Activation of protein kinase C inhibits kainate-induced currents in oocytes expressing glutamate receptor subunits

The effect of protein kinase C (PKC) activation on maximal kainate (KA)-induced currents was studied in Xenopus oocytes expressing the glutamate receptor (GluR) subunits GluR3, GluR1 + 3, GluR2 + 3, and GluR6. The PKC activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) inhibited peak KA responses in a time-dependent manner. The magnitude of inhibition was greatest in GluR6-expressing oocytes. Desensitizing KA currents characterized by a peak, transient current followed by a slower, desensitizing current were observed in oocytes expressing GluR3 and GluR1 + 3 receptors. PMA inhibited the desensitization, and this effect could be observed before PMA's inhibition of peak current amplitude. PMA-mediated inhibition of both desensitization and peak current amplitude was prevented by intracellular injection of the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor peptide. These results suggest that the function of GluRs is regulated by PKC-dependent phosphorylation.

GABAA and glutamate receptor subunit mRNAs in cortex of mice chemically kindled with FG 7142

Messenger RNA (mRNA) for several subunits of the GABAA receptor was measured in the cortex of mice chemically kindled with FG 7142. At 10 days after the final FG 7142 injection, beta 2 and gamma 2S subunit mRNA were significantly increased. At 31 days, alpha 1, alpha 3, beta 2, and gamma 2L mRNA were elevated. In contrast, levels of mRNA for four subunits of the glutamate receptor in the cortex of FG 7142-kindled mice killed at 31 days were not significantly increased. Previous investigations have shown a reduction in GABA-gated chloride channel function and density in mice kindled with FG 7142, and the increases in subunit mRNA found in the present studies may be a response to these decreases. These results indicate that chemical kindling produces long-lasting changes in expression of genes coding for specific neurotransmitter receptor subunits.

Effects of ethanol on structural parameters of rat brain membranes: relationship to genetic differences in ethanol sensitivity

Fluorescent probes located in different membrane regions were used to evaluate effects of ethanol (50 and 100 mM) on structural parameters (protein distribution, fluidity of total and annular lipid, and thickness of the bilayer) of synaptic plasma membranes (SPMs) from brain cortex of High-Alcohol Sensitivity (HAS) and Low-Alcohol Sensitivity (LAS) rats. An experimental procedure based on radiationless energy transfer from tryptophan of membrane proteins to pyrene, 1,3-bis-(1-pyrene)propane(pyr-C3-pyr), or 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), as well as pyr-C3-pyr monomer-eximer formation and DPH polarization, and energy transfer from pyrene monomers to 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANSA) was utilized. The efficiency of energy transfer from tryptophan to pyrene was sensitive to protein clustering induced in SPMs by concanavalin A. Efficiency of energy transfer from pyrene monomers to ANSA was different for vesicles of dimyristoyl phosphatidyl choline, dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline, and distearoyl phosphatidyl choline, consistent with differences in the thickness of these lipid bilayers. Without ethanol, there were no significant differences between the structural parameters of SPMs from HAS and from LAS rats. Addition of ethanol (50 mM) changed protein distribution (increased clustering) only in membranes from HAS rats and had no effect on the structure of membranes from LAS rats. A larger concentration of ethanol (100 mM) changed the fluidity of annular and total lipid in both lines of rats, but changed protein distribution and decreased thickness of the membranes from HAS rats with no effect on these parameters in SPMs from LAS animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of dietary protein on the liver content and subunit composition of the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex

Levels of expression of two subunits of the liver branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex in response to extremes of dietary protein intake (50% versus 0% protein diet) were determined by quantitative immunoblotting. Dietary protein deficiency decreased the amount of E1 alpha protein to a greater extent than E2 protein. The ratio of E1 alpha to E2 was below 1 in the liver of animals starved for protein and above 1 in the liver of animals fed the high-protein diet. Supplementation of the 0% protein diet with 5% leucine (but not 5% valine) had the same effect as the 50% protein diet. The extremes of dietary protein also resulted in a divergent pattern of expression of the mRNAs for the subunits of the complex. The E1 beta message showed the expected corollary of being greater in the liver of the high-protein-fed rats than the no-protein-fed rats. In contrast, the E2 message was not affected by the two extremes of dietary protein and the E1 alpha message was greater in the liver of the no-protein-fed rats than the high-protein-fed rats. Thus, coordinate regulation of gene expression of the subunits of the complex does not occur in response to dietary protein. Post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms most likely determine the amount of the complex and the ratio of its subunits. The decrease in E1 alpha/E2 protein ratio that occurs in dietary protein deficiency may increase sensitivity of the complex to phosphorylation-mediated inhibition by branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase.

Primary structure of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase establishes a new family of eukaryotic protein kinases

We recently reported molecular cloning of the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, the first mitochondrial protein kinase to be cloned (Popov, K. M., Zhao, Y., Shimomura, Y., Kuntz, M. J., and Harris, R. A. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 13127-13130). From a search for proteins related to the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, a cDNA encoding the 434 amino acid residues corresponding to pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase has been cloned from a rat heart cDNA library. Evidence that the clone codes for pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase includes: (a) the deduced amino acid sequence is identical to the partial sequence of the kinase determined by direct sequencing; (b) expression of the cDNA in Escherichia coli resulted in synthesis of a protein that phosphorylated and inactivated the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex; (c) kinase activity of the recombinant protein is sensitive to inhibition by a specific inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase; and (d) antiserum raised against the recombinant protein recognized the protein subunit known to correspond to pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase in a highly purified preparation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Like the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase lacks motifs usually associated with eukaryotic Ser/Thr-protein kinases. Considerable sequence similarity exists between these mitochondrial protein kinases and members of the prokaryotic histidine kinase family, a diverse set of sensing and response systems important in the regulation of bacterial processes. Thus, molecular cloning of these proteins establishes a new eukaryotic family of protein kinases that is related to a prokaryotic family of protein kinases.

A comparative study of velocity measurements in major blood vessels using magnetic resonance imaging and Doppler ultrasound

Velocity measurements in major blood vessels were obtained in studies of volunteers using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and compared with Doppler ultrasound (US). The vessels studied were the abdominal aorta, superior mesenteric artery, common carotid artery, superficial femoral artery and middle cerebral artery. Using a paired t-test, no significant difference was found between velocity values estimated by MRI and US (p > 0.08). The relative advantages of each technique in radiological practice are discussed.

Effects of diabetes on the activity and content of the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex in liver

Severe ketotic diabetes induced in rats by streptozotocin resulted in a reduction in activity of the hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex, regardless of whether activity was expressed on the basis of liver wet weight, total liver, liver protein, or liver DNA. A decrease in enzyme specific activity (units of enzyme activity per mg of enzyme protein) was found responsible for the reduction in measurable enzyme activity of the complex. Insulin treatment reversed the decrease in enzyme specific activity. Treatment of tissue extracts with phosphoprotein phosphatase had no effect, indicating that activity of the complex was decreased by some mechanism other than reversible phosphorylation. Specific protein components of the complex were also not found reduced by the diabetic state. Induction of severe ketotic diabetes in rats previously fed a low-protein diet resulted in activation of the enzyme as a consequence of dephosphorylation. Nevertheless, the specific activity of the dephosphorylated enzyme of diabetic, low-protein-fed rats was decreased relative to that of control, low-protein-fed animals. Reconstitution studies with tissue extracts fortified with the purified E1 component indicate that severe diabetes induces a defect in this component of the hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex.

