Ca2+ current in myotome cells of the lancelet (Branchiostoma lanceolatum).

1. By using the whole-cell patch clamp method Ca2+ and Ba2+ currents were measured in the extremely thin twitch muscle cells of the protochordate Branchiostoma lanceolatum whose Ca2+ channels are likely to resemble the evolutionary ancestors of those found in vertebrate skeletal muscle. 2. When using 10 mM-Ca2+ in the artificial external solution and 1 mM-EGTA in the internal solution two kinetically different Ca2+ inward current components could be observed, showing very similar voltage dependence of activation and inactivation. 3. In solutions containing 10 mM-Ba2+ as an external charge carrier the biphasic inward current turned into a single rapidly activated and slowly inactivating current. 4. Inspecting peak currents, the voltage dependence of fractional activation and inactivation was nearly the same in Ca2+ and in Ba2+. 5. A transformation into a single component of the Ca2+ current could also be observed after perfusing the intracellular lumen with 10 mM of either EGTA or BAPTA. In the case of EGTA this transformation required considerably more time. Probably a higher internal concentration of EGTA is necessary since it binds Ca2+ more slowly than BAPTA. 6. Soon after establishing the whole-cell configuration a gradual increase of the second, slow inward current phase was observed relative to the fast component, indicating an enhancement of the slow component by intermediate intracellular buffer concentrations. 7. We conclude that the Branchiostoma myotome cells have only one Ca2+ channel system. The biphasic appearance of the inward current is caused by an unusually rapid inactivation due to Ca2+ ions, which enter the myoplasm during the current and temporarily bind to an inactivation site at the channel. The second phase probably reflects reactivation from the inactivated state upon dissociation of Ca2+ from the binding site.