Biomedical subjects

A A Carter

Publications and source records attributed to A A Carter.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

Linear prediction and single-channel recording.

The measurement of individual single-channel events arising from the gating of ion channels provides a detailed data set from which the kinetic mechanism of a channel can be deduced. In many cases, the pattern of dwells in the open and closed states is very complex, and the kinetic mechanism and parameters are not easily determined. Assuming a Markov model for channel kinetics, the probability density function for open and closed time dwells should consist of a sum of decaying exponentials. One method of approaching the kinetic analysis of such a system is to determine the number of exponentials and the corresponding parameters which comprise the open and closed dwell time distributions. These can then be compared to the relaxations predicted from the kinetic model to determine, where possible, the kinetic constants. We report here the use of a linear technique, linear prediction/singular value decomposition, to determine the number of exponentials and the exponential parameters. Using simulated distributions and comparing with standard maximum-likelihood analysis, the singular value decomposition techniques provide advantages in some situations and are a useful adjunct to other single-channel analysis techniques.

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PubMed1993

Channel blocking properties of a series of nicotinic cholinergic agonists.

Inhibition of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) by channel blockade has been demonstrated with a variety of large organic cations, including several nicotinic agonists. We have studied the kinetics of channel blocking of a series of agonists which vary systematically in size and hydrophobicity due to a hydrocarbon chain from one to six carbons in length, as well as one agonist with a tertiary isomer of one hydrocarbon chain. Single-channel recording was used in combination with three different analysis techniques for determining the kinetic and equilibrium parameters of channel blockade. With an increasing number of methylenes, the blocking rates were essentially constant and the unblocking rates decreased exponentially. This is consistent with studies of the blocking properties of alcohols at the nAChR channel. Also, a linear decrease in the depth to which the larger agonists penetrate the membrane spanning region of the channel was observed. The three smaller agonists, however, all traverse approximately 75% of the membrane field, in agreement with previous measurements of the location of the narrowest region of the channel, the selectivity filter.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Analysis of cyclic and acyclic nicotinic cholinergic agonists using radioligand binding, single channel recording, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The relationship between the structure and function of a series of nicotinic cholinergic agonists has been studied using radioligand binding, single channel recording, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The cyclic compound 1,1-dimethyl-4-acetylpiperazinium iodide and its trifluoromethyl analogue (F3-PIP) interact with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) from both Torpedo electroplaque and BC3H-1 cells at lower concentrations than the acyclic derivatives, N,N,N,N'-tetramethyl-N'-acetylethylenediamine iodide and its fluorinated analogue (F3-TED). The magnitude of the difference in potencies depends on the type of measurement. In binding experiments, the differences between the two classes of compounds depends mainly on the conditions of the experiment. In measurements of the initial interaction with the nAChR, the PIP compounds have an affinity approximately one order of magnitude higher than that of the TED compounds. Longer incubations indicated that the PIP compounds were able to induce a time-dependent shift in receptor affinity consistent with desensitization, whereas the TED compounds were unable to induce such a shift. The activation of single channel currents by the cyclic compounds occurs at concentrations approximately two orders of magnitude lower than for the acyclic compounds, but the TED compounds exhibit a larger degree of channel blockade than the PIP compounds. Previous work (McGroddy, K.A., and R.E. Oswald. 1992. Biophys. J. 64:314-324) has shown that the TED compounds can exist in two energetically distinct conformational states related by an isomerization of the amide bond. 19F nuclear magnetic resonance experiments suggest that the higher energy population of the TED compounds may interact preferentially with the ACh binding sites on the nAChRs and that a significant fraction of the difference between the initial affinity of the PIP and TED compounds may be accounted for by the predominance in solution of a conformational state less able to interact with the ACh binding sites on nAChRs.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Diffusion model in ion channel gating. Extension to agonist-activated ion channels.

Previously, we described a model which treats ion channel gating as a discrete diffusion problem. In the case of agonist-activated channels at high agonist concentration, the model predicts that the closed lifetime probability density function from single channel recording approximates a power law with an exponent of -3/2 (Millhauser, G. L., E. E. Salpeter, and R. E. Oswald. 1988a. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 85: 1503-1507). This prediction is consistent with distributions derived from a number of ligand-gated channels at high agonist concentration (Millhauser, G. L., E. E. Salpeter, and R. E. Oswald. 1988b. Biophys. J. 54: 1165-1168.) but does not describe the behavior of ion channels at low activator concentrations. We examine here an extension of this model to include an agonist binding step. This extended model is consistent with the closed time distributions generated from the BC3H-1 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor for agonist concentrations varying over three orders of magnitude.

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