambiguus
Abbreviated Journal Title
J. Neurophysiol.
Keywords
ACTIVATED POTASSIUM CHANNELS; HIPPOCAMPAL PYRAMIDAL CELLS; INTERMEDIATE-CONDUCTANCE; AFTER-HYPERPOLARIZATION; MOLECULAR; DETERMINANTS; BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY; LATERAL AMYGDALA; PURKINJE; NEURONS; TRANSGENIC MICE; NERVOUS-SYSTEM; Neurosciences; Physiology
Abstract
Lin M, Chen QH, Wurster RD, Hatcher JT, Liu YQ, Li L, Harden SW, Cheng ZJ. Maternal diabetes increases small conductance Ca2+ -activated K+ (SK) currents that alter action potential properties and excitability of cardiac motoneurons in the nucleus ambiguus. J Neurophysiol 104: 2125-2138, 2010. First published July 28, 2010; doi: 10.1152/jn.00671.2009. Parasympathetic cardiac motoneurons (PCMNs) in the nucleus ambiguus (NA) play a key role in regulating cardiac functions. In this study, we examined the effects of maternal diabetes on excitability, action potential (AP) properties, and small conductance Ca2+ -activated K+ (SK) currents of PCMNs. Neonatal mice from diabetic (OVE26 female, NMDM) and normal (FVB female, control) mothers that had been mated with nondiabetic fathers (FVB male) were used. Tracer XRITC was injected into the pericardial sac at P7-9 to retrogradely label PCMNs. Two days later, XRITC-labeled PCMNs were identified in brain stem slices. The responses of spike frequency, AP repolarization (half-width) and afterhyperpolarization (AHP) of PCMNs to current injections were studied using whole cell current clamp. Outward and afterhyperpolarization currents (I-AHP) in response to voltage steps were measured using whole cell voltage clamp. In examining the effects of maternal diabetes on excitability and AP properties, we found that in NMDM spike frequency decreased, the half-width and AHP peak amplitude increased, and the peak amplitude of outward transient currents and I-AHP increased compared with those measured in control. In examining the effects of maternal diabetes on SK channels, we found that after blockage of SK channels with a specific SK channel blocker apamin, maternal diabetes significantly increased apamin-sensitive outward transient currents and I-AHP, and suppressed AHP amplitude in NMDM more than those in control. Further, apamin application increased the firing rate to current injections and completely abolished the difference of the firing rate between control and NMDM. We suggest that the augmented SK-mediated currents may contribute to the increased AHP amplitude and the attenuated excitability of PCMNs in NMDM.
Journal Title
Journal of Neurophysiology
Volume
104
Issue/Number
4
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
2125
Last Page
2138
WOS Identifier
ISSN
0022-3077
Recommended Citation
"Maternal Diabetes Increases Small Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ (SK) Currents That Alter Action Potential Properties and Excitability of Cardiac Motoneurons in the Nucleus Ambiguus" (2010). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 443.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/443
Comments
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