Transport of Na+ inside the giant axon of squid

The transport mechanism of Na ions within the nerve cell was studied by measuring the radioactivity distribution profile of²²Na that had been intracellularly injected into the giant axon. Specifically, we tested whether or not the movement of Na ions is coupled with the process of “fast axonal transport.” Results of our measurements indicate that the intracellular transport of Na⁺ and the fast axonal transport are two independent processes. Very few Na ions are irreversibly sequestered into the axoplasmic vesicles involved in axonal transport. The movement of Na⁺ inside the axon can be modeled by a one-dimension diffusion. The effective diffusion coefficient of the intracellular Na⁺ was determined in this study.     

Molecular motors in axonal transport

Neurons require a large amount of intracellular transport. Cytoplasmic polypeptides and membrane-bounded organelles move from the perikaryon, down the length of the axon, and to the synaptic terminals. This movement occurs at distinct rates and is termed axonal transport. Axonal transport is divided into the slow transport of cytoplasmic proteins including glycolytic enzymes and cytoskeletal structures and the fast transport of membrane-bounded organelles along linear arrays of microtubules. The polypeptide compositions of the rate classes of axonal transport have been well characterized, but the underlying molecular mechanisms of this movement are less clear. Progress has been particularly slow toward understanding force-generation in slow transport, but recent developments have provided insight into the molecular motors involved in fast axonal transport. Recent advances in the cellular and molecular biology of one fast axonal transport motor, kinesin, have provided a clearer understanding of organelle movement along microtubules. The availability of cellular and molecular probes for kinesin and other putative axonal transport motors have led to a reevaluation of our understanding of intracellular motility.     

A coupled model of fast axonal transport of organelles and slow axonal transport of tau protein

We have developed a model that accounts for the effect of a non-uniform distribution of tau protein along the axon length on fast axonal transport of intracellular organelles. The tau distribution is simulated by using a slow axonal transport model; the numerically predicted tau distributions along the axon length were validated by comparing them with experimentally measured tau distributions reported in the literature. We then developed a fast axonal transport model for organelles that accounts for the reduction of kinesin attachment rate to microtubules by tau. We investigated organelle transport for two situations: (1) a uniform tau distribution and (2) a non-uniform tau distribution predicted by the slow axonal transport model. We found that non-uniform tau distributions observed in healthy axons (an increase in tau concentration towards the axon tip) result in a significant enhancement of organelle transport towards the synapse compared with the uniform tau distribution with the same average amount of tau. This suggests that tau may play the role of being an enhancer of organelle transport.     

Ca2+- or Mg2+-Stimulated ATPase Activity in Bullfrog Spinal Nerve: Relation to Ca2+ Requirements for Fast Axonal Transport

Adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity stimulated by Ca2+ or Mg2+ was characterized in spinal nerve and spinal sensory ganglion of bullfrog. Enzyme activity of homogenates from both sources reached a maximum at a 1-2 mM concentration of either cation, although the level of maximal activity in nerve trunks was approximately twice that in ganglia. Enzyme activation was not observed with 2 mM-Sr2+ or Ba2+. Co2+ or Mn2+, at 2 mM, depressed Ca2+ activation of the enzyme by 50-60% in nerve but had no inhibitory effect on ganglia activity. In intact spinal ganglion/spinal nerve preparations, incubated for 20 h in medium containing 0.2 mM-Co2+, no effect was detected on Ca2+/Mg2+ ATPase activity in ganglia or nerve trunks whereas fast axonal transport was inhibited by 80%. Incubation in medium containing 0.02 mM-Hg2+ depressed enzyme activity in ganglia by 64% and in nerve trunks by 44%, whereas fast transport was again inhibited by 80%. When only nerve trunks were exposed to these ions, Hg2+ but not Co2+ was observed to slow the rate of fast axonal transport. The divalent cation specificity of the Ca2+/Mg2+ ATPase activity is distinct from the ion specificities, determined in previous work, of the Ca2+ requirement during initiation of fast axonal transport in the soma, and of the Ca2+ requirement during translocation in the axon. Thus, previous observations of Ca2+-dependent events in fast axonal transport cannot be taken per se to suggest the involvement of Ca2+/Mg+ ATPase in the transport process.     

