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C C Ashley

Publications and source records attributed to C C Ashley.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Comparative aspects of the calcium-sensitive photoproteins aequorin and obelin.

1. The calcium-dependency of the process of light emission has been investigated for the photoproteins aequorin and obelin. 2. The experimental curves of light production, expressed as a percentage of the maximal rate of utilisation, versus pCa are accurately predicted by the cooperative action of at least 2Ca-2+ for aequorin and at least 3Ca-2+ for obelin. 3. At low total monovalent cation concentrations, a pH change from 6.8 to 7.1 shifts the light production vs pCa curve by approx. 0.2 pCa units to the right for aequorin, while that for obelin is shifted by some 0.37 pCa units. 4. Other monovalent cations, such as Na+ are able to compete with Ca-2+ for the active sites of aequorin and also shift the light production vs pCa curve to the right. There is no apparent change in the calcium stoichiometry for light production under these conditions. 5. The same calcium stoichiometry for light emission was also obtained for aequorin or obelin in the presence of either unbuffered Ca-2+ solutions or of calcium/EGTA buffers.

Aequorin↗
PubMed1974

Calcium movements in single crustacean muscle fibres.

1. Internal microinjection of the Ca-sensitive photoprotein aequorin or the isotope (45)Ca have been used to assess Ca movements in single muscle fibres from the barnacle Balanus nubilus and the crab Maia squinado.2. Progressive isosomotic replacement of external Na by Li, choline, sucrose or Tris was associated with a rapid increase in the level of light emission from internally injected aequorin. This response was dependent upon the presence of external Ca. The light output was maximal for Na concentrations < 50 mM in the replaced salines, while Na concentrations > 350 mM produced no apparent increase in the resting light emission.3. If the Ca concentration in the external saline was altered, no effect was observed in Na replaced salines when the Ca concentration was < 1 mM, but maximal effects were observed at concentrations of Ca of ca. 100 mM.4. The increased light emission from aequorin in Na-replaced salines was substantially inhibited by 1 mM-La(3+) applied externally, but not by N-ethyl maleimide (NEM), propanolol or D-600.5. Following microinjection of (45)Ca and 2 hr equilibration, the residual efflux of Ca was shown to be sensitive to the removal of external Ca and Na, the extent of each component being variable.6. The Na-sensitive Ca efflux was partially inhibited by external La(3+) (1 mM), but not by high concentrations of Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Mn(2+) or Co(2+). It was stimulated by NEM and ethacrynic acid, which was considered to be due to an indirect effect upon the sarcoplasmic reticulum.7. It is concluded that Ca movements in these single crustacean muscle fibres involve Na gradients and a Ca: Ca exchange and from the relative insensitivity of Ca movements to various inhibitors, in contrast to the Mg system, it seems that there may be two independent modes for divalent cation transport in this preparation.

Animals↗
PubMed1972

The efflux of calcium from single crab and barnacle muscle fibres.

1. The efflux of calcium, as the isotope (45)Ca, has been investigated from single muscle fibres from the barnacle Balanus nubilus and from the crab Maia squinado.2. If the isotope was initially injected with sufficient calcium (5-65 mM) to cause a contraction, the efflux did not follow first order kinetics. There was an early rapid phase which reached a peak after 5-10 min and then declined slowly over a period of 50-150 min to a low residual value.3. Injection of the isotope with the calcium-binding agent EGTA, so that the injected free calcium concentration was ca. 2 x 10(-8)M, abolished the initial rapid loss of calcium. The efflux rose to give a steady value after 10-15 min and its magnitude was similar to the value of the residual efflux.4. The rate constant for the low residual loss was ca. 7 x 10(-4) min(-1) for Maia and ca. 17 x 10(-4) min(-1) for Balanus. The rate constant predicted a calcium efflux of 0.4 p-mole/cm(2).sec for Maia and 1-2 p-mole/cm(2).sec for Balanus at 16-25 degrees C based on the total fibre calcium concentration.5. The residual calcium efflux was not affected by 0.5 mM ouabain or 0 potassium salines applied externally. It was stimulated, some 10-15 times in Maia and to a lesser extent in Balanus, by salines containing 600 mM potassium or 2-5 mM caffeine. The increased efflux was associated with a brisk contraction.6. External application of salines containing 20, 40 or 60 mM potassium or 0.5 mM caffeine in Maia produced some stimulation of the residual efflux but no visible contraction.7. Pre-treatment of Maia fibres with 40 mM potassium or 0.5 mM caffeine salines abolished the ability of the fibres to respond to higher concentrations of these agents. A depletion of a releasable calcium fraction by these subthreshold stimuli could explain this phenomenon.8. Electrical stimulation, the injection of 50 mM calcium chloride or 50 mM caffeine produced an elevated calcium efflux which was associated with a contraction.9. Intracellular injections of EGTA only lowered the residual efflux by up to half its initial value. This suggests that calcium can be released rapidly within these muscle fibres and that the sarcoplasmic calcium concentration is not much altered from its normal value by the injection.10. The experiments suggest that in Maia, changes in the calcium efflux reflect in magnitude, but not in time course, the internal calcium changes which can be observed with the calcium-sensitive protein, aequorin.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1972

The efflux of magnesium from single crustacean muscle fibres.

