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. 1971 Jan;212(2):483–502. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1971.sp009337

Optical studies on the kinetics of the sodium pump in mammalian non-myelinated nerve fibres

D Landowne, J M Ritchie
PMCID: PMC1395662  PMID: 4251291

Abstract

1. A study has been made of the changes in the fluorescence of desheathed rabbit cervical vagus nerves that occur during and after electrical stimulation of its non-myelinated fibres.

2. Stimulation for 5 sec at 30 shocks/sec produces a maximal decrease, of about 1% of the resting fluorescence. Stimulation for less than 0·5 sec fails to produce responses visible above the inherent noise in the recording system.

3. A pharmacological dissection (with ouabain, metabolic inhibitors, and calcium) has revealed four phases of fluorescence change:

(a) under conditions where the sodium pump is functioning, there is a prolonged decrease in the fluorescence following electrical activity;

(b) even in the absence of pumping the mere entry of sodium into the nerve causes an initial decrease in fluorescence;

(c) the entry of calcium ions with electrical activity also causes an initial rapid decrease in fluorescence;

(d) following these phases of decreased fluorescence there is a phase of increased fluorescence.

4. These changes in fluorescence are related to changes in the NADH concentration in the nerve resulting from:

(a) the splitting of ATP during sodium extrusion;

(b) the initial binding of sodium to the sodium- and potassium-dependent ATPase, which is the sodium pump;

(c) the stimulation of mitochondrial respiration by calcium that has entered during the spike; and

(d) an increased glycogenolysis as a result of the calcium entry during activity.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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