Neurotransmitter-induced inositol phosphate formation in neurons in primary culture

Both Astrocytes and Neurons Contribute to the Potentiation Mediated by alpha1-Adrenoceptors of the beta-Adrenergic-Stimulated Cyclic AMP Production in Brain

Using primary neuronal or astrocyte cultures from the striatum of the embryonic mouse, we have observed that the beta-adrenergic agonist isoprenaline (10-5 M) induced a more pronounced accumulation of cAMP in astrocytes than in neurons. In both cell types, the alpha-adrenergic selective agonist methoxamine (10-4 M), which alone did not affect the production of cAMP, potentiated the isoprenaline-evoked response. In support of these observations, when associated alpha2-noradrenergic and D1-dopaminergic responses were prevented, the mixed alpha1- and beta-adrenergic agonist noradrenaline (10-5 M) induced a production of cAMP which was totally blocked by propranolol (10-6 M) and partially abolished by prazosin (10-6 M). Since experiments were made in the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (1 mM), the observed effects of cAMP accumulation were not related to a modulation of phosphodiesterase activities. In addition, both in astrocytes and in neurons, the potentiation by alpha1-adrenergic agonists of the beta-adrenergic-evoked response required external calcium. Using INDo 1 as a fluorescent probe, methoxamine (25 microM) was shown to induce in astrocytes an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration which was prolonged by isoprenaline (10-5 M) only in the presence of external calcium. These results suggest that the prolonged increase in cytosolic calcium concentration linked to the activation of alpha1- and beta-adrenergic receptors is responsible for the potentiation of the beta-adrenergic-induced production of cAMP, which is partially dependent on external calcium.

Activation of a Large-conductance Ca2+-Dependent K+ Channel by Stimulation of Glutamate Phosphoinositide-coupled Receptors in Cultured Cerebellar Granule Cells

Trans-1-amino-cyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (trans-ACPD), a specific agonist of the glutamate phosphoinositide-coupled receptor (Qp receptor), increased the amplitude of the outward K+ current recorded in the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique in mouse cultured cerebellar granule cells. This effect was abolished by buffering internal Ca2+ with BAPTA [1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid]. Activation of a large-conductance K+ channel was observed when trans-ACPD or quisqualic acid (QA), another Qp receptor agonist, was applied outside the cell-attached patch pipettes. No activation was observed with alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), a specific agonist of ionotropic non-N-methyl-d-aspartate (non-NMDA) receptors. The effects of trans-ACPD or QA were potentiated in the presence of external Ca2+. The channel was also directly activated by both micromolar concentrations of internal Ca2+ and membrane depolarization. Its unitary conductance was 100 - 115 pS under asymmetrical K+ and 195 - 235 pS under high symmetrical K+ conditions. In the absence of agonist, the channel was blocked by 1 mM external tetraethylammonium. This is the first description of a large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel in cultured cerebellar granule cells. It possesses properties similar to those of the so-called 'big K+ channel' described in other preparations. Our cell-attached experiments demonstrated an indirect coupling between Qp receptors and this channel. The most likely hypothesis is that the second messenger system inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3)-Ca2+ was involved in the coupling process. This hypothesis was further strengthened by our whole-cell experiments. On the basis of the voltage- and Ca2+-sensitivities of the studied channel, we estimated an increase of 350 to 570 nM in internal Ca2+ concentration when Qp receptors were stimulated by 100 microM trans-ACPD. Under physiological conditions, stimulation of Qp receptors by the endogenous neurotransmitter should lead to similar K+ channel activation and therefore would tend to reduce the efficacy of ionotropic glutamate synaptic receptor stimulation responsible for cell excitation.

Mechanisms of regulation of neurotensin receptors

Since its discovery in 1973, the neuropeptide neurotensin has been demonstrated to be involved in the control of a broad variety of physiological activities in both the central nervous system and in the periphery. Pharmacological studies have shown that the biological effects elicited by neurotensin result from its specific binding to cell membrane neurotensin receptors that have been characterized in various tissue and in cell preparations. In addition, it is now well documented that most of these responses are subject to rapid desensitization. Such desensitization results in transient responses to sustained peptide applications, or to tachyphylaxis during successive stimulations in the same conditions. More recently, desensitization of neurotensin signalling was investigated at the cellular and molecular levels. In cultured cells, regulation at the second messenger level, receptor internalization, and receptor down-regulation processes have been reported. These are proposed to play a critical role in the control of cell responsiveness to neurotensin. This review aims to compile recent data on the different biochemical processes involved in the regulation of the neurotensin receptor and to discuss the physiological consequences of this regulation in vivo.

