IUBio

question on ACTION POTENTIALS!

Richard Norman rsnorman at mw.mediaone.net
Wed Jan 20 09:30:48 EST 1999


Eric Blanc wrote in message <36A589D2.167E at afmb.cnrs-mrs.fr>...
>Another thing...
>
>C. elegans...
>
>302 neurons.
>More than 80 Potassium channels,
>No Sodium channels.
>What about AP in such organisms...


This question is discussed by Cornelia Bargmann, "Neurobiology
of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome", Science 282:2028-2033
(1998).
     "Caenorhabditis elegans neurons are small and have high
      membrane resistance, and they are able to propagate signals
      efficiently without the large-scale amplification provided by
      the sodium channel.  On the other hand, voltage-activated
      calcium channels ... have been observed in recordings..."

Of course this is a secondary source.  Bargmann cites Davis &
Stretton, J Neurosci 9:403(1989), Gooodman et al, Neuron
20:763(1998), and Lee et al, EMBO J 16:6066(1997)








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