A study of light-initiated currents in Limulus lateral eye retinular cells

Abstract

Light-initiated currents in Limulus lateral eye retinular cells were studied using the voltage clamp technique. To assess the validity of such current measurements, the isopotentiality of retinular cells was determined on triply impaled cells and the effect of voltage clamping one retinular cell on adjacent retinular cells and on the eccentric cell in the same ommatidium was determined. The results of the experiments are: (1) retinular cells are isopotential at loci 100 μm apart; (2) appreciable steady state current during the clamping episodes leaks into neighboring retinular cells and the eccentric cell; (3) light-initiated currents exhibit two components; (4) there is a dynamic change in the resistance of the photoreceptor membrane during development of the receptor potential; (5) suppression of the rising phase (C 1) of the receptor potential does not affect subsequent voltage changes; (6) suppression of the sodium influx which normally produces C 1 has only minor effects on subsequent voltage changes; (7) reduced [KCl] out increases and increased [KCl] out decreases the reversal potential of light-initiated currents; and (8) reduced [NaCl] out reduces the magnitude and the reversal potential of light-initiated currents.