1. In the large single muscle fibres from the barnacle Balanus nubilus, the total fibre Mg concentration was estimated as 15.1 m-mole/kg wet wt., of which about 3-3.5 m-mole/kg wet wt. was extracellular. The diffusible Mg, measured by internal sampling, was 11.5 m-mole/kg wet wt., of which at least half may be complexed to larger diffusible molecules. The free ionized Mg level was estimated as < 5 m-mole/kg wet wt.2. The loss of [(28)Mg]MgCl(2) from both Maia and Balanus muscle fibres following axial micro-injection approximated to first-order kinetics. The maximum rate constant for the loss was 1.51 +/- 0.20 (S.E.) x 10(-5) sec(-1) for Balanus (sixty-seven fibres) and 1.06 +/- 0.46 (S.E.) x 10(-5) sec(-1) for Maia (seven fibres) at 20-25 degrees C.3. The calculated Mg efflux was in the range 6-12 p-mole/cm(2).sec based on this rate constant, assuming isotopic equilibration internally and that the surface area of the fibres approximated to that of a simple cylinder. If account was taken of the area of the cleft system the efflux was reduced by about fifteen times.4. The diffusion coefficient for injected (28)Mg was estimated as 2-3 x 10(-6) cm(2) sec(-1), about half the value in free solution. Injections of 2 M-MgCl(2) or 200 mM-EDTA subsequent to the injection of the isotope caused about a 30% reduction in the tracer efflux.5. External application of salines containing 100 mM-Ca or Mg caused a rapid but reversible inhibition of the magnesium efflux. Similar effects were observed with salines containing 32 mM-Co or Mn chlorides or 1-2 mM-La or Gd chlorides. Polyarginine (200 mug/ml.) had no effect.6. The Mg efflux had a Q(10) of 3-4 over the temperature range of about 5-20 degrees C. It was irreversibly inhibited by the sulphydryl reagent NEM (1 mM), but PCMBS (0.2-2 mM) had no effect. Contractile agents (5 mM caffeine or 200 mM-K salines) and a variety of inhibitors of ion movement or active transport had no appreciable effect on the Mg efflux. Lowering the pH of the saline from 7 to 5 produced a 70% reduction in the efflux which was reversible over short periods of application.7. Replacement of external Na, but not Ca or Mg, with Li, choline or sucrose caused a rapid and partially reversible reduction of the Mg efflux, but increasing the internal Na by micro-injection in zero Na salines had no consistent effect. It is suggested that the extrusion of Mg from these muscle cells is largely dependent upon the inward movement of Na.

Animals↗
PubMed1970

On the relationships between membrane potential, calcium transient and tension in single barnacle muscle fibres.

1. The calcium-sensitive photoprotein aequorin has been used to follow the rapid changes in intracellular calcium concentration that occur during the contraction of single muscle fibres from the barnacle Balanus nubilus, Darwin.2. The transient change in calcium-mediated light emission (calcium transient) and the changes in membrane potential and tension were recorded simultaneously, thus permitting an examination of the relationships between the chemical, electrical, and mechanical events of excitation-contraction coupling.3. With short-duration stimuli (< 200 msec), the calcium transient shows an S-shaped rising phase reaching a maximum soon after the cessation of the stimulus pulse. During membrane repolarization the calcium transient begins an exponential falling phase which has a time constant of 50-80 msec at 11-12 degrees C.4. The shape of the calcium transient resembles the first derivative of the rising phase of the isometric tension response, thus suggesting that calcium controls the rate of tension development.5. There is no detectable increase of the light emission above resting values, during the falling phase of isometric tension.6. A plot of the calcium transient area (lumen x sec) versus peak isometric force (g. cm(-2)) is linear over, at least, a range of forces from ca. 50-400 g. cm(-2).7. When the fibre is capable of producing an active membrane response following the intracellular injection of potassium citrate, the onset and cessation of the calcium transient follow closely the onset and cessation of the active membrane response. Tension responses under these conditions are much suppressed, suggesting that excitation-contraction coupling may be partially blocked between calcium release and the development of tension.8. Hypertonic salines (1 M sucrose or 1 M glycerol) cause little change in the membrane response, but greatly suppress the calcium transient and completely abolish the tension responses. These effects are readily reversible when normal saline is reintroduced, suggesting that excitation-contraction coupling may be temporarily blocked between the membrane response and calcium release.9. If the stimulus is prolonged (> 250-300 msec), the calcium transient falls slowly from its maximum value despite continued membrane depolarization, suggesting a time-dependent change in the ratio of the rate of release of calcium to the rate of calcium binding. The results from brief tetanic stimulation also support this suggestion.

Animals↗