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Selective revealing of gap junction currents in single inspiratory tracheal motor neurons

Chen Yonghua, Hou Lili, Wang Jijiang

The State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology,Fudan University Shanghai Medical College.Shanghai 200032

Abstract

Little is known about how gap junctions are involved in the respiratory-related or other types of physiological neuronal activity since physiologically active gap junction currents (GJCs) have never been characterized from single respiratory-related neurons or from single neurons of any other types. In the present study we hypothesized that GJCs could be selectively revealed from single neurons by elimination of transmembrane electrochemical gradients in voltage patch-clamp recording, and this hypothesis was tested in single inspiratory tracheal preganglionic vagal motor neurons (I-TPVMs). The results showed that all I-TPVMs selectively revealed GJCs when the transmembrane electrochemical gradients were eliminated in voltage patch-clamp recording, and the GJCs in I-TPVMs were rhythmically activated by central inspiratory activity. Therefore, this method may be used as a fast way to detect gap junctions within spontaneously active neuronal networks.

Key words: gap junction;Respiration;motor neurons;patch-clamp techniques

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Citing This Article：

Chen Yonghua, Hou Lili, Wang Jijiang. Selective revealing of gap junction currents in single inspiratory tracheal motor neurons. Acta Physiol Sin 2007; 59 (6): 770-776 (in Chinese with English abstract).