Current density as routine parameter for description of ionic membrane current: is it always the best option?

Publication date: Available online 30 November 2019Source: Progress in Biophysics and Molecular BiologyAuthor(s): Roman Kula, Markéta Bébarová, Peter Matejovič, Jiří Šimurda, Michal PásekAbstractThe current density (J) is a parameter routinely used to characterize individual ionic membrane currents. Its evaluation is based on the presumption that the magnitude of whole-cell ionic membrane current (I) is directly proportional to the cell membrane capacitance (C), i.e. I positively and strongly correlates with C and the regression line describing I–C relation intersects the y-axis close to the origin of coordinates. We aimed to prove the presumption in several examples and find whether the conversion of I to J could be always beneficial. I–C relation was analysed in several potassium currents, measured in rat atrial myocytes (in inward rectifier currents, IK1, and both the constitutively active and acetylcholine-induced components of acetylcholine-sensitive current, IK(Ach)CONST and IK(Ach)ACH), and in rat ventricular myocytes (transient outward current Ito). I–C correlation was estimated by the Pearson coefficient (r). A coefficient (k) was newly suggested describing deviation of the regression intercept from zero in currents with considerable r value. Based on mathematical simulations, I was satisfactorily proportional to C when r ≥ 0.6 and k ≤ 0.2 which was fulfilled in IK1 and IK(Ach)ACH (r = 0.84, k = 0.20, and r = 0.61, k = 0.06, ...
Source: Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research