Excitable Cells: Resting Membrane and Action Potentials Flashcards
Examples of excitable cells
neurons and muscle cells
what do excitable cells do
generate action potentials that communicate information within and between cells via large transmembrane potentials
transmembrane potentials of excitable cells depend upon
- active transport of ions to maintain concentration gradient K+ and Na+ ions
- Presence of channels in cells plasma that = selective K+ ions
Na+/K+ ATPase
ATP-dependenttransporter that transports K+ and Na+ against their concentration gradients to maintain:
- low extracellular concentration K+
- high extracellular concentration Na+
Concentration of K+
High inside cell low outside cell
concentration Na+
Low inside cell high outside cell
Resting membrane potential
generated as K+ ions exit cell by flowing down concentration gradient through K+ selective channels
- in sekeltal muscle Cl- influx contributes to resting membrane potential
Cell excitation
Excitable cell fires action potential when depolarizing stimulus exceeds threshold for activation for Na+ and Ca2+ channels in membrane; ions flow into ell via energy of concentration gradient and make cell membrane potential transiently positive with respect to extracellular fluid space
repolarization occurs as threshold for activation voltage sensitive K+ channels exceeded and K+ ions flow out of cell
action potentials generated from
large negative resting membrane potential via excitable cells
resting membrane potential
membrane potential of excitable cell during interval between action potentials when net influx and efflux is =
RMP neurons and cardiac myocytes
largely due to K+; these ion channels =
RMP skeletal muscle
Cl- also important
generation of action potential involves
transient reversible changes in transmembrane potential from highly coordinated sequence of opening sea closing of voltage-gated ion channels that allow Na+ or Ca2+ influx to generate positive upstroke of action potential followed by K+ efflux which depolarizes membrane
Current
occurs as ions flow across cell membranes (flow of changes per second)
movement of charges
through ion channel pores is dwn electrical and ionic concentration gradients
Ohms law
describes flow of ionic current through membranes
V= IR
conductance
Inverse of resistance/ ability to flow
g=1/R
gV=I (Ohms law with conductance)
biological current is either
- ionic (carried by ions)
2. Capacitative (due to time-dependent differences in charge on 2 sides fo cell PM)
4 important ions for biological electricity
Sodium (Na+)
Potassium (K+)
Calcium (Ca2+)
Chloride (Cl-)
Flow of current in any electrical circuit requires
- Low resistance pathway (1/R)=g between two compartments
2. A driving force (V)
low resistance pathways
- (1/R)=g
- ion channel
- gap junction
- lower resistance of cytoplasm compared to PM (like when current flows w/ in a cell to other parts of cell)
driving force
- partly difference in concentration of ion between inside and outside of cell and partly electrical driving force that occurs when potential difference between two compartments
- electrical driving force can be across cell membrane or difference in potential at one pt of cell compared to another
intracellular and extracellular concentrations of Na+, Ca2+, K+ ions established by
active transport of Na+ out of cell and K+ into cell by electrogenic pump (Na+/ K+ ATPase); this does not make significant contribution to transmembrane potential of excitable cells
outside of cell
each cation assumed to be associated with like number anions outside cell (Cl-)
inside of cell
Cl- and mixture of impermeable anions
equilibrium potential
- plasma membrane is selectively permeable to K+ and K+ flows out of cell down its concentration gradient leaving Cl- and X- (impermeable anions) behind -> negative intracellular potential the negative potential attracts K+ and reduces is efflux; equilibrium potential is when the chemical force driving K+ out of the cell is offselt by the electrical force attracting K+ into the cell
Nernst equation
K+ equilibrium potential can be calculated this way ( so can other ions)
Ek= -61.5mV x (log10[K]I - log10[K]o)
Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz formulation resting membrane potential in words
- in essence this adds together forces for K+ flux, Na+ flux, and Cl- flux to determine RMP bit this takes into account differences in relative permiablity (P) for different ions and concentration of each ion inside and outside cell
resting membrane potentail
resting membrane potential = potential at which charges flowing into cell are balanced by net charges flowing out
- includes resting permeability to K+ ions and permeability of membrane to other ions in addition to K+ (in vertebrate skeletal muscle there is significant permiablity to Cl- ions at resting membrane potential)
Goldman- Hodgkin- Katz formulation resting membrane potentail formula
Vm= (-61.5mV)log10 [(Pk[K+]I + Pna[Na+]i + Pcl [Cl-]o)/(Pk[K+]o + Pna [Na+]o + Pcl[Cl-]i)]
membranes of all cells are
polarized
excitable cells are
hyper polarized, depolarized, depolarized as they perform their fnx