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Voltage-dependent tetrodotoxin binding to single batrachotoxin-modified Na channels recorded from intact
1Marine Biomedical Institute, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550.
Abstract:
To clarify the voltage-dependent actions of tetrodotoxin (TTX) on Na channels in cellular membranes, we examined the TTX block of single batrachotoxin-modified Na channels in neuroblastoma cells. We found these Na channels had a high affinity for TTX which decreased e-fold per 35.5 mV depolarization. The decrease in affinity resulted primarily from a decrease in the blocking rate for TTX; the unblocking rate increased slightly with depolarization. While the voltage-dependence of TTX binding to neuroblastoma Na channels was similar to that reported in purified Na channels incorporated in bilayers, the magnitude and voltage-dependence of the rate constants were quite different.