Effects of Anemonia sulcata toxin II on presynaptic currents and evoked transmitter release at neuromuscular junctions of the mouse.

The effect of Anemonia sulcata toxin II (ATX-II) on the amount of transmitter released by nerve impulses was investigated in motor end-plates of the mouse. ATX-II (80 nM) caused repetitive end-plate potentials in response to a single nerve stimulus and a 3- to 4-fold increase in the quantal content of the phasic end-plate potential. This increase is less than what would be expected if ATX-II induced plateau action potentials at the motor endings. To solve this discrepancy presynaptic currents were recorded by focal extracellular electrodes. It was found that the K current present at the endings is strong enough to prevent the development of presynaptic plateau action potentials, in contrast to what has been observed in other excitable membranes (unmyelinated axons, nodes of Ranvier and skeletal muscle fibres). By using tetraethylammonium and 3,4-diaminopyridine to block K channels and Co2+ to block Ca channels, ATX-II allowed the development of prolonged plateau responses at the endings upon motor nerve stimulation. These results suggest that the mouse motor endings are endowed with a relatively powerful K channel system, which effectively controls the amount of presynaptic depolarization.