Histamine stimulates a biphasic calcium response in the human tracheal epithelial cell line CF/T43

We have studied the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) response to histamine and other inflammatory mediators in a cystic fibrosis tracheal epithelial cell line (CF/T43) using digital fluorescence imaging. Brief pulses of histamine increased [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner with threshold, half-maximal, and maximal responses at approximately 5 microM, 120 microM, and 10 mM, respectively. The calcium response to sustained histamine exposure was markedly biphasic, consisting of an early peak (to approximately 2.4 microM [Ca2+]i) followed by a smaller second peak that lasted 45-60 s. Neither peak was directly dependent on Ca2+ influx. In contrast, stimulation with bradykinin gave a single peak followed by a smooth decay back to baseline levels. Sustained perfusion with histamine did not affect the bradykinin response, which is known to be mediated by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). The H1-type histamine receptor blockers mepyramine, diphenhydramine, and (+)-chlorpheniramine were potent antagonists of the histamine response. Diphenhydramine was also a weak agonist at high concentrations (> or = 1 mM) and gave a biphasic response similar to that with histamine. The H2-type receptor blocker cimetidine and the H3-type receptor blocker thioperamide had no effect. Indomethacin failed to inhibit the second phase of the histamine-stimulated [Ca2+]i response, suggesting that the second [Ca2+]i peak is not due to secondary production of prostaglandins. Neomycin, which inhibits IP3 production, completely abolished the [Ca2+]i response to bradykinin stimulation but did not affect the second phase of the histamine response. The biphasic nature of the histamine response, the insensitivity of the second [Ca2+]i peak to neomycin, and the independence of bradykinin and histamine responses suggest that histamine may modulate [Ca2+]i through multiple IP3 and non-IP3 pathways.

Effects of proglycosyn (LY177507) on fatty acid metabolism in rat hepatocytes

Proglycosyn (LY177507) belongs to a series of powerful agents that stabilize liver glycogen stores by promoting glycogen synthesis from different precursors and inhibiting glycogenolysis and glycolysis. In the present study we have examined the effects of proglycosyn on fatty acid metabolism in isolated hepatocytes. Preincubation of hepatocytes with medium containing proglycosyn led to a marked inhibition of fatty acid synthesis de novo and acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity without affecting fatty acid synthase. Likewise, proglycosyn depressed the synthesis of triacylglycerols and phospholipids from labeled palmitate. Although octanoate oxidation was unaffected by proglycosyn, mitochondrial palmitate oxidation was notably stimulated. This effect may be attributed to the proglycosyn-induced decrease of intracellular malonyl-CoA levels relative to control incubations and the concomitant relieve of the inhibition of the mitochondrial-outer-membrane carnitine palmitoyl-transferase by malonyl-CoA. By contrast, neither peroxisomal palmitate oxidation nor peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity was changed upon hepatocyte incubation with proglycosyn. Results thus indicate that proglycosyn increases the fatty-acid-oxidation efficiency of the liver at the expense of lipogenesis, and this may contribute to the proglycosyn-induced sparing of liver glycogen stores.

Branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex activation by tetanic contractions in rat skeletal muscle

Branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex in rat skeletal muscle was activated by muscle contractions elicited by electrical stimulation. This activation was attributed to dephosphorylation of the phosphorylated enzyme complex, and the total enzyme activity was not altered by muscle contractions. The activation of the enzyme complex occurred in the muscle of the electrically stimulated leg, but not in the muscle of the non-stimulated (control) leg, indicating that blood components are not involved in the mechanism of the enzyme activation in the muscle. Adenine nucleotides, branched-chain amino and 2-oxo acids and lactate in the muscle were determined as possible factors modulating the enzyme complex activity through inhibition of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase kinase activity. The profile of enzyme activation induced by muscle contractions was different from the alteration of the adenine nucleotide concentrations but was similar to the alteration of the concentrations of branched-chain amino and 2-oxo acids in the muscle. The lactate concentration in the stimulated muscle was elevated 3-5-fold during the contractions, indicating intracellular acidification. Previous studies have shown that the 2-oxo acid derived from leucine is a potent inhibitor of the kinase. These results suggest that intracellular branched-chain 2-oxo acids increased by muscle contractions accumulate in the mitochondria due to exercise-induced acidification of the muscle cell, resulting in activation of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex by inhibition of the kinase.

