Excitatory transmitter release induced by high concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in crayfish neuromuscular junctions

Abstract

At the neuromuscular junction of very small crayfish (0.4-2 g) addition of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to the superfusing solution at concentrations exceeding 100 mmol/l elicited high frequency release of excitatory transmitter quanta. In seven experiments single application of 500 mmol/l GABA gave rise to instantaneous release of 70,000 to 130,000 quanta. These stores of transmitter were released by GABA in a first order process with time constants, tau q, of between 9 s and 20 s, the maximum rate of release, ñ0, reaching 10,000 quanta/s in some cases. After release had ceased in the presence of GABA, the preparation was allowed to recover for five minutes in normal solution. Subsequently, a second trial evoked about 50% of the release induced during the first application of GABA. Pretreatment of the preparation with 2 mumol/l serotonin (5-HT) facilitated GABA-induced transmitter release resulting in larger rates of release and consequently in a larger output of transmitter by a factor of about 3. The largest amount of transmitter released on a single application of GABA in the presence of serotonin comprised about 220,000 quanta with a maximum rate of release ñ0 approximately equal to 25,000 quanta/s. The release evoked by high GABA-concentrations did not depend markedly on extracellular Ca2+ or Mg2+, but required extracellular Na+. The effects induced by high concentrations of GABA on release of excitatory transmitter quanta were quantitatively similar to the effects of high glycine-concentrations on release of quanta from the inhibitory terminals (Finger 1983a, b).