The role of calcium in the rapid adaptation of an insect mechanoreceptor.

The femoral tactile spine of the cockroach is a rapidly adapting mechanoreceptor in which the response to a step displacement is a burst of action potentials lasting about 1 sec. This adaptation seems to occur during the encoding of action potentials from receptor current, since there is no evidence of adaptation in the receptor potential, and the adaptation can be demonstrated by direct electrical stimulation of the single sensory neuron in the spine. We have recently presented evidence for a calcium-activated potassium conductance in the tactile spine receptor neuron, although it was not directly linked to adaptation. Since this conductance could be involved in the rapid adaptation of the tactile spine neuron, we sought an association between adaptation and the entry of calcium ions into the cell. Adaptation in the tactile spine neuron was examined by direct electrical stimulation using a randomly fluctuating current followed by frequency-response analysis. The dynamic behavior was studied as a function of the concentration of calcium ions in the bathing solution, the presence of calcium channel blocking agents, or the divalent cation ionophore antibiotic A23187. No evidence could be found that entry of calcium ions into the cell has a major role in the sensory adaptation.