Effects of barium and bicarbonate on glial cells of Necturus optic nerve. Studies with microelectrodes and voltage-sensitive dyes.

We have studied the effects of Ba++, a known K+ channel blocker, on the electrophysiological properties of the glial cells of Necturus optic nerve. The addition of Ba++ reversibly depolarized glial cells by 25-50 mV; the half maximal deplorization was obtained with a Ba++ concentration of approximately 0.3 mM. In the presence of Ba++, the sensitivity of the membrane to changes in K+ was reduced and there was evidence of competition between K+ and Ba++ for the K+ channel. These effects, which were accompanied by a large increase in the input resistance of the glial cells, indicate that Ba++ blocks the K+ conductance in glial cells of Necturus optic nerve. With the K+ conductance reduced, we were able to investigate the presence of other membrane conductances. We found that in the presence of Ba++, the addition of HCO3- caused a Na+-dependent hyperpolarization that was sensitive to the disulfonic stilbene SITS (4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2, 2'-disulfonic acid). Removal of Na+ resulted in a HCO3- -dependent, SITS-sensitive depolarization. These results are consistent with the presence in the glial membrane of an electrogenic Na+/HCO3- cotransporter in which Na+, HCO3-, and net negative charge are transported in the same direction. In Cl- -free solutions, the Ba++-induced depolarization increased, suggesting a small permeability to Cl-. Using voltage-sensitive dyes and a photodiode array for multiple site optical recording, the distribution of potential changes in response to square pulses of intracellularly injected current were recorded before and after the addition of increased and the decay of amplitude as a function of distance decreased. Such results indicate that Ba++ increases the membrane resistance more than the resistance of the intercellular junctions.