Intramembrane charge movement in guinea-pig and rat ventricular myocytes

1. Non-linear capacitative current (charge movement) was studied in isolated guinea-pig and rat ventricular myocytes. Linear capacitance was subtracted using standard procedures. Most of the experiments were done with guinea-pig myocytes, while rat myocytes were used for comparison. 2. When a myocyte was held at -100 mV, depolarizing clamp steps produced a rapid outward current transient, which was followed by an inward current transient upon repolarization. This current was identified as the movement of charged particles in the cell membrane, rather than ionic movement across the membrane, for the following reasons: (1) the current saturated at membrane potentials positive to +20 mV; (2) the current was capacitative in nature, having no reversal potential; (3) in general, the charge moved during depolarization (Qon) approximated the charge moved during repolarization (Qoff). 3. Qoff was significantly less than Qon for a depolarization from -100 mV to 0 mV. However, the Qoff/Qon ratio approached unity if the cell was instead repolarized to -140 mV. This was interpreted as being due to the immobilization of a fraction of the charge during the depolarization, which recovered rapidly enough to be measured at -140 mV, but recovered too slowly at -100 mV. 4. Charge movement in these cells had a sigmoidal dependence on the membrane potential, which could be empirically described by the two-state Boltzmann equation Q = Qmax/(1 + exp[-(V-V*)/kappa]), where Q is the charge movement at potential V, Qmax is the maximum charge, V* is the membrane potential at Q = Qmax/2, and kappa is a slope factor. Qmax was 11.7 nC/microF, V* was -18 mV and kappa was 16 mV in guinea-pig myocytes held at -100 mV, while the values in rat myocytes were 10.9 nC/microF, -32 mV and 13 mV. 5. The charge movement could be partially immobilized by a prior depolarization. This effect developed over a broad voltage range, from -120 to +20 mV. The fraction of charge that could be immobilized by a 10 s pre-pulse to +20 mV was 59%. 6. The time course of decay of both Qon and Qoff could basically be described as a single-exponential process. The time constant was largest at -40 mV and decreased at both more positive and negative test potentials. A second, slower Qoff time constant, possibly representing remobilization of immobilized charge, could be seen under some conditions. 7. The temperature dependence of charge movement was studied between 11 and 35 degrees C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)