An upper limit to the number of sodium channels in nerve membrane?

Abstract

1. A small volume of artificial sea water containing 300 nM tetrodotoxin (TTX) was applied successively to seven lobster nerve trunks and the cumulative uptake of toxin investigated by bio-assay.2. Light and electron microscopy indicated that the nerve trunks had a total axonal area of 0.7 x 10(4) cm(2)/g.3. Sodium analysis gave a sodium space for the nerve trunks of 30%.4. The amount of toxin taken up by the cells in 1 g of nerve is less than 1.6 x 10(-11) moles.5. It is argued that there are probably fewer than 13 sodium channels/mu(2) axon in lobster nerve.