期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：1977
卷号：74
期号：3
页码：951-955
DOI：10.1073/pnas.74.3.951
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Batrachotoxin under certain conditions has a strong depolarizing effect on the innervated membrane of the monocellular electroplax preparation from the electric eel, El-ectrophorus electricus. No effect is observed when the toxin (50-200 nM) is applied to the resting membrane for periods up to 1 hr. However, if the membrane is exposed to batrachotoxin and the cell is subjected to stimulation at a stimulus voltage slightly above the threshold for action potential firing, a progressive prolongation of the action potential and concomitant progressive depolarization of the innervated membrane is observed. When the membrane is depolarized by 15-20 mV, a further abrupt all-or-none depolarization occurs, and the potential attains a steady-state value between 0 and -10 mV. Brief stimulation of a cell in the presence of batrachotoxin is sufficient to define a batrachotoxin-treated cell, even though negligible depolarization occurs. If depolarizing agents such as carbamoylcholine or potassium chloride are introduced to such a cell in concentrations that normally produce a 20-30 mV depolarization, the abrupt all-or-none depolarization immediately occurs. All-or-none depolarizations arising from either electrical stimulation or depolarizing agents are unaffected by d-tubocurarine but are completely reversed by tetrodotoxin. Batrachotoxin thus appears to activate only the action potential sodium channels. In the batrachotoxin-treated membrane, these channels can attain stable steady states in either a closed configuration at the normal resting potential or in an open configuration after complete depolarization. A striking hysteresis cycle thus can be generated, which is strongly indicative of a voltage-dependent interaction of the toxin with the action potential sodium channels.
