Transient potassium current in native Xenopus oocytes

Depolarization of follicle-enclosed oocytes of Xenopus laevis obtained from some donors elicits, in addition to other responses, a fast transient outward current. After holding the membrane potential at -100 mV this response begins to be activated by depolarizations to around -30 mV, and increases progressively as the voltage is raised further. A striking characteristic is that the current recovers only slowly (several seconds) from inactivation following a depolarizing pulse. Because of its outward direction and insensitivity to removal of extracellular chloride or addition of tetrodotoxin, the current probably arises largely through a flux of potassium ions. The current was abolished after treatment of oocytes with collagenase to remove enveloping cells, and although it was blocked by barium and zinc ions, tetraethylammonium was relatively ineffective. In addition, the potassium current was unaffected by 5 mM manganese, suggesting that it does not arise as a consequence of an influx of calcium into the oocyte.     

A calcium-dependent transient outward current in Xenopus laevis oocytes

Membrane currents were investigated in Xenopus laevis oocytes under voltage clamp. Depolarizing pulses, given from a holding potential of about-100 mV, elicited a transient outward current when the membrane potential was made more positive than about-20 mV. As the potential was made increasingly positive the transient outward current first increased and then decreased. The amplitude of the transient current increased when the external Ca2+ concentration was raised; and the current was abolished by Mn2+. It appears that when the membrane is depolarized Ca2+ ions enter the oocyte and trigger an outward current, possibly by opening C1- channels.     

Tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium current in native Xenopus oocytes

Depolarization of oocytes of Xenopus laevis usually elicits mainly passive currents, and a calcium-dependent chloride current. However, oocytes obtained from some donors show, in addition, a transient inward current on depolarization to potentials beyond ca. -40 mV. This current is abolished by tetrodotoxin at submicromolar concentrations, and is prolonged by veratrine; thus, it probably arises through sodium channels of a type similar to those found in nerve and muscle cells. However, the kinetics of the sodium currents varied between oocytes from different donors; this result suggests that genes encoding different sodium channels may be expressed in oocytes from different donors. The presence of these native channels may complicate experiments to study the expression of exogenous sodium channels encoded by foreign messenger RNAs injected into the oocyte.     

A delayed rectifier potassium current in Xenopus oocytes.

A delayed voltage-dependent K+ current endogenous to Xenopus oocytes has been investigated by the voltage-clamp technique. Both activation and inactivation of the K+ current are voltage-dependent processes. The K+ currents were activated when membrane potential was depolarized from a holding potential of -90 to -50 mV. The peak current was reached within 150 ms at membrane potential of +30 mV. Voltage-dependent inactivation of the current was observed by depolarizing the membrane potential from -50 to 0 mV at 10-mV increments. Voltage-dependent inactivation was a slow process with a time constant of 16.5 s at -10 mV. Removal of Ca2+ from the bath has no effect on current amplitudes, which indicates that the current is Ca2+)-insensitive. Tail current analysis showed that reversal potentials were shifted by changing external K+ concentration, as would be expected for a K(+)-selective channel. The current was sensitive to quinine, a K+ channel blocker, with a Ki of 35 microM. The blockade of quinine is voltage-independent in the range of -20 to +60 mV. Whereas oocytes from the same animal have a relatively homogeneous current distribution, average amplitude of the K+ current varied among oocytes from different animals from 30 to 400 nA at membrane potential of +30 mV. Our results indicate the presence of the endogenous K+ current in Xenopus oocytes with characteristics of the delayed rectifier found in some nerve and muscle cells.     

Hypotonicity activates a native chloride current in Xenopus oocytes

Xenopus oocytes are frequently utilized for in vivo expression of cellular proteins, especially ion channel proteins. A thorough understanding of the endogenous conductances and their regulation is paramount for proper characterization of expressed channel proteins. Here we detail a novel chloride current (ICl.swell) responsive to hypotonicity in Xenopus oocytes using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. Reducing the extracellular osmolarity by 50% elicited a calcium-independent chloride current having an anion conductivity sequence identical with swelling-induced chloride currents observed in epithelial cells. The hypotonicity-activated current was blocked by chloride channel blockers, trivalent lanthanides, and nucleotides. G- protein, cAMP-PKA, and arachidonic acid signaling cascades were not involved in ICl.swell activation. ICl.swell is distinct from both stretch-activated nonselective cation channels and the calcium- activated chloride current in oocytes and may play a critical role in volume regulation in Xenopus oocytes.     

Potassium channels cloned from neuroblastoma cells display slowly inactivating outward currents in Xenopus oocytes.

Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) specific for NGK1 and NGK2 potassium channels were synthesized from complementary DNAs (cDNAs) that had been cloned from mouse neuroblastoma x rat glioma hybrid NG108-15 cells. Outward pottasium currents were evoked by 5 s depolarizing voltage commands in Xenopus oocytes injected with NGK1- or NGK2-specific mRNAs. The NGK1 or NGK2 currents showed different activation and inactivation kinetics, and different pharmacological sensitivities. The threshold potential for activation of the NGK2 current (-14 mV) was more positive than that for the NGK1 (-36 mV). The NGK2 current showed faster inactivation during a 5 s depolarizing pulse than did the NGK1 current. Inactivation was best fit by time constants of 0.37, 1.5 and 19 s for the NGK2 current and 4.4 and 19 s for NGK1. Extracellularly applied tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA) was 1000 times more potent on the NGK2 current than the NGK1 current. Furthermore we examined outward current following co-injection of an equal amount of mRNAs for NGK1 and NGK2. The timecourse of inactivation differed from either alone or from a simple sum of the two individual currents. TEA sensitivity could not be explained by summation of the two homomultimeric channels. These findings suggest that both NGK1 and NGK2 proteins assemble to form heteromultimeric K+ channels in addition to homomultimeric K+ channels. NGK2 channels and the heteromultimeric channels may be responsible for the native transient outward current with slow inactivation in NG108-15 hybrid cells.     

Analysis of calcium activated chloride current fluctuations in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Fluctuations of calcium activated chloride currents were investigated in oocytes of Xenopus laevis. The method of noise analysis and the model of chloride channels activation by calcium ions were used to estimate the chloride channels lifetime and the average frequency of current fluctuations, which depends on changes of cytoplasmic calcium concentration. This current fluctuations can be evoked by activation of cholinergic receptors or inhibition by Na3VO4 of plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase. The average opening lifetime of chloride channels was approximately 100 ms. The frequency of fluctuations increased with the increasing extracellular calcium concentrations and external ACh concentrations. Caffeine in 2 mmol/l concentration changed the current fluctuations into oscillations with a period of about 18-20s. Ten mmol/l caffeine fully inhibited the oscillation activity.     

Induction of apoptosis using sphingolipids activates a chloride current in Xenopus laevis oocytes

The purpose of this studywas to investigate whether the cell shrinkage that occurs duringapoptosis could be explained by a change of the activity in iontransport pathways. We tested whether sphingolipids, which are potentpro-apoptotic compounds, can activate ionic currents in Xenopuslaevis oocytes. Apoptosis was characterized in our model by adecrease in cell volume, a loss of cell viability, and DNAcleavage. Oocytes were studied using voltage-clamp afterinjection withN,N-dimethyl-D-erythrosphingosine (DMS) or D-sphingosine (DS). DMS and DS activated afast-activating, slowly inactivating, outwardly rectifying current,similar to I_Cl-swell, a swelling-inducedchloride current. Lowering the extracellular chloride dramaticallyreduced the current, and the channel was more selective for thiocyanateand iodide (thiocyanate > iodide) than for chloride. The currentwas blocked by 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB) andlanthanum but not by niflumic acid. Oocytes injected with apseudosubstrate inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC),PKC-(19-31), exhibited the same current.DMS-activated current was abolished by preexposure with phorbolmyristate acetate. Our results suggest that induction of apoptosis inX. laevis oocytes, using sphingolipids or PKC inhibitors,activates a current similar to swelling-induced chloride currentpreviously described in oocytes.

     

Electrophysiological characterization of a TTX-sensitive sodium current in native Xenopus oocytes.

We have studied a fast inward current expressed in oocytes from one Xenopus laevis. This current was characterized as a sodium current. It was activated by depolarizations to -50 mV or higher, peaked within 3-5 ms, and then decayed following a mono-exponential timecourse. When clamped at different holding potentials, the current displayed voltage-dependent inactivation with a V0.5 of -51 mV. The channel responsible for this Na+ entry was blocked by tetrodotoxin with a K0.5 of 8 nM, and was resistant to block by lidocaine at concentrations up to 100 microM. The pharmacological similarities between neuronal and oocyte sodium channels suggest that the two channels share a conserved structure.     

Polyadenylic acid-containing RNA in Xenopus laevis oocytes

The quantity of poly(A)-containing RNA is measured in Xenopus laevis oocytes as a function of developmental stage. The amount of poly(A)-containing RNA per oocyte, 0.7 to 1.0% of the total RNA, remains relatively constant from early vitellogenesis until ovulation. It is largely present in the cytoplasm of the oocyte in the form of a ribonucleoprotein complex. The poly(A) sequence is approximately 100 bases in length and is attached to molecules of heterogeneous sedimentation coefficients.     

A timing study of DNA amplification in Xenopus laevis oocytes

The time course of meiotic amplification of nucleolar DNA in Xenopus laevis oocytes has been studied autoradiographically. We find that the process is first detectable in zygotene nuclei less than 7 days after the end of premeiotic S-phase. It is completed 3 1/2 weeks later, towards the end of pachytene. Premeiotic S-phase lasts for 1–2 weeks. We are not certain whether it is followed by a short G2 or whether leptotene commences immediately. Leptotene lasts for 5±2 days, zygotene for 7±2 days and pachytene for about 20 days before the oocyte gradually enters the extended diplotene stage. Various molecular mechanisms for amplification are discussed in the light of a 24±3 day amplification time. All are found to be potentially capable of amplifying sufficient nucleolar DNA in the time available.     

