Voltage-activated calcium currents in identified neurons from a hydrozoan jellyfish, Polyorchis penicillatus

Calcium currents were studied in isolated "swim motor neurons" from the jellyfish Polyorchis penicillatus, using the tight-seal, whole-cell, voltage-clamp technique. Two high-voltage-activated (HVA) currents were observed. The transient current, HVA-t, activated rapidly (time to peak, 4 msec), inactivated with two time constants (26 msec, 187 msec) in a positive voltage range (Vi = -23 mV), and was larger when carried by calcium than by barium ions. The sustained current, HVA-s, inactivated slowly or not at all, even at very positive voltages and had the same amplitude whether carried by Ca2+ or Ba2+. It is likely that the two HVA current components arise from distinct channel populations, because the ionic selectivity of calcium channels is not known to depend on their inactivation kinetics. A third current appeared to activate at very positive voltages, and at a slower rate than did HVA-t. It is likely to be an artifact of inhomogeneous space clamping. A low-voltage-activated, cadmium-insensitive calcium current may also be present. Calcium currents in this primitive, multicellular animal have properties similar to calcium currents in other phyla; however, they do not fit neatly into the "T, N, L" classification scheme of vertebrate calcium currents.