Enflurane inhibits the function of mouse and human brain phosphatidylinositol-linked acetylcholine and serotonin receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes

Modulation of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-mediated signal transduction pathway by the inhalational anesthetic enflurane was studied in Xenopus oocytes expressing mouse and human cortical mRNA. We found that enflurane significantly inhibited ion currents activated by m1 muscarinic and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1c receptors. This inhibition was dependent upon the concentration of acetylcholine or 5-HT, with large inhibition (80-89%) of low concentrations and small inhibition (8-44%) of high concentrations of acetylcholine and 5-HT. Similar effects were found with either mouse or human receptors. To investigate the mechanism of enflurane action, ion currents induced by intracellular injection of guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate and IP3 were examined. Enflurane strongly suppressed the guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate-activated current but not the IP3-activated current. These results suggest that an inhalational anesthetic can disrupt the function of mouse and human brain phosphatidylinositol-linked receptors by selectively inhibiting the guanine nucleotide-binding protein activity.

Activation of calcium-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase enhances benzodiazepine and barbiturate potentiation of the GABAA receptor

The effect of calcium-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (PKC) on GABAA receptor function was examined in Xenopus oocytes expressing recombinant human GABAA receptor using two-electrode voltage-clamp measurements. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a potent activator of PKC, inhibited GABA-gated chloride currents by approximately 72% in oocytes expressing alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L subunit cDNAs. Phorbol 12-monomyristate (PMM), a negative control analogue of PMA, did not alter GABAA receptor responses. To investigate whether activation of PKC could alter the modulatory responses of the receptor complex the effect of PMA on benzodiazepine and barbiturate potentiation of GABA responses was assessed. In oocytes expressing alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L subunit cDNAs, diazepam (300 nM) potentiated GABA responses by approximately 160%. Following PMA (5-25 nM) treatment, diazepam potentiation was significantly increased to 333%. No effect of the inactive phorbol ester PMM (25 nM) was observed on diazepam potentiation of GABA responses. PMA enhancement of diazepam potentiation of GABA responses was also observed in oocytes expressing alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2S subunit cDNAs, indicating that the unique PKC site present in the gamma 2L subunit is not required for observing the PMA effect. PMA (5-25 nM) also enhanced pentobarbital potentiation of GABA responses. In oocytes expressing alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L subunit cDNAs, pentobarbital (25 microM) potentiated GABA receptor responses by approximately 97%. Following treatment with PMA (5-25 nM), pentobarbital potentiation of GABA responses increased to approximately 156%. The present results suggest that protein phosphorylation may alter the coupling between the allosteric modulatory sites within the GABAA receptor complex.

Molecular determinants of general anesthetic action: role of GABAA receptor structure

Using receptors expressed from mouse brain mRNA in Xenopus oocytes, we found that enhancement of type A gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor-gated Cl- channel response is a common action of structurally diverse anesthetics, suggesting that the GABAA receptor plays an important role in anesthesia. To determine if GABAA receptor subunit composition influences actions of anesthetics, we expressed subunit cRNAs in Xenopus oocytes and measured effects of enflurane on GABA-activated Cl- currents. Potentiation of GABA-activated currents by enflurane was dependent on the composition of GABAA receptor protein subunits; the order of sensitivity was alpha 1 beta 1 > alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2S = alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L > total mRNA. The results suggest that anesthetics with simple structures may act on the GABAA receptor protein complex to modulate the Cl- channel activity and provide a molecular explanation for the synergistic clinical interactions between benzodiazepines and general anesthetics.

Enflurane inhibits NMDA, AMPA, and kainate-induced currents in Xenopus oocytes expressing mouse and human brain mRNA

