Postnatal maturation of rat hypothalamoneurohypophysial neurons: evidence for a developmental decrease in calcium entry during action potentials

Action potentials and voltage-gated currents were studied in acutely dissociated neurosecretory cells from the rat supraoptic nucleus during the first three postnatal weeks (PW1-PW3), a period corresponding to the final establishment of neuroendocrine relationships. Action potential duration (at half maximum) decreased from 2.7 to 1.8 ms; this was attributable to a decrease in decay time. Application of cadmium (250 microM) reduced the decay time by 43% at PW1 and 21% at PW3, indicating that the contribution of calcium currents to action potentials decreased during postnatal development. The density of high-voltage-activated calcium currents increased from 4.4 to 10.1 pA/pF at postnatal days 1-5 and 11-14, respectively. The conductance density of sustained potassium current, measured at +20 mV, increased from 0.35 (PW1) to 0.53 (PW3) nS/pF. The time to half-maximal amplitude did not change. Conductance density and time- and voltage-dependent inactivation of the transient potassium current were stable from birth. At PW1, the density and time constant of decay (measured at 0 mV) were 0.29 nS/pF (n = 12) and 17.9 ms (n = 10), respectively. Voltage-dependent properties and density (1.1 nS/pF) of the sodium current did not change postnatally. During PW1, fitting the mean activation data with a Boltzmann function gave a half-activation potential of -25 mV. A double Boltzman equation was necessary to adequately fit the inactivation data, suggesting the presence of two populations of sodium channels. One population accounted for approximately 14% of the channels, with a half-inactivation potential of -86 mV; the remaining population showed a half-inactivation potential of -51 mV. A mathematical model, based on Hodgkin-Huxley equations, was used to assess the respective contributions of individual currents to the action potential. When the densities of calcium and sustained potassium currents were changed from immature to mature values, the decay time of the action potentials generated with the model decreased from 2.85 to 1.95 ms. A similar reduction was obtained when only the density of the potassium current was increased. Integration of the calcium currents generated during mature and immature action potentials demonstrated a significant decrease in calcium entry during development. We conclude that the developmental reduction of the action potential duration 1) is a consequence of the developmentally regulated increase in a sustained potassium current and 2) leads to a reduction of the participation of calcium currents in the action potential, resulting in a decreased amount of calcium entering the cell during each action potential.