Inositol trisphosphate-induced membrane potential oscillations in Xenopus oocytes

Distribution of two distinct Ca2+-ATPase-like proteins and their relationships to the agonist-sensitive calcium store in adrenal chromaffin cells

Many cellular functions are regulated by activation of cell-surface receptors that mobilize calcium from internal stores sensitive to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3). The nature of these internal calcium stores and their localization in cells is not clear and has been a subject of debate. It was originally suggested that the Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive store is the endoplasmic reticulum, but a new organelle, the calciosome, identified by its possession of the calcium-binding protein, calsequestrin, and a Ca2+-ATPase-like protein of relative molecular mass 100,000 (100K), has been described as a potential Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive calcium store. Direct evidence on whether the calciosome is the Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive store is lacking. Using monoclonal antibodies raised against the Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, we show that bovine adrenal chromaffin cells contain two Ca2+-ATPase-like proteins with distinct subcellular distributions. A 100K Ca2+-ATPase-like protein is diffusely distributed, whereas a 140K Ca2+-ATPase-like protein is restricted to a region in close proximity to the nucleus. In addition, Ins(1,4,5)P3-generating agonists result in a highly localized rise in cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) initiated in a region close to the nucleus, whereas caffeine results in a rise in [Ca2+]i throughout the cytoplasm. Our results indicate that chromaffin cells possess two calcium stores with distinct Ca2+-ATPases and that the organelle with the 100K Ca2+-ATPase is not the Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive store.

Influence of the endothelium and alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonists on responses to noradrenaline in the rabbit basilar artery

1. Noradrenaline (10(-6)-10(-2) M) produced slow, concentration-dependent depolarization of smooth muscle cells in the rabbit basilar artery, which preceded the onset of contraction by around 8 s (n = 18). 2. With concentrations greater than 10(-4) M, noradrenaline produced action potentials and fast rhythmic depolarizations superimposed on the slow depolarization. Each fast event was followed by a clear increase in the rate of smooth muscle contraction. The selective alpha 1-adrenoreceptor agonist phenylephrine produced very similar membrane and contractile responses. 3. Action potentials were not produced in artery segments where the endothelium had been removed. In these segments, the amplitude of both contraction and slow depolarization to noradrenaline was similar to that observed in segments with an intact endothelium, but the tension increased more slowly; 84 s compared to the 52 s required to produce 50% of total contraction when the endothelium was functional. 4. The selective alpha 1-antagonist prazosin (10(-6) M) either abolished or significantly reduced both the slow depolarization (with concentrations less than 10(-3) M-noradrenaline) and smooth muscle contraction to noradrenaline. When prazosin was present, action potentials with 10(-3) M-noradrenaline were only produced in 50% of the cells studied. 5. Irreversible blockade of alpha-adrenoreceptors with benextramine (10(-5) M for 20 min) abolished action potentials and both the depolarization and contraction produced with all but the highest concentrations of noradrenaline. With 10(-3) M-noradrenaline, depolarization was produced but it was significantly reduced and usually not associated with smooth muscle contraction. 6. The results show that smooth muscle depolarization, contraction and possibly endothelium-dependent action potentials are produced by alpha-adrenoreceptor stimulation. They also show that noradrenaline-induced action potentials produce smooth muscle contraction, and that slow depolarization is an important, but not absolute requirement for contraction. The fact that action potentials were produced in response to high concentrations of noradrenaline in the presence of prazosin, but not after benextramine, suggests that these concentrations of noradrenaline can surmount competitive antagonism with prazosin.

The physiological role of calcium-dependent channels

Calcium (Ca2+)-dependent channels may be classified in three broad categories, which are, respectively, selective for potassium ions, for chloride ions, and for monovalent cations. The usual action of Ca2+ is to increase the probability of opening of the channels, but examples of the reverse, Ca2+-induced inhibition of ion channels, have recently been found. Ca2+-dependent channels help to shape the action potentials of excitable cells as well as the synaptic currents of muscular and neuronal preparations. They are involved in several aspects of electrolyte transport including regulation of osmolarity in animal cells and of turgor in plant cells, electrolyte secretion in exocrine glands, fluid absorption and secretion in epithelial tissues.