Effects of enflurane, an inhalational anesthetic, on NMDA, AMPA, and kainate-gated currents were examined in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing mouse or human brain mRNA. In oocytes expressing mouse mRNA, enflurane at an anesthetic concentration (1.8 mM) inhibited the NMDA-, AMPA-, and kainate-induced currents by 29-40%, 30-33%, and 20-27%, respectively, suggesting that all three glutamate ionotropic receptors are susceptible to suppression by inhalational anesthetics. Furthermore, inhibition by enflurane was independent of the concentrations of the agonists (NMDA, AMPA, and kainate) or the NMDA-coagonist (glycine). This suggests that enflurane inhibition does not result from a competitive interaction at glutamate or glycine binding sites. Enflurane also suppressed the oscillation and apparent desensitization of NMDA currents, suggesting an inhibition of Ca2+ influx through the NMDA channel. In oocytes expressing human brain mRNA, only kainate produced observable currents. Kainate currents of human channels were smaller in size than those of the mouse; however, the kainate concentration-response curve and percent inhibition (27-29%) by enflurane were similar for mice and humans. The results suggest that human and mouse kainate receptors have similar pharmacological characteristics.

Developmental pattern of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex in rat liver and heart

The developmental pattern of the branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex was examined in the liver and heart of the rat throughout the suckling period. Basal activity and total activity of the complex were measured as a function of age. The hepatic enzyme activity increased dramatically and was 100% active (dephosphorylated) during the suckling period. The level of protein kinase associated with the complex was particularly low at birth, but like the complex increased throughout the suckling period. The level of heart enzyme also increased as a function of age, but only about 30-45% of the enzyme was active throughout the suckling period. Very low protein levels of liver and heart branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase were detected by immunoblot analysis in newborn rats. The mRNA levels for the liver E1 alpha, E1 beta, and E2 subunits in newborn rat were 30%, 19%, and 4% of adult levels respectively. The capacity of the neonatal rat for oxidizing leucine in vivo was low at birth and increased with age. 4-Methyl-2-oxopentanoate was more toxic when given to newborn and 3-day-old pups than 21-day-old pups, as expected from the relative capacities of their tissues to dispose of branched-chain 2-oxo acids by oxidation. Force-feeding suckling rats a protein-free artificial milk formula resulted in partial inactivation of the hepatic branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex, indicating that the liver of the suckling rat can adapt to conserve branched-chain amino acid residues during periods of protein deficiency.

Purification of an agglutinin from the haemolymph of the snail Bulinus nasutus and demonstration of related proteins in other Bulinus spp

The snail Bulinus nasutus 1214 possesses a potent haemagglutinin (end-point titre with human erythrocytes, 2(-18)) in its cell-free haemolymph which also binds to the miracidia (but not other larvae) of the incompatible parasite Schistosoma margrebowiei. We have purified a protein possessing this haemagglutinating property from the plasma of this snail. The native Mr of this protein was estimated by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be 210 kDa; under denaturing conditions in a 7.5% PAGE gel it ran as a major band of 135 kDa. Proteins of similar Mr were also found in the haemolymph of 16 other Bulinus spp. (the major intermediate hosts of human and veterinary schistosomiasis in Africa) although the plasma of none of these agglutinated human erythrocytes. Nonetheless, Cleveland mapping of the Mr 135 kDa bands from these different Bulinus spp. revealed 4 identical major peptide fragments (30, 28, 19 and 16 kDa) in each, thus demonstrating a similarity in the primary structure of these plasma proteins. Antisera from Balb/C mice immunized with the 135 kDa polypeptide from Bulinus truncatus 1521 cross-reacted in Western blots with the 135 kDa band of other members of the same truncatus/tropicus species complex but not with species from the africanus or forskalii species groups.

Recent developments in alcoholism:neuronal ion channels

Effects of ethanol on ion channels were last reviewed in this series in 1987; since that time our understanding of ion channel function has advanced markedly and this explosion of knowledge has also strongly influenced studies of ethanol actions. In particular, it is now clear that there are many subtypes of ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels and that the ethanol sensitivity of these channels is subtype dependent. Among the ligand-gated ion channels, the glutamate-activated channels, particularly the NMDA subtypes, are inhibited by low concentrations of ethanol. In contrast, function of 5-HT3- and some GABA-activated channels is enhanced by acute ethanol exposure. In addition, certain voltage-dependent calcium channels are potently inhibited by ethanol. With chronic exposure, there are often compensatory changes in ion channel function that may play a role in tolerance or dependence. Genetic approaches, both classical and molecular, have proven powerful in understanding the role of ion channels in ethanol actions and are likely to figure prominently in future research in this area.

