Crayfish stretch receptor: an investigation with voltage-clamp and ion-sensitive electrodes

1. The membrane characteristics of the slowly adapting stretch receptor from the crayfish, Astacus fluviatilis, were examined with electrophysiological techniques consisting of membrane potential recording, voltage clamp and ion-sensitive microelectrodes. 2. The passive membrane current (Ip) following step changes of the membrane potential to levels above 0 mV required more than a minute to decay to a steady-state level. 3. The stretch-induced current (SIC, where SIC = Itotal--Ipassive) was not fully developed until the Ip had decayed to a steady state. 4. With Ip at the steady state and the stretch-induced current at the O-current potential, a slow stretch-induced inward current was isolated. The latter reaches a maximum after 1 sec of stretch and declines even more slowly after stretch. The I-V relation of the slow current had a negative slope and reversed sign near the resting potential. It is suggested that this current is due to a Cl- conductance change. 5. The stretch-induced current, consisting of a rapid transient phase and a steady component can be isolated from the slow stretch-induced current at a holding potential corresponding to the resting potential. 6. The SIC-Em relation is non-linear and reverses sign at about +15 mV. 7. In a given cell, the reversal potential of the stretch-induced potential change obtained with current clamp coincided with the 0-current potential of the stretch-induced current obtained by voltage clamp. The average value from twenty-six cells was +13 +/- 6.5 mV; cell to cell variability seemed to be correlated with dendrite length. 8. Tris (mol. wt. 121) or arginine (mol. wt. 174) susbstituted for Na+ reduces but does not abolish the stretch-induced current. 9. The permeability ratios of Tris:Na and arginine:Na were estimated from changes in the 0-current potential as these cations replaced Na+ in the external medium. The PTris:PNa was somewhat higher (0.31) than the Parginine:PNa ratio (0.25). 10. Changes in the external Ca2+ concentration had no effect on the 0-current potential in Na or Tris saline. However, reducing Ca2+ did augment the stretch-induced current in either saline. A tenfold reduction of Ca2+ increased the conductance (at the 0-current level) about twofold. 11. Intracellular K+ and Cl- activities were obtained with ion sensitive electrodes. The average values from six cells were aiK = 133 +/- 34 mM and aiCl = 15.2 +/- 1.8 mM S.D.). EK was about 20 mV more negative than Em and ECl was about 10 mV more positive than Em. 12. aik and resting Em undergo large changes in K+-free solutions. After 60 min, ak was reduced eightfold and Em was reduced from -67 to -40 mV. Reduced Ca2+ in K+-free augments the rate of these changes. Receptor potential amplitude was also reduced in K+-free solution but could be restored upon polarizing the membrane to the pre-existing resting level.