AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 261, Issue 5 1321-R1324, Copyright © 1991 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Channel arrest: implications from membrane resistance in turtle neurons

C. J. Doll, P. W. Hochachka and P. B. Reiner
Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

A widespread defense strategy used by hypoxia-tolerant animals is metabolic depression. One possible mechanism for metabolic depression is "channel arrest." This hypothesis predicts that ion leakage through plasma membrane leakage channels is reduced during an anoxic episode. The decreased ion flux would result in the conservation of energy through the reduction of ATP-demanding ion pumping. We tested this hypothesis with the anoxia-tolerant turtle (Chrysemys picta) as a model system. With intracellular recording used in cortical slices, whole cell input resistance and specific membrane resistivity were monitored under control and anoxic conditions. There were no significant changes in resistance, indicating that the channel arrest defense mechanism was not utilized for energy conservation during short-term anoxia (less than or equal to 120 min).

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. S. Ghai and L. T. Buck Acute reduction in whole cell conductance in anoxic turtle brain Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 1999; 277(3): R887 - R893. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]