Molecular cloning of the branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase kinase and the CoA-dependent methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase

The complete amino acid sequence of rat liver CoA-dependent methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme responsible for the oxidative decarboxylation of malonate- and methylmalonate semialdehydes to acetyl- and propionyl-CoA in the distal portions of the valine and pyrimidine catabolic pathways, has been deduced from overlapping cDNAs obtained by screening a lambda gt11 library with nondegenerate oligonucleotide probes synthesized according to PCR-amplified portions coding for the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme. Although unique because of its requirement for coenzyme A, the methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase clearly belongs to the aldehyde dehydrogenase superfamily of enzymes. Quantitation of mRNA and protein levels indicates tissue-specific expression of methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase. A large increase in expression of methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase occurs during 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation into adipocytes. The complete amino acid sequence of rat liver branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, the enzyme responsible for phosphorylation and inactivation of the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex, was deduced from a cDNA cloned by a procedure similar to that described above for the methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase. Expression of the cDNA in E. coli yielded a protein that phosphorylated and inactivated the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. Very little sequence similarity between branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase and other eukaryotic protein kinases could be identified. However, a high degree of similarity within subdomains characteristic of prokaryotic histidine protein kinases was apparent. Thus, this first mitochondrial protein kinase to be cloned appears closer, evolutionarily, to the prokaryotic histidine protein kinases than eukaryotic ser/thr protein kinases.

Ethanol and oleate inhibition of alpha-ketoisovalerate and 3-hydroxyisobutyrate metabolism by isolated hepatocytes

Ethanol inhibited glucose synthesis from alpha-ketoisovalerate by isolated rat hepatocytes without significant inhibition of flux through the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. Accumulation of 3-hydroxyisobutyrate, an intermediate in the catabolism of alpha-ketoisovalerate, was increased by ethanol, indicating inhibition of flux at the level of 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase. 3-Hydroxybutyrate caused the same effects as ethanol, suggesting inhibition was a consequence of an increase in the mitochondrial NADH/NAD+ ratio. Flux through the 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase was more sensitive to regulation by the mitochondrial NADH/NAD+ ratio than flux through the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase. Oleate also inhibited glucose synthesis from alpha-ketoisovalerate, but marked inhibition of flux through the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex was caused by this substrate.

General anesthetics potentiate gamma-aminobutyric acid actions on gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptors expressed by Xenopus oocytes: lack of involvement of intracellular calcium

Potentiation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor-gated Cl- channel response has been suggested to be a primary action of some anesthetic agents. We asked whether the GABAA receptor is a target site common for general anesthetics that are chemically and structurally diverse. This hypothesis was tested in Xenopus oocytes expressing mouse cortical mRNA, and GABA-activated Cl- currents were measured using two-electrode voltage clamping. General anesthetics, including inhalational (halothane, diethylether, enflurane and isoflurane), i.v. (3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-dihydroprogesterone, ketamine and propofol) and alcohol (pentanol) anesthetics, enhanced GABA-induced currents by 56 to 1089% at concentrations that were clinically relevant. The results suggest that potentiation of the GABAA receptor/channel response may be a common action for anesthetic agents. Moreover, anesthetic effects were dependent on GABA concentrations; the enhancement was marked with low GABA concentrations and was exponentially decreased as the GABA concentration increased. Also, anesthetic effects were dependent on anesthetic concentrations. The apparent EC50 of halothane was found to be similar to the anesthetic ED50. We also investigated the role of intracellular Ca++ in mediating anesthetic enhancement of the GABA current. We found that intracellular injection of the Ca++ chelator, EGTA, did not change the enhancement by anesthetics. In addition, these anesthetics alone did not produce significant currents, suggesting that the Ca(++)-dependent Cl- current was not activated by these anesthetics per se. Thus, we found that diverse anesthetics potentiate GABA-induced Cl- currents, but this action is not mediated by a release of intracellular Ca++.