Fast axonal transport of foreign synaptic vesicles in squid axoplasm

Translocation of intracellular organelles requires interaction with the cellular cytoskeleton, but the membrane and cytoskeletal proteins involved in movement are unknown. Here we show that highly purified synaptic vesicles from electric fish added to extruded squid axoplasm can show ATP-dependent movement. The movement is indistinguishable from that of endogenous vesicles and has a slight preference for the orthograde direction. In the presence of a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, the synaptic vesicles bind to axoplasmic fibers but do not move. Elastase treatment of vesicles inhibits both binding and movement. We conclude that a protein component on the surface of cholinergic synaptic vesicles from electric fish is conserved during evolution and so can be recognized by the organelle-translocating machinery of the squid axon, resulting in ATP-dependent movement. Synaptic vesicles apparently retain the capacity for fast axonal transport, even after they reach their intracellular destination.     

Active and passive Na+ fluxes across the basolateral membrane of rabbit urinary bladder

The apical membrane of rabbit urinary bladder can be functionally removed by application of nystatin at high concentration if the mucosal surface of the tissue is bathed in a saline which mimics intracellular ion concentrations. Under these conditions, the tissue is as far as the movement of univalent ions no more than a sheet of basolateral membrane with some tight junctional membrane in parallel. In this manner the Na+ concentration at the inner surface of the basolateral membrane can be varied by altering the concentration in the mucosal bulk solution. When this was done both mucosal-to-serosal 22Na flux and net change in basolateral current were measured. The flux and the current could be further divided into the components of each that were either blocked by ouabain or insensitive to ouabain. Ouabain-insensitive mucosal-to-serosal Na+ flux was a linear function of mucosal Na+ concentration. Ouabain-sensitive Na+ flux and ouabain-sensitive, Na+-induced current both display a saturating relationship which cannot be accounted for by the presence of unstirred layers. If the interaction of Na+ with the basolateral transport process is assumed to involve the interaction of some number of Na+ ions, n, with a maximal flux, MMAX, then the data can be fit by assuming 3.2 equivalent sites for interaction and a value for MMAX of 287.8 pM cm-2 sec-1 with an intracellular Na concentration of 2.0 mM Na+ at half-maximal saturation. By comparing these values with the ouabain-sensitive, Na+-induced current, we calculate a Na+ to K+ coupling ratio of 1.40 +/- 0.07 for the transport process.     

Bidirectional transport of fluorescently labeled vesicles introduced into extruded axoplasm of squid Loligo pealei

A reconstituted model was devised to study the mechanisms of fast axonal transport in the squid Loligo pealei. Axonal vesicles were isolated from axoplasm of the giant axon and labeled with rhodamine-conjugated octadecanol, a membrane-specific fluorescent probe. The labeled vesicles were then injected into a fresh preparation of extruded axoplasm in which endogenous vesicle transport was occurring normally. The movement of the fluorescent, exogenous vesicles was observed by epifluorescence microscopy for as long as 5 min without significant photobleaching, and the transport of endogenous, nonfluorescent vesicles was monitored by video-enhanced differential interference-contrast microscopy. The transport of fluorescent, exogenous vesicles was shown to be bidirectional and ATP-dependent and occurred at a mean rate of 6.98 +/- 4.11 micron/s (mean +/- standard deviation, n = 41). In comparison, the mean rate of transport of nonfluorescent, endogenous vesicles in control axoplasm treated with vesicle buffer alone was 4.76 +/- 1.60 micron/s (n = 64). These rates are slightly higher than the mean rate of endogenous vesicle movement in extruded axoplasm (3.56 +/- 1.05 micron/s, n = 40) not subject to vesicles or vesicle buffer. Not all vesicles and organelles, exogenous or endogenous, were observed to move. In experiments in which proteins of the surface of the fluorescent vesicles were digested with trypsin before injection, no movement of the fluorescent vesicles was observed, although the transport of endogenous vesicles and organelles appeared to proceed normally. The results summarized above indicate that isolated vesicles, incorporated into axoplasm, move with the characteristics of fast axonal transport. Because the vesicles are fluorescent, they can be readily distinguished from nonfluorescent, endogenous vesicles. Moreover, this system permits vesicle characteristics to be experimentally manipulated, and therefore may prove valuable for the elucidation of the mechanisms of fast axonal transport.     