Induction of maturation in small Xenopus laevis oocytes

The competence of Xenopus laevis oocytes in various stages of growth to respond to progesterone treatment was investigated. Full-grown (stage 6) oocytes undergo nuclear membrane dissolution and resume meiosis in response to progesterone exposure, while smaller oocytes (stages 3-5; less than 1100 micron in diameter) do not. The defect which prevents 750- to 1050-micron oocytes from responding to progesterone can be overcome by microinjecting cytoplasm withdrawn from a stage 6 oocyte. Germinal vesicle breakdown in these small oocytes occurs on a timetable similar to that of stage 6 oocytes exposed to progesterone and is accompanied by a twofold increase in protein synthesis as well as the activation of MPF. The results argue that a cytoplasmic factor(s) which probably first appears at late stage 5 is required for progesterone responsiveness. The identity and role of the factor(s) in the development of maturation competence and the regulation of maternal mRNA translation are discussed.     

Mitochondria DNA synthesis in oocytes of Xenopus laevis

The process of attachment was studied in primary mouse kidney epithelial cell cultures by means of reflexion contrast microscopy, a method developed for studying the cell membrane-substrate relationship. The first in a series of events is simple adherence to the substrate, called close contact. This phenomenon is associated with the greatest extension of lamellar cytoplasm and the fewest number of cell nuclei/unit area. The nuclei of such cells are in close contact with the bottom portion of the cell membrane. Approx. 24 h after planting, as the cultures become more crowded, cells develop a different kind of attachment to the substrate—focal contacts—that are correlated with a decrease in lamellar cytoplasm. Cells detached from the substrate after close contact formation readily reattach, while cells detached after formation of focal contacts do not reattach. After incubation for periods greater than 5 days, the dense cultures degenerate and cells lose their attachment to the glass surface.     

Hypotonic solution increases the slowly activating potassium current IsK expressed in xenopus oocytes.

A slowly activating potassium current was expressed in Xenopus oocytes by injection of RNA transcribed from a rat kidney cDNA clone. Hypotonic solutions (160 mOsmol/l; control was 220 mOsmol/l) increased the current by increasing the rate of activation and by decreasing the depolarization needed to activate the current. This effect of hypotonicity was not observed in calcium-free solution, but was unaffected by staurosporine or the calmodulin antagonist W7. Cytochalasin D reduced the current and prevented the increase by hypotonic solution. The results suggest that the increase in this potassium current by hypotonic solution might result from calcium entry and changes in the actin network.     

Soluble cytokeratins in Xenopus laevis oocytes and eggs

Xenopus oocytes contain a radial network of cytokeratins which seems to fragment during meiosis reinitiation (maturation). The mature egg contains only a cortical network of cytokeratins. We have looked for the presence of soluble cytokeratins in oocytes and unfertilized eggs and have found them in both cases. However, the proportion of soluble to insoluble cytokeratins is slightly higher in the egg than in the oocyte. Soluble cytokeratins incorporate 35S-methionine at a high rate in the oocyte but to a lesser extent in the egg. This suggests that they are biosynthetic intermediates in the oocyte. In the egg, at least a fraction of the soluble cytokeratins may arise from the fragmentation of the polymer which seems to occur during the maturation process. Insoluble cytokeratins are strongly labeled with 32P both in oocytes and eggs. On the other hand only the soluble keratins of the egg incorporate 32P. Since the isoelectric point of soluble and insoluble cytokeratins is the same in oocytes and eggs, their absolute level of phosphorylation probably remains relatively constant. This suggests that: i) phosphate turnover is very slow in oocyte soluble cytokeratins, ii) phosphorylation is not a major way of changing the structural state of cytokeratins in amphibian oocytes and eggs.     

An endogenous monocarboxylate transport in Xenopus laevis oocytes

We investigated the existence of an endogenous system for lactate transport in Xenopus laevis oocytes. (36)Cl-uptake studies excluded the involvement of a DIDS-sensitive anion antiporter as a possible pathway for lactate movement. L-[(14)C]lactate uptake was unaffected by superimposed pH gradients, stimulated by the presence of Na(+) in the incubating solution, and severely reduced by the monocarboxylate transporter inhibitor p-chloromercuribenzenesulphonate (pCMBS). Transport exhibited a broad cation specificity and was cis inhibited by other monocarboxylates, mostly by pyruvate. These results suggest that lactate uptake is mediated mainly by a transporter and that the preferred anion is pyruvate. [(14)C]pyruvate uptake exhibited the same pattern of functional properties evidenced for L-lactate. Kinetic parameters were calculated for both monocarboxylates, and a higher affinity for pyruvate was revealed. Various inhibitors of monocarboxylate transporters reduced significantly pyruvate uptake. These studies demonstrate that Xenopus laevis oocytes possess a monocarboxylate transport system that shares some functional features with the members of the mammalian monocarboxylate cotransporters family, but, in the meanwhile, exhibits some particular properties, mainly concerning cation specificity.