A novel calcium-dependent chloride current in Xenopus oocytes injected with brain messenger RNA

1. Membrane currents were studied in voltage-clamped Xenopus laevis oocytes which had been injected with total rat brain RNA. 2. When the membrane potential was stepped from -100 to +10 mV, two components of outward current were observed which were named Tout1 and Tout2. 3. Both Tout1 and Tout2 were eliminated in chloride-free or calcium-free media and blocked by 9-anthroic acid, indicating that they represented calcium-dependent chloride currents. 4. Both currents were dependent on extracellular calcium (1.8-10 mM), with Tout1 showing a greater sensitivity to changes in calcium concentration. 5. Tout2 but not Tout1 was blocked by intracellular injection of 300-600 pmol, BaCl2 (final concentration in the oocyte: 0.3-0.6 mM). Injection of KCl had no effect on either Tout1 or Tout2. 6. Tout2 but not Tout1 was enhanced by low concentrations of serotonin (0.5-2 nM). This effect was blocked by 0.1 microM-mianserin. Higher concentrations (above 10 nM) of serotonin decreased the amplitude of Tout2. The effect of serotonin was blocked by the protein kinase inhibitor, H-7 (25 microM). 7. Tout2 but not Tout1 was enhanced by 10 nM-phorbol myristate acetate. Higher concentrations of the phorbol ester decreased the amplitude of Tout2. 8. It is concluded that in oocytes injected with RNA there is an induction of a novel component of the calcium-induced chloride current (Tout2). This current reflects a second process of chloride channel opening which can be enhanced by serotonin via activation of protein kinase C.

Inositol phosphates and cell signalling

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is a second messenger which regulates intracellular calcium both by mobilizing calcium from internal stores and, perhaps indirectly, by stimulating calcium entry. In these actions it may function with its phosphorylated metabolite, inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. The subtlety of calcium regulation by inositol phosphates is emphasized by recent studies that have revealed oscillations in calcium concentration which are perhaps part of a frequency-encoded second-messenger system.

Membrane conductance oscillations induced by serum in quiescent human skin fibroblasts

1. Application of fetal calf serum to quiescent human fibroblasts, kept under whole-cell voltage clamp at positive potentials, induced a series of transient rises in membrane conductance. 2. The first transient increase in conductance developed with very short time lag (2-10 s) after serum addition, while the period between successive transients was 30-90 s, being remarkably constant in each particular cell. 3. Raising the Ca2(+)-buffering capacity of the intracellular solution with 1 mM-EGTA suppressed the appearance of the sustained oscillations. 4. The conductance increase was strongly voltage dependent: voltage ramps applied before, during and after the transients revealed the activation of an outwardly rectifying conductance with variable reversal potentials (between +14 and -55 mV). 5. No significant shifts of the reversal potential were observed when the extracellular K+ concentration was increased to 126 mM. Substitution of K+ with Cs+ as intracellular cation eliminated the outward current in response to serum. 6. External application of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 elicited currents which were very similar in voltage dependence and time course to those triggered by serum. 7. The serum-induced response persisted unaffected by the absence of external Ca2+. The response was also seen in the presence of 1 mM-Cd2+ in the external solution. 8. Serum addition caused a rapid morphological rearrangement of the cells. 9. It is concluded that serum triggers a mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores which in turn activates cationic channels.

Inositol polyphosphates and intracellular calcium release

The hydrolysis of inositol lipids triggered by the occupation of cell surface receptors generates several intracellular messengers. Many different inositol phosphate isomers accumulate in stimulated cells. Of these D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins 1,4,5-P3) is responsible for discharging Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Specific membrane binding sites for Ins 1,4,5-P3 have been detected. The properties of these sites and their possible relationship to the calcium release process is reviewed. Ins 1,4,5-P3 binding sites may be present in discrete subcellular structures ("calciosomes"). Kinetic and some electrophysiological evidence indicates that Ins 1,4,5-P3 acts to open a Ca2+ channel. Recent progress on the purification of the receptor from neuronal tissues is summarized. Phosphorylation of Ins 1,4,5-P3 by a specific kinase results in the production of D-myo-inositol 1,3,4,5-tetraphosphate (Ins 1,3,4,5-P4). This inositol phosphate has been reported to increase the entry of Ca2+ across the plasma membrane, activate nonspecific ion channels in the plasma membrane, alter the Ca2+ content of the Ins 1,4,5-P3-releasable store, and bind to and alter the activity of certain enzymes. These data and the possible biological significance of Ins 1,3,4,5-P4 are discussed.

Latencies of membrane currents evoked in Xenopus oocytes by receptor activation, inositol trisphosphate and calcium