AMP‐activated protein kinase mediates activity‐dependent axon branching by recruiting mitochondria to axon

During development, axons are guided to their target areas and provide local branching. Spatiotemporal regulation of axon branching is crucial for the establishment of functional connections between appropriate pre‐ and postsynaptic neurons. Common understanding has been that neuronal activity contributes to the proper axon branching; however, intracellular mechanisms that underlie activity‐dependent axon branching remain elusive. Here, we show, using primary cultures of the dentate granule cells, that neuronal depolarization‐induced rebalance of mitochondrial motility between anterograde versus retrograde transport underlies the proper formation of axonal branches. We found that the depolarization‐induced branch formation was blocked by the uncoupler p‐trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, which suggests that mitochondria‐derived ATP mediates the observed phenomena. Real‐time analysis of mitochondrial movement defined the molecular mechanisms by showing that the pharmacological activation of AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) after depolarization increased anterograde transport of mitochondria into axons. Simultaneous imaging of axonal morphology and mitochondrial distribution revealed that mitochondrial localization preceded the emergence of axonal branches. Moreover, the higher probability of mitochondrial localization was correlated with the longer lifetime of axon branches. We qualitatively confirmed that neuronal ATP levels decreased immediately after depolarization and found that the phosphorylated form of AMPK was increased. Thus, this study identifies a novel role for AMPK in the transport of axonal mitochondria that underlie the neuronal activity‐dependent formation of axon branches. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 74: 557–573, 2014     

Cytosolic pH regulation in osteoblasts. Interaction of Na+ and H+ with the extracellular and intracellular faces of the Na+/H+ exchanger

The interaction of Na and H ions with the extracellular and intracellular sites of the Na+/H+ exchanger of the osteosarcoma cell line UMR-106 was investigated. Na ions interact with a single, saturable extracellular transport site. H+ and amiloride appear to compete with Na+ for binding to this site. The apparent affinity for extracellular Na+ (Nao+) and amiloride was independent of intracellular H+ (Hi+), Nai+, or an outwardly directed H+ gradient. The interaction of H+ with the intracellular face of the exchanger had a sigmoidal characteristic with a Hill coefficient of approximately 2. The apparent affinity for Hi+ was independent of Nao+ between 25 and 140 mM. The apparent affinity for Hi+, but not the number of intracellular sites, increased with the increase in the outwardly directed H+ gradient across the membrane. Nai+/Ho+ exchange (reverse mode) is an electroneutral process with a Na+/H+ stoichiometry of 1. The dependence of Nai+/Ho+ exchange on Nai+ was sigmoidal, with a Hill coefficient of 2.16. Nai+ competes with Hi+ for binding to at least the transport site. The apparent affinity for Nai+ decreased with the increase in the outwardly directed H+ gradient. High Ho+ inhibited exchange activity in the reverse mode. We conclude that intracellular Na+ and H+ can activate the exchanger. The exchanger has two separate and asymmetric extracellular and intracellular transport sites. The relative apparent affinities of the internal transport site for Na+ and H+ are determined by the direction and magnitude of the H+ gradient across the membrane. Kinetic characterization of the exchanger suggests that Na+/H+ exchange is compatible with a simultaneous transport model, although a ping-pong transport model could not be excluded.     

