Kinetics of the membrane current mediated by serotonin 5-HT3 receptors in cultured mouse neuroblastoma cells.

1. Ionic currents mediated by serotonin 5-HT3 receptors were studied in the mouse neuroblastoma cell line N1E-115, using suction pipettes for intracellular perfusion and voltage clamp recording. The dependence of the kinetics of the membrane current on serotonin concentration was investigated. 2. At a holding potential of -70 mV application of 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine creatinine sulphate) causes a transient inward current. The i-V curve of the peak amplitude is linear between -80 and 60 mV. The reversal potential is 20 +/- 4 mV (mean +/- S.D.). The kinetics of the transient ionic current are independent of the holding potential. 3. In the presence of 5-HT the membrane current decays to a small steady-state level with a single-exponential time course. The time constant of decay decreases with increasing concentration of the agonist, to a minimum value of 6.5 +/- 1.5 s for concentrations of 5-HT greater than or equal to 3 microM. 4. When the agonist is rapidly removed, single-exponential decay of the ionic current is observed. The time constant of this decay in the absence of 5-HT amounts to 6.9 +/- 1.5 s and is independent of the membrane potential and of the concentration of 5-HT used. 5. In the presence of low concentrations of 5-HT the peak amplitude of the inward current evoked with a high concentration of agonist is gradually reduced. The onset of this desensitization follows the same time course as the decay of the membrane current. In the range from 0.7 to 1.5 microM-5-HT both kinetic processes show the same steep concentration dependence. 6. Recovery from desensitization, measured at variable intervals after removal of the agonist, can be fitted by a single-exponential function with a time constant of 18 +/- 4 s. 7. The results show that the kinetic properties of the 5-HT3 receptor-mediated ionic current can only be described by a complex, co-operative model.