Chapter 2 Flashcards
How is the electrical potential measured in an individual cell?
mV
Define resting membrane potential (Em).
The electrical potential across the cell membrane. Dependent on concentration of ions, relative permeability of ions and the ionic pumps which transport ions across the membrane.
What is the single most important ion involved with determining the membrane potential?
K+: high inside, low outside
What are the intracellular and extracellular concentrations of K+, Na+, and Ca++ in a typical cardiomyocyte at a resting membrane potential of -90Mv?
K+: Intra 150mM/ Extra 4mM
Na+: Intra 20mM/ Extra 145mM
Ca++: Intra 0.0001mM/ 2.5mM
What is a chemical gradient?
A difference in the concentration of chemicals across a membrane,
What are the intracellular and extracellular concentrations of K+, Na+, and Ca++ in a typical cardiomyocyte at a resting membrane potential of -90Mv?
K+: 150 mM in/ 4 mM out
Na+: 20 mM in/ 145 mM out
Ca++: 0.0001 mM in/ 2.5mM out
What is a chemical gradient?
A difference in the concentration of chemicals across a membrane.
The concentration differences across the cell membrane for these ions are determined by what?
1) the activity of energy-dependent ionic pumps
2) the presence of impermeable, negatively charged proteins within the cell
Explain how concentration gradients of ions across a cell membrane affect membrane potential.
Due to concentration gradients of ions, the ions flow from high to low concentrations. This creates a desire to flow towards lower concentrations, which means that the ions want to leave their current location. For K+, they leave behind negatively charged proteins which leaves the membrane potential more negative, if other ions aren’t balancing it out.
What is an equilibrium potential?
The equilibrium potential is the difference across the membrane which is required to maintain the concentration gradient. For example: it is the potential necessary to oppose outward flow of K+ down the concentration gradient. With equilibrium potential being -96mV, and Em of a ventricular myocyte being -90mV, as K+ potential reaches -90mV, it will stop wanting to diffuse out.
What is the equilibrium potential for K+?
-96mV.
Define net electrochemical force
Net electrochemical force is the difference between the resting membrane potential and the equilibrium potential for that specific ion.
Net Electrochemical force= Em - Equilibrium potential
For Na+, the resting membrane potential is 52mV, while the v. myocyte is -90mV. This means that the cell interior has to reach 52mV for Na+ to stop wanting to diffuse inward. This creates a large net electrochemical force of -142mV for Na+.
If the Em = -90mV, what is the net electrochemical driving force for K+?
+6mV. Relative permeability of K+ at rest is high, but there is only +6mV of electrochemical force leading to slow leak of K+ out. Because K+ is highly permeable at rest, it has greater influence on resting membrane potential(-90mV).
What is the equilibrium potential for Na+?
+52mV
If the Em = -90mV, what is the net electrochemical driving force for Na+?
-142mV=(-90-(+52)
What is the equilibrium potential for Ca++?
+134mV
If the Em = -90mV, what is the net electrochemical driving force for Ca++?
-224mv=(-90-(+134)
Explain how the electrical and chemical forces work collectively to determine the movement of ions.
The resting membrane potential is a product of:
1) the concentration gradient(chemical force) of ions and
2) the relative permeability of each ion(the movement of an ion being driven by a net electrochemical force).
If the membrane has greater permeability to one ion over another, that ion will have greater influence in determining the membrane potential
Why would there be little movement of and ion even when there is a large electrochemical force acting on the ion?
There may not be a concentration gradient due to concentration of ions being similar both intra and extra cellular
What is ion conductance?
Ion conductance is the ion current divided by the net electrochemical force acting upon that ion.
ion current/net electrochemical force
How are ion permeability and conductance related?
An increase in the permeability for an ion results in an increase in the ion conductance.
Write an equation that relates Em to the relative conductances and equilibrium potentials of K+, Na+, and Ca++.
Em=g’K(Ek) + g’Na(Ena) + g’Ca(Eca)
This represents the sum of individual equilibrium potentials each multiplied by the membrane conductance(g’)
In a cardiac cell, how much do the individual ion concentrations change when ions cross the cell membrane during depolarization and repolarization?
Very little
Why is the Em close to the EK?
because g’K+ is high in resting cells
Why do Na+ and Ca++ contribute little to the resting membrane potential?
The low relative conductances of Na+ and Ca++ are multiplied by their equilibrium potential values causing those ions to contribute little to the resting membrane potential
How do changes in conductance of the different ions change the membrane potential, such as during an action potential?
When conductance changes, the membrane potential reflects a change in mV. For example, during an AP, the membrane potential gets less negative due to increased permeability of Na+, allowing for more + ions inside and making the membrane potential less negative.
How is the conductance of some ion channels influenced by the concentration of the ion?
A decrease in concentration would reduce ion conductance. If concentration influences the desire to cross the membrane, a lower desire would result in less conductance.
With an action potential, in general, how many ions move across the sarcolemmal membrane?
small, relative to the total number of ions