Chemical excitation of Limulus photoreceptors. I. Phosphatase inhibitors induce discrete-wave production in the dark.

Molybdate, tungstate, fluoride, vanadate, and GTP-gamma-S [guanosine-5'-0-(3-thiotriphosphate)] were injected into Limulus ventral photoreceptors by ionophoresis from microelectrodes. All of these drugs induce discrete waves of depolarization similar in waveform to, but smaller in amplitude than, those normally elicited by dim light. As for light-evoked waves, the amplitude of drug-induced waves decreases with light adaptation. For the compounds examined so far (fluoride, vanadate, GTP-gamma-S), the drug-induced waves share a reversal potential with light-induced discrete waves at about +15 mV. The induction of discrete waves by fluoride, vanadate, and molybdate was found to be reversible, whereas the induction of waves by GTP-gamma-S was not. Unlike fluoride and vanadate, which induce waves when added to the bath, molybdate appears to be ineffective when applied extracellularly. Because of the similarity of the drug-induced waves to light-induced discrete waves, we conclude that the drug-induced waves arise from a process similar or perhaps identical to visual excitation of the photoreceptor. However, the smaller size of drug-induced waves suggests that they arise at a stage of phototransduction subsequent to the isomerization of rhodopsin. On the basis of the chemical properties and action of the drugs, we suggest that discrete waves may arise through the activation of a GTP-binding protein.