Abstract
1. The effect of stimulation on possible subsarcolemmal sodium accumulation
was studied in ventricular myocytes (2 mM Ca$^2+$o, 36 degrees
C). By trains of eighteen paired voltage-clamp pulses (180 ms to
0 mV, 20 ms to -45 mV, 180 ms to +50 mV, 620 ms to -45 mV) unloaded
contractions were potentiated to an optimum. 2. Potentiation reversibly
enlarged and prolonged the diastolic tail currents due to Na$^+$-Ca$^2+$
exchange. Eighteen pulse pairs were estimated to provide a sodium
influx that could increment the total intracellular sodium concentration
(sigma Na(i)) by no more than 0.5 mM. 3. Potentiation reversibly
increased the current at +50 mV and made it more noisy. Cell-attached
recordings with a second electrode attributed this noise to the activation
of K$^+$ (Na) channels. In inside-out patches, a comparable channel
activity was obtained with 40 mM sodium. Hence, the cell-attached
recordings suggest that potentiation can increase intracellular sodium
concentration to 40 mM. 4. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA)
measured sigma Na in a volume within 20 nm of the inner side of the
sarcolemma. Potentiation reversibly increased sigma Na20nm to 40
+/- 7 mM. When stimulation was terminated, sigma Na20nm fell within
8 s to 37 +/- 8 mM and within 3 min to 19 +/- 6 mM. In unstimulated
cells sigma Na20nm was 17 +/- 5 mM. 5. In potentiated cells, shock-frozen
at early systole, sigma Na fell with a space constant of 28 nm from
the sarcolemma to the centre; at 1 microns distance sigma Na was
12 +/- 3 mM. The steep gradient suggests that sodium does not freely
diffuse and sigma Na20nm is controlled by transmembrane fluxes rather
than by cell dialysis. 6. sigma Na20nm data were distributed with
peaks at 5, 30 and 60 mM. Quantitative elemental digital imaging
demonstrated patches with 60-80 mM sigma Na20nm alternating with
others of 0-15 mM sigma Na20nm. This 'sodium microheterogeneity'
suggests that Ca$^2+$ efflux at low sigma Na20nm and K$^+$(Na)
channel activation at high sigma Na20nm can operate simultaneously.
- 8145148
- animals,
- channels,
- electric
- electron
- fluid,
- guinea
- heart
- in
- intracellular
- membrane
- microanalysis,
- myocardium,
- pigs,
- potassium
- potentials,
- probe
- sarcolemma,
- sodium
- sodium,
- stimulation,
- ventricles,
- vitro,
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