Electrotonic Coupling between Adjacent Internodal Cells of Chara braunii: Transmission of Action Potentials beyond the Node |
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Authors: | Sibaoka, Takao Tabata, Takayoshi |
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Affiliation: | Biological Institute, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University Sendai 980, Japan |
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Abstract: | Many nodal cells are interposed between two internodal cellsof Chara braunii. When an action potential conducted in an internodereached the node, no electrical activation in the nodal cellscould be found, although an area of the membrane bordering thenodal cells in this internode was partially activated (end-membraneaction potential). When the action potential approached thenode along the stimulated internode, an electrotonic potentialchange (depolarization) was produced in the other internode.This depolarization was greatly depressed by the end-membraneaction potential of the stimulated internode, so that hardlyany transmission took place. The ratio of the potential changein the surface membrane of the adjoining ("postsynaptic") internode(cell b) to that of the stimulated one (cell a), the couplingratio, eb/ ea, can be estimated from a simple equivalent circuitof the nodal region composed of two surface-membrane resistances(Ra, Rb) and intercellular resistance (Rn). If Rn remains thesame, a higher ratio should be produced with a larger Rb, butthe ratio does not depend on any change in Ra, which could beproved experimentally. Transmission of the action potentialbeyond the node was frequent when the coupling ratio was increasedand when the threshold that elicits the action potential waslowered by immersing the node in a K or Na salt solution. 1 Present address: Department of Physiology, Tohoku UniversitySchool of Dentistry, Sendai 980, Japan. (Received December 1, 1980; Accepted January 23, 1981) |
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