1. Application of serum to Xenopus oocytes elicits an oscillatory chloride membrane current, which begins after a latency of several seconds or minutes, and is mediated through a phosphoinositide-calcium signalling pathway. We studied the characteristics and origin of this latency in voltage-clamped oocytes. 2. Bath application of low doses of serum evoked responses beginning after latencies of 1 min or more. The latency decreased with increasing dose and reached a minimal value of several seconds that did not decrease with further increases in serum concentration. Experiments to study this minimal latency were done by applying brief 'puffs' of serum and other agonists at high concentrations from a local extracellular pipette. 3. The mean latency of the response evoked by local serum application was about 7 s (at 22-24 degrees C), but individual responses showed a wide variation, from 2 s to over 20 s. Diffusion of serum from the pipette tip to the membrane did not contribute appreciably to this delay, since short (less than 100 ms) delays were obtained when KCl was applied in the same way. 4. Currents evoked by acetylcholine and serotonin, in oocytes induced to acquire muscarinic and serotonergic receptors following injection of brain messenger RNA, began following latencies similar to that of the serum response. 5. The response latency was shorter when serum was applied to the vegetal rather than the animal hemisphere of the oocyte, even though smaller currents were obtained. 6. The latency showed a slight dependence upon membrane potential, becoming shorter with depolarization. 7. Cooling to temperatures below about 22 degrees C produced a striking lengthening of the delay, corresponding to a Q10 of about 5. In contrast, above 22 degrees C the temperature dependence was slight, with a Q10 of about 1.25. 8. Intracellular injections of calcium and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) evoked chloride currents with short (a few tens of milliseconds) latency. Short (100 ms) latency responses were also evoked when intracellularly loaded caged IP3 was photolysed by strong illumination, but weak illumination gave responses with latencies of over 1 min. 9. Measurements of intracellular free calcium, made with Fura-2 and Indo-1, showed an increase following serum application beginning coincident with the onset of the membrane current response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Effects of doxorubicin and ruthenium red on intracellular Ca2+ stores in skinned rabbit mesenteric smooth-muscle fibres

Several agents are known to influence the contraction of skeletal and cardiac muscle via a modification of the Ca2+ release mechanism of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, e.g. caffeine, ryanodine, ruthenium red and doxorubicin. Of these substances, only the effects of caffeine and ryanodine have been described in smooth muscle. In this paper we describe the action of ruthenium red and doxorubicin on saponin-skinned mesenteric arteries of the rabbit. A high concentration (20 microM) of ruthenium red inhibited the Ca2+ release induced by low concentrations of caffeine, but had little effect on Ca2+ release induced by high concentrations (20 mM) of caffeine. This result indicates that the Ca2+ release channel of the internal Ca2+ store of smooth muscle cells is less sensitive to inhibition by ruthenium red than that of striated muscle. Doxorubicin in the micromolar range elicited a Ca2+ release and a concomitant contraction, essentially similar to its effect on skinned skeletal muscle cells. This work reveals further similarities between the Ca2+ release mechanisms of smooth and striated muscle, but the results also indicate that important differences between both systems may exist.

Pulsatile intracellular calcium release does not depend on fluctuations in inositol trisphosphate concentration

Many hormones, neurotransmitters and growth factors evoke in their target cells oscillations in the free internal Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]i). In electrically non-excitable cells these fluctuations are due to periodic release of Ca2+ from intracellular reservoirs, stimulated by the internal messenger inositol trisphosphate (InsP3). Most models at present invoke fluctuating levels of InsP3 as a key component in generating the oscillations in [Ca2+]i. InsP3 injected into intact cells evokes irregular and transient oscillatory Ca2+-dependent current responses, but the intracellular InsP3 concentration is not constant in such experiments. Here we monitor changes in [Ca2+]i by measuring Ca2+-activated Cl- current in single internally perfused mouse pancreatic acinar cells and show that acetylcholine (ACh), acting through muscarinic receptors, evokes regular and repetitive current pulses which are mimicked by InsP3 applied through a patch pipette. To exclude the possibility that InsP3 is periodically phosphorylated or degraded, we replaced it by the non-metabolizable InsP3 analogue inositol trisphosphorothioate (InsPS3), which also evokes regular pulses of Ca2+-activated Cl- current. These effects are independent of external Ca2+, but abolished by high intracellular concentrations of a Ca2+-chelator. We conclude that repetitive pulses of intracellular Ca2+ release occur even when the concentration of InsP3 is constant.

Modulation of Neuropeptide-lnduced Membrane Currents by Protein Kinase C in Xenopus Oocytes Injected with GH Pituitary Cell Poly(A) RNA

Abstract Protein kinase C was activated in Xenopus laevis oocytes by phorbol ester treatment and its effects on the inositol trisphosphate/Ca(2+) transmembrane signalling pathway analysed. Induction of the pathway was achieved by ligand stimulation of TRH receptors translated from GH(3) pituitary cell mRNA. In voltage-clamped oocytes bath application of peptide, injection of guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio) triphosphate (GTPgammaS), inositol trisphosphate or Ca(2+) all elicited inward membrane currents. Treatment of oocytes with tumour-promoting phorbol esters for 35 min almost completely abolished the ligand and GTPgammaS-induced responses. In contrast, phorbol ester treatment enhanced inositol trisphosphate-generated membrane currents. Ca(2+)-mediated responses remained unaffected by tumour promoters. The data indicate a dual role for protein kinase C in the modulation of transmembrane signalling: a feedback mechanism prevents phosphoinositide turnover whereas a feedforward reaction triggers the effect of intracellular inositol trisphosphate on the Ca(2+) release.