Intracellular regulation of oxygen consumption in the isolated crayfish stretch receptor neuron

Abstract

Morphological correlations of the functional regulation of oxygen consumption have been studied on single isolated crayfish mechanoreceptor neurons. An enhancement of oxygen consumption is promoted by the following: (1) redistribution of mitochondria and an increase in cytochrome oxidase (CO) activity in mitochondria near the plasmatic membrane, (2) coordination of mitochondria aggregation rhythms with pO2 rhythms in the medium external for a cell, (3) a decrease in the area of high CO activity and mitochondria and a shortening of the oxygen diffusion pathway, (4) an increase of the CO activity gradient from the neuron body periphery to its center, (5) a transfer of oxygen with the water flow during neuron body hydration and cytoplasm dilution during the transfer of a portion of the gel into sol, (6) cyclic changes in the ratio of the neuron body and hillock sizes at which there is a transfer of oxygen with the water flow into the neuron body, its mitochondrial uptake in the neuron body, and transfer of the oxygen-free water from the neuron body into the axonal hillock and further into the external medium.