Quantitative analysis of microtubule transport in growing nerve processes

In neurons, tubulin is synthesized primarily in the cell body, whereas the molecular machinery for neurite extension and elaboration of microtubule (MT) array is localized to the growth cone region. This unique functional and biochemical compartmentalization of neuronal cells requires transport mechanisms for the delivery of newly synthesized tubulin and other cytoplasmic components from the cell body to the growing axon. According to the polymer transport model, tubulin is transported along the axon as a polymer. Because the majority of axonal MTs are stationary at any given moment, it has been assumed that only a small fraction of MTs translocates along the axon by saltatory movement reminiscent of the fast axonal transport. Such intermittent "stop and go" MT transport has been difficult to detect or to exclude by using direct video microscopy methods. In this study, we measured the translocation of MT plus ends in the axonal shaft by expressing GFP-EB1 in Xenopus embryo neurons in culture. Formal quantitative analysis of MT assembly/disassembly indicated that none of the MTs in the axonal shaft were rapidly transported. Our results suggest that transport of axonal MTs is not required for delivery of newly synthesized tubulin to the growing nerve processes.     

Disruption of the plasma membrane leads to an influx of Na+ and Cl- but not an efflux of K+ in mouse hepatocytes and erythrocytes

To determine what mechanisms might be involved in the maintenance of the known extra-/intracellular concentration gradients of Na+, Cl- and K+, small pieces of mouse liver and heparinized blood were appropriately cryofixed. The tissues were cryosectioned and cryosorbed at -100 degrees C or at -40 degrees C. The former temperature prevented diffusion of all ions as measured by electron probe x-ray microanalysis of the thin (0.1 micron) cryosorbed sections of the cells while the latter temperature allowed significant diffusion of Na+ and Cl- into the hepatocytes and erythrocytes but did not allow diffusion of K+ from the hepatocytes or the erythrocytes. These results indicate that the plasma membrane is involved in maintenance of the extra-/intracellular gradients of Na+ and Cl- but that intracellular association of K+ with macromolecules is the main mechanism responsible for maintenance of the extra-/intracellular K+ concentration gradient.     

A model for axonal propagation incorporating both radial and axial ionic transport.

We present an axonal model that explicitly includes ionic diffusion in the intracellular, periaxonal, and extracellular spaces and that incorporates a Hodgkin-Huxley membrane, extended with potassium channel inactivation and active ion transport. Although ionic concentration changes may not be significant in the time course of one action potential, they are important when considering the long-term behavior (seconds to minutes) of an axon. We demonstrate this point with simulations of transected axons where ions are moving between the intra- and extracellular spaces through an opening that is sealing with time. The model predicts that sealing must occur within a critical time interval after the initial injury to prevent the entire axon from becoming permanently depolarized. This critical time interval becomes considerably shorter when active ion transport is disabled. Furthermore, the model can be used to study the effects of sodium and potassium channel inactivation; e.g., sodium inactivation must be almost complete (within 0.02%) to obtain simulation results that are realistic.     

Mathematical models of α-synuclein transport in axons

To investigate possible effects of diffusion on α-synuclein (α-syn) transport in axons, we developed two models of α-syn transport, one that assumes that α-syn is transported only by active transport, as part of multiprotein complexes, and a second that assumes an interplay between motor-driven and diffusion-driven α-syn transport. By comparing predictions of the two models, we were able to investigate how diffusion could influence axonal transport of α-syn. The predictions obtained could be useful for future experimental work aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of axonal transport of α-syn. We also attempted to simulate possible defects in α-syn transport early in Parkinson's disease (PD). We assumed that in healthy axons α-syn localizes in the axon terminal while in diseased axons α-syn does not localize in the terminal (this was simulated by postulating a zero α-syn flux into the terminal). We found that our model of a diseased axon predicts the build-up of α-syn close to the axon terminal. This build-up could cause α-syn accumulation in Lewy bodies and the subsequent axonal death pattern observed in PD (‘dying back’ of axons).     

Axonal shortening and the mechanisms of axonal motility

Axons in tissue culture retract and shorten if their tips are detached from the substrate. The shortening reaction of the axon involves contractile forces that also arise during normal axonal motility, elongation, and retraction. We studied shortening in axonal segments isolated from their parent axons by transecting the axon between the growth cone and the most distal point of adhesion to the substrate. Within 15-20 minutes after transection, an isolated axonal segment shortened and pulled its tail end toward the growth cone. During the shortening process, long sinusoidal bends arose along the axon. The identical shortening reaction occurs without transection, when the axon tip is detached from the substrate. Pharmacological studies with inhibitors of glycolysis indicate that the shortening mechanisms utilize metabolic energy, presumably ATP. The rate of sinusoidal shortening is similar to both the rate of polymer translocation in the axon by slow axonal transport and the rate of normal axonal elongation. Taxol inhibits the shortening reaction with a similar dose dependence to its inhibition of axonal growth. Together, all these observations suggest that the same basic intracellular motility mechanisms are involved in normal axonal growth, in slow axonal transport, and in the shortening reaction: the intracellular dynamic system that utilizes ATP to generate longitudinal movements of polymers within the axon may be the same mechanism underlying both the retraction and the elongation of the axon.     

Distributions of Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+ tracer ions in erythrocytes at 38 °C in relation to entry rates of these ions into cells at 0 °C

Forces that are able to transport Na+ and K+ into two compartments were investigated. A modified Nernst-Planck equation for coupled flows of electric current, water, and ions was integrated. The result shows that if alkali ions in the ion channel of the cell membrane are separated by their electric-current-induced inward flows against an electro-osmotic outward flow of water, the logarithms of the stationary cell/medium distributions of these ions should be proportional to the inverse of their diffusion mobilities. The relationship was tested in human erythrocytes. From inward and outward movements of tracer alkali ions, calculations were made to obtain their stationary distributions at infinite time. The cell/medium distributions determined in this way at 38 degrees C are Li+ = 0.59, 22Na+ = 0.044, 42K+ = 10.0, 86Rb+ = 11.9, and 137Cs+ = 3.07. The entry rates of ions into the cell at 0 degrees C are understood to represent their diffusion mobilities in the pump channel. The entry rates are Li+ = 1.44, 2Na+ = 1, 42K+ = 2.22, 86Rb+ = 2.39, and 137Cs+ = 1.72 relative to that of 22Na+. There is an expected negative correlation between the logarithms of the stationary cell/ medium distributions at 38 degrees C and the inverse of the entry rates into the cell at 0 degrees C for the five ions. It is suggested that the proposed physical forces cause the separation of alkali ions in the channel of Na,K-ATPase.     

Limitations of the whole cell patch clamp technique in the control of intracellular concentrations.

Recent experimental studies (Pusch and Neher, 1988) and theoretical studies (Oliva et al., 1988) have found that the pipette tip is a significant barrier to diffusion in the whole cell patch clamp configuration. In this paper, we extend the theoretical analysis of fluxes between the pipette and cell to include transmembrane fluxes. The general conclusions are: (a) within the pipette, ion fluxes are driven primarily by diffusion rather than voltage gradients. (b) At steady state there is a concentration difference between the bulk pipette and intracellular solution that is described by delta c = jRp/Dp, where delta c = 1 mM for a flux, j = 1 fmol/s, through a pipette of resistance, Rp = 1 M omega, filled with a solution of resistivity, p = 100 omega --cm, given a solute diffusion coefficient, D = 10(-5) cm2/s. (c) The time to steady state is always accelerated by membrane transport, regardless of the direction of transport. We apply our analysis to the measurement of transport by the Na/K pump and Na/Ca exchanger in cells from the ventricles of mammalian heart. We find that the binding curve for intracellular Na+ to the Na/K pump will appear significantly less steep and more linear if one does not correct for the concentration difference between intracellular and pipette Na+. Similar shifts in the binding curve for extracellular Na+ to the Na/Ca exchanger can occur due to depletion of intracellular Ca(+)+ when the exchanger is stimulated. Lastly, in Appendix we analyze the effects of mobile and fixed intracellular buffers on the movement of Ca(+)+ between the pipette and cell. Fixed buffers greatly slow the time for equilibration of pipette and intracellular Ca(+)+. Mobile buffers act like a shuttle system, as they carry Ca(+)+ from pipette to cell then diffuse back when they are empty. Vigorous transport by the Na/Ca exchanger depletes mobile buffered calcium, thus stimulating diffusion from the pipette to match the rate of Ca(+)+ transport. Moreover, we find that binding of Ca(+)+ to the exchanger can be affected by the mobile buffer.     

