Affiliation: | 1.Instituto de Neurobiología,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México,Querétaro,México;2.Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior,University of California,Irvine,USA |
Abstract: | The corpus callosum (CC) is the main white matter tract in the brain and is involved in interhemispheric communication. Using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique, a study was made of K+-currents in primary cultured astrocytes from the CC of newborn rats. These cells were positive to glial fibrillary acidic protein after culturing in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (> 95% of cells) or in serum-free neurobasal medium with G5 supplement (> 99% of cells). Astrocytes cultured in either medium displayed similar voltage-activated ion currents. In 81% of astrocytes, the current had a transient component and a sustained component, which were blocked by 4-aminopyridine and tetraethylammonium, respectively; and both had a reversal potential of ?66 mV, indicating that they were carried by K+ ions. Based on the Ba2+-sensitivity and activation kinetics of the K+-current, two groups of astrocytes were discerned. One group (55% of cells) displayed a strong Ba2+ blockade of the K+-current whose activation kinetics, time course of decay, and the current-voltage relationship were modified by Ba2+. This current was greatly blocked (52%) by Ba2+ in a voltage-dependent way. Another group (45% of cells) presented weak Ba2+-blockade, which was only blocked 24% by Ba2+. The activation kinetics and time course of decay of this current component were unaffected by Ba2+. These results may help to understand better the roles of voltage-activated K+-currents in astrocytes from the rat CC in particular and glial cells in general. |