The effects of antibodies against proteins of the s100 group on neuron plasticity in sensitized and non-sensitized snails

The effects of antibodies to a total fraction of s100 proteins and protein s100b on the activity of defensive behavior command neurons LP11 and RP11 were studied in common snails, using non-sensitized animals and animals which had acquired nociceptive sensitization. In non-sensitized snails, application of antibodies against s100 or s100b (0.1 mg/ml) induced membrane depolarization, increased membrane permeability, and suppressed slow excitatory postsynaptic potentials in the responses of neurons to sensory stimulation. Acquisition of sensitization in snails in the presence of antibodies to s100 or s100b (0.1 mg/ml) led to significantly less marked facilitation of synaptic transmission and smaller increases in neuron membrane excitability than in cells of control sensitized animals. The difference in synaptic facilitation in the neurons of control sensitized snails and neurons in sensitized snails given antibody was comparable with the magnitude of synaptic depression due to antibody in non-sensitized animals. At a dose of 0.01 mg/ml, antibody had no effect on these measures of neuron activity. It is suggested that s100 proteins, particularly s100b, are involved in the mechanisms regulating excitability, the membrane potential, and synaptic transmission in command neurons in untrained snails, as well as in the mechanism of plasticity of the electrogenic membranes of nerve cells during the acquisition of nociceptive sensitization.