Modulation of big K+ channel activity by ryanodine receptors and L-type Ca2+ channels in neurons

As metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1 (mGluR1) is known to couple L-type Ca2+ channels and ryanodine receptors (RyR, Chavis et al., 1996) in cerebellar granule cells, we examined if such a coupling could activate a Ca2+-sensitive K+ channel, the big K+ (BK) channel, in cultured cerebellar granule cells. We observed that (+/-)-1-amino-cyclopentane-trans-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (t-ACPD) and quisqualate (QA) stimulated the activity of BK channels. On the other hand, (2S, 3S, 4S)-alpha-carboxycyclopropyl-glycine (L-CCG-I) and L-(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (L-AP4) had no effect on BK channels, indicating a specific activation by group I mGluRs. Group I mGluRs stimulation of the basal BK channel activity was mimicked by caffeine and both effects were blocked by ryanodine and nifedipine. Interestingly, carbachol stimulated BK channel activity but through a pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive pathway that was independent of L-type Ca2+ channel activity. Our report indicates that unlike the muscarinic receptors, group I mGluRs activate BK channels by mobilizing an additional pathway involving RyR and L-type Ca2+ channels.

Differences in the stimulation of the phosphoinositide cycle by amine neurotransmitters in cultured rat forebrain neurones and astrocytes

In this study, we compared the stimulation by carbachol (CCh), noradrenaline (NA), and histamine (HA) of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat forebrain neuronal and glial cultures. When Ca2+ was omitted from the stimulation buffer (low microM extracellular Ca2+), amine-induced [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation was reduced to a higher extent in astrocytes (70-80% for CCh and NA and 100% for HA) than in neurones (around 50-60% for all the amines). Furthermore, guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]trisphosphate (GTP[S]) stimulation of phosphoinositidase C (PIC) in membranes was 5-fold higher in neurones than in astrocytes. These results indicate differences in the mechanism of PIC stimulation in the two cell types. After 30 min stimulation in the presence of 10 mM Li+, a higher accumulation of [3H]inositol 4-monophosphate and [3H]inositol 1,4-bisphosphate than of [3H]inositol 1/3-monophosphate occurred for all agonists in neurones, whereas the opposite was observed in astrocytes. Moreover, in these cells stimulation for 5 min in the absence of Li+ produced a 2-3-fold accumulation of all metabolites of the 3-kinase pathway of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate metabolism but not of those of the 5-phosphatase pathway. Thus, regardless of the amine receptor stimulated, the 3-kinase route appeared to prevail in astrocytes and the 5-phosphatase pathway in neurones. The histamine response in neurones differed from that of the other agonists in that it rapidly declined. Taken together these results indicate that the heterogeneity in amine stimulation of the phosphoinositide cycle previously observed in brain slices could arise to a great extent from the cellular diversity of this preparation and be related to the differential contribution of the amine receptors located in neurones and astrocytes.

Neurotensin and neuroendocrine regulation

More than two decades of research indicate that the peptide neurotensin (NT) and its cognate receptors participate to a remarkable extent in the regulation of mammalian neuroendocrine systems, potentially at multiple levels in a given system. NT-synthesizing neurons appear to exert a direct or indirect stimulatory influence on neurosecretory cells that synthesize gonadotropin-releasing hormone, dopamine (DA), somatostatin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). In addition, context-specific synthesis of NT occurs in hypothalamic neurosecretory cells located in the arcuate nucleus and parvocellular paraventricular nucleus, including distinct subsets of cells which release DA, CRH, or growth hormone-releasing hormone into the hypophysial portal circulation. At the level of the anterior pituitary, NT stimulates secretion of prolactin and occurs in subsets of gonadotropes and thyrotropes. Moreover, circulating hormones influence NT synthesis in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary, raising the possibility that NT mediates certain feedback effects of the hormones on neuroendocrine cells. Gonadal steroids alter NT levels in the preoptic area, arcuate nucleus, and anterior pituitary; adrenal steroids alter NT levels in the hypothalamic periventricular nucleus and arcuate nucleus; and thyroid hormones alter NT levels in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary. Finally, clarification of the specific neuroendocrine roles subserved by NT should be greatly facilitated by the use of newly developed agonists and antagonists of the peptide.

Expression and coupling to polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in early postnatal and adult rat brain

We investigated the expression and coupling to the phospholipase C signal transduction pathway of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) subtypes by Western blot analysis and agonist-stimulated inositol monophosphate formation in several brain regions of postnatal day 9 (P9) and adult rats. In the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, corpus striatum, olfactory bulb, cerebellum and hypothalamus, the expression level of mGluR5 was greater at P9 than in adulthood. The mGluR5 signal was very low or absent in the adult cerebellum and hypothalamus. The expression of mGluR1a was slightly greater at P9 in the hypothalamus, hippocampus and olfactory bulb, whereas it substantially increased with age in the cerebellum, and did not change in the cerebral cortex and corpus striatum. mGluR1b and -1c were nearly undetectable by Western blot analysis. The expression level of mGluR5, but not that of mGluR1a, was significantly correlated with the extent of phosphoinositide hydrolysis stimulated by mGluR agonists in slices prepared from these brain regions. The mGluR antagonist cyclopropan[b]chromen-1a-carboxylic acid ethylester (CPCCOEt), potently antagonized responses mediated by mGluR1, but much less potently those mediated by mGluR5a in recombinant cells. CPCCOEt, at a concentration which efficiently blocks mGluR1 responses, did not substantially affect the polyphosphoinositide response in hippocampal or cerebellar slices from newborn animals, and antagonized only a minor component of the polyphosphoinositide response in adult hippocampal slices. CPCCOEt, however, prevented the small stimulation of polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis by mGluR agonists in adult cerebellar slices. We conclude that (i) the efficient mGluR-mediated polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in 9-day-old rats is mediated by mGluR5; (ii) the increased expression of mGluR1 in the adult cerebellum does not substitute for the decline of mGluR5 expression in the ability to mediate polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis; and therefore (iii) mGluR1a might couple less efficiently than mGluR5 to polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis.

Neurotensin induces calcium oscillations in cultured amacrine cells

The peptide, neurotensin, is found in a class of amacrine cells synapsing chiefly with other amacrine cells in the chicken retina (Li & Lam, 1990; Watt et al., 1991). To investigate the possible effects of neurotensin, we have used Ca2+ imaging to measure cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations in cultured chick amacrine cells. Following a delay of about 2 min, neurotensin (300 nM) induced oscillations in Ca2+ concentration that typically had a period of 2 min and peak values of about 300 nM when averaged over the cell body. The phospholipase C inhibitors U-73, 112 and 4'-bromophenacyl bromide terminated oscillations induced by neurotensin but the protein kinase inhibitors H7 and staurosporine did not inhibit oscillations, increasing their frequency instead. In the absence of external Ca2+, neurotensin induced only a single Ca2+ transient, much briefer than when external Ca2+ was present. Together these results suggest that neurotensin activates phospholipase C, thereby producing IP3 that triggers Ca2+ release from an internal store. Although this released Ca2+ contributes to periodic Ca2+ peaks, the majority of cytosolic Ca2+, even in the first peak, comes from Ca2+ influx across the plasmalemma.

Histamine-induced prolonged depolarization in rat supraoptic neurons: G-protein-mediated, Ca(2+)-independent suppression of K+ leakage conductance

Ionic mechanisms responsible for histamine-induced prolonged depolarization in supraoptic nucleus neurons were investigated using whole-cell patch recordings in horizontally prepared brain slices from adult male rats. Bath application of histamine (1-10 microM) in control medium induced membrane depolarization in nine of 12 phasically firing, putative vasopressin cells, but not in continuous firing, putative oxytocin cells (none of five cells). Depolarization, usually accompanied by increased firing rate, started within 20 s after histamine reached the slices, lasting for 3-13 min, after which they repolarized, and this was repeatable upon washout. Chelation of intracellular Ca2+ with 11 mM 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetate and perfusion of slices with Ca(2+)-free medium blocked neither histamine-induced membrane depolarizations nor increased firing rates in 24 of 30 cells recorded. Depolarizations were always associated with decreases in membrane conductance. Following treatment with promethazine (H1 receptor antagonist) in six cells excited previously by histamine, subsequent application induced neither membrane depolarization nor increased firing. H1 receptor agonists mimicked histamine-induced depolarization (four of six cells) but the H2 receptor agonist, dimaprit (10 microM), had no effect (all of nine cells). In medium containing 0 mM Ca2+, 2 mM Co2+ and 1-2 microM tetrodotoxin, with internal Ca2+ chelation, bath application of histamine induced an apparent inward current in 15 of 20 supraoptic neurons tested. The peak of inward current evoked by 1-10 microM histamine at holding potentials around -50 mV varied from 10 to 50 pA (27.3 +/- 0.3 pA, mean +/- S.E.M.). Ramp voltage tests revealed that this inward current decreased as membrane potential was hyperpolarized and had a reversal potential of -90.1 +/- 3.8 mV (n = 10). Subtraction of current obtained before from that during histamine application revealed a current that was linear against membrane potential. Increasing external K+ concentration or introduction of K+ channel blockers in the medium attenuated or abolished histamine-induced inward current at membrane potentials close to -50 mV. When external Cl- concentration was reduced, histamine-induced inward current was still seen in five of seven supraoptic cells tested. Neither inward current nor change in conductance was observed following bath application of histamine in 11 of 12 neurons recorded using patch pipettes containing guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate), and in seven of eight neurons using pipettes containing guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). These results suggest that histamine depolarizes supraoptic neurons, at least in part, by inhibiting a K+ leakage current mediated by H1 receptors linked to GTP-binding proteins and Ca(2+)-independent pathways. This study provides initial evidence for the second messengers regulating K+ leakage current.

Ethanol inhibits muscarinic receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide metabolism and calcium mobilization in rat primary cortical cultures

In recent years, it has been hypothesized that muscarinic receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide (PI) metabolism may represent a relevant target for the developmental neurotoxicity of ethanol. Age-, brain region-, and receptor-specific inhibitory effects of ethanol on this system have been found, both in vitro and after in vivo administration. As a direct consequence of this action, alterations of calcium homeostasis would be expected, through alterations of inositol trisphosphate formation, which mediates intracellular calcium mobilization. In the present study, the effects of ethanol (50-500 mM) on carbachol-stimulated PI metabolism and free intracellular calcium levels were investigated in rat primary cortical cultures, by measuring release of inositol phosphates and utilizing the two calcium probes fluo-3 and indo-1 on an ACAS (Adherent Cell Analysis and Sorting) Laser Cytometer. Ethanol exerted a concentration-dependent inhibition of carbachol-stimulated PI metabolism. In addition, ethanol's inhibitory effect paralleled the temporal development of the muscarinic receptor signal transduction system, with the strongest inhibition (25-50%) occurring when maximal stimulation by carbachol occurs (days 5-7). Ethanol also exerted a concentration-dependent decrease in free intracellular calcium levels following carbachol stimulation. Both initial calcium spike amplitude, seen in all responsive cells, as well as the total number of cells responding to carbachol, were decreased by ethanol. The inhibitory effects of ethanol seemed dependent upon preincubation time, in that a longer preincubation (30 min) with the lowest dose (50 mM), showed almost the same decrease in responding cell number and reduction in spike amplitude in responding cells, as a shorter incubation (10 min) with the highest ethanol dose (500 mM). The specificity of the response to carbachol was demonstrated by blocking the response with 10 microM atropine. Moreover, experiments with carbachol in calcium-free buffer with 1 mM EGTA indicated that the initial calcium spike was due to intracellular calcium mobilization from intracellular stores. Since calcium is believed to play important roles in cell proliferation and differentiation, these results support the hypothesis that this intracellular signal-transduction pathway may be a target for ethanol, contributing to its developmental neurotoxicity.

Calcium-dependence of histamine- and carbachol-induced inositol phosphate formation in human U373 MG astrocytoma cells: comparison with HeLa cells and brain slices

1. Histamine (1 mM) induced an accumulation of inositol monophosphate ([3H]-IP1) in the U373 MG human astrocytoma cell line which increased with time in the presence of 30 mM Li+. After a 30 min incubation period with 1 mM histamine [3H]-IP1 was the major product detected (84 +/- 1% of total [3H]-IPx) and was present at a level 11 (+/- 1) fold of basal accumulation. 2. Concentration-response curves for histamine-induced [3H]-IP1 accumulation in U373 MG cells (EC50 5.4 +/- 0.5 microM) were shifted to the right in a parallel fashion by mepyramine (slope of a Schild plