Voltage‐dependent K+ currents contribute to heterogeneity of olfactory ensheathing cells |
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| Authors: | Lorena Rela Ana Paula Piantanida Angelique Bordey Charles A. Greer |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Departments of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut;2. Systems Neuroscience Section, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina;3. Institute of Physiology and Biophysics Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO Houssay‐CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina;4. Yale University School of Medicine, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, New Haven, Connecticut;5. Yale University School of Medicine, Departments of Neurobiology, New Haven, Connecticut |
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| Abstract: | The olfactory nerve is permissive for axon growth throughout life. This has been attributed in part to the olfactory ensheathing glial cells that encompass the olfactory sensory neuron fascicles. Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) also promote axon growth in vitro and when transplanted in vivo to sites of injury. The mechanisms involved remain largely unidentified owing in part to the limited knowledge of the physiological properties of ensheathing cells. Glial cells rely for many functions on the properties of the potassium channels expressed; however, those expressed in ensheathing cells are unknown. Here we show that OECs express voltage‐dependent potassium currents compatible with inward rectifier (Kir) and delayed rectifier (KDR) channels. Together with gap junction coupling, these contribute to the heterogeneity of membrane properties observed in OECs. The relevance of K+ currents expressed by ensheathing cells is discussed in relation to plasticity of the olfactory nerve. GLIA 2015;63:1646–1659 |
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| Keywords: | ensheathing glia potassium conductance gap junctions |
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