Potassium movements in denervated frog sartorius muscle.

Abstract

The movement of 42K+ across the sarcolemma and the resting membrane potential (VM) of normal and denervated frog sartorius muscle were studied under several experimental conditions in preparations initially equilibrated in 100 mM K+ and 219 mM Cl-. The results can be summarized as follows. In the absence of any driving force on K+, i.e., when the difference between VM and the K+ equilibrium potential (EK) is zero (VM - EK = 0), the K+ conductance (gK) was 368 microseconds . cm-2 in control and 282 microseconds. in denervated muscle. The reduced gK of denervated muscles results from the addition of the opposite changes in the conductances of a Rb+-sensitive inward rectifying pathway (gIR), which decreases, and a Rb+-insensitive linear channel (gL), which increases. Thus in control muscles gK (368 microseconds . cm-2) equals gIR (359 microseconds . cm-2) plus gL (9 microseconds . cm-2), while in denervated muscles gK (282 microseconds . cm-2) equals gIR (198 microsecond . cm-2) plus gL (84 microseconds . cm-2). Denervation significantly reduces the inward rectifying properties of the resting K+ permeability system. In the presence of outward driving forces on K+ (VM - EK greater than 0) of 35-50 mV, the Rb+-sensitive inward rectifier channel appears to close completely in both control and denervated muscles. In the latter, however, the effect was not as well maintained as in the former, suggesting that its closing mechanism might be altered by denervation. No changes were observed during the first 2 wk after denervation.