Cytoplasmic dynein and microtubule transport in the axon: The action connection

The neuron uses two families of microtubule-based motors for fast axonal transport, kinesin, and cytoplasmic dynein. Cytoplasmic dynein moves membranous organelles from the distal regions of the axon to the cell body. Because dynein is synthesized in the cell body, it must first be delivered to the axon tip. It has recently been shown that cytoplasmic dynein is moved from the cell body along the axon by two different mechanisms. A small amount is associated with fast anterograde transport, the membranous organelles moved by kinesin. Most of the dynein is transported in slow component b, the actin-based transport compartment. Dynactin, a protein complex that binds dynein, is also transported in slow component b. The dynein in slow component b binds to microtubules in an ATP-dependent manner in vitro, suggesting that this dynein is enzymatically active. The finding that functionally active dynein, and dynactin, are associated with the actin-based transport compartment suggests a mechanism whereby dynein anchored to the actin cytoskeleton via dynactin provides the motive force for microtubule movement in the axon.     

Dependence of batrachotoxin block of axoplasmic transport on sodium

Batrachotoxin (BTX) in the low concentration range of 19-190 nM blocks axoplasmic transport in the desheathed cat peroneal nerve in vitro. When the level of Na+ in the incubation medium was reduced to 10 mM, the blocking effect of BTX was much diminished, and in an Na+-free medium BTX had no effect on transport at all. The blocking action of BTX with Na+ present was inhibited by increasing the concentration of Ca2+ in the experimental medium. Relatively small increases were effective with a maximum protection seen when the Ca2+ concentrations were 7-10 mM. The results support the view that an increase in axonal Na+ is inhibitory to the transport mechanism. The results are discussed on the basis of the recently developed transport filament model of axoplasmic transport which takes into account an obligatory role for Ca2+ in transport and its axonal regulation. The possible relation of intraaxonal Na+ concentration to the Ca2+ level is also discussed.     

Axoplasmic free magnesium levels and magnesium extrusion from squid giant axons

The free magnesium concentration in the axoplasm of the giant axon of the squid, Loligo pealei, was estimated by exploting the known sensitivity of the sodium pump to intracellular Mg2+ levels. The Mg- citrate buffer which, when injected into the axon, resulted in no change in sodium efflux was in equilibrium with a Mg2+ level of about 3- -4 mM. Optimal [Mg2+] for the sodium pump is somewhat higher. Total magnesium content of axoplasm was 6.7 mmol/kg, and that of hemolymph was 44 mM. The rate coefficient for 28Mg efflux was about 2 X 10(-3) min-u for a 500-mum axon at 22-25degreesC, with a very high temperature coefficient (Q10=4-5). This efflux is inhibited 95% by injection of apyrase and 75% by removal of external sodium, and seems unaffected by membrane potential or potassium ions. Increased intracellular ADP levels do not affect Mg efflux nor its requirement for Na+/o, but extracellularl magnesium ions do. Activation of 28Mg efflux by Na+/o follows hyperbolic kinetics, with Mg2+/o reducing the affinity of the system for Na+/o. Lanthanum and D600 reversibly inhibit Mg efflux. In the absence of both Na+ and Mg2+, but not in their presence, removal of Ca2+ from the seawater vastly increased 28Mg efflux; this efflux was also strongly inhibited by lanthanum. A small (10(-14) mol cm-2) extra Mg efflux accompanies the conduction of an action potential.