Potassium conductance and internal calcium accumulation in a molluscan neurone.

1. The Aplysia neurone R-15 was injected with the Ca(2+) sensitive dye arsenazo III. Changes in dye absorbance were measured with a differential spectrophotometer to monitor changes in the free internal Ca(2+) concentration, Ca, during membrane depolarization and during intracellular Ca(2+) ion injection under voltage clamp conditions.2. The absorbance change, and thus Ca, increases linearly with Ca(2+) injection intensity at constant duration. The absorbance change produced by a constant intensity Ca(2+) injection also increases with injection duration, but this increase is asymptotic.3. The Ca(2+) activated K(+) current, I(K, Ca), increases linearly with the increase in Ca and its rise and decay follows closely the time course of the absorbance change produced by internal Ca(2+) injection.4. The Ca(2+) activated K(+) conductance increases exponentially with membrane depolarization. The increase in K(+) conductance activated by a constant intensity and duration Ca(2+) injection is on average e-fold for a 25.3 mV change in membrane potential.5. The difference in net outward K(+) current measured during depolarizing pulses to different membrane potentials in normal and in Ca(2+) free ASW was used as an index of I(K, Ca). Its time course was approximately linear for the first 50-100 msec of depolarization, but for longer times the relation approached a maximum. Simultaneous measurements of the arsenazo III absorbance changes were broadly consistent with the activation of I(K, Ca) being brought about by the rise in Ca during a pulse.6. The relation between Ca(2+) activated K(+) conductance and membrane potential is bell shaped and resembles the absorbance vs. potential curve, but its maximum is displaced to more positive membrane potentials. The shift in the two curves on the voltage axis can be explained by the potential dependence of G(K, Ca).7. The net outward K(+) current measured with depolarizing voltage pulses in normal and in Ca(2+) free ASW is increased when Ca is elevated by internal Ca(2+) injection. With large and prolonged Ca(2+) injections the net outward current is depressed following the decline of Ca.8. The time and frequency dependent depression of the net outward K(+) current which occurs during repetitive stimulation is shown to have no obvious temporal relation to the increase in Ca. The depression is relieved by an increase in Ca caused by internal Ca(2+) injection.9. The net outward K(+) current measured with brief depolarizing pulses which approach the estimated Ca(2+) equilibrium potential and therefore do not cause Ca(2+) influx and accumulation is facilitated by a previous depolarizing pulse which causes a rise in Ca..10. The facilitation experiments also suggest that the activation of I(K, Ca) by Ca has a significant time constant. During a depolarizing pulse, the rise in Ca next to the membrane, and hence I(K, Ca) is expected to follow the square root of time, but a delay in the activation of I(K, Ca) by Ca could explain why the observed time course of I(K, Ca) is initially almost linear.11. The potential dependence of the Ca(2+) activated K(+) conductance can be explained if the internal Ca(2+) binding site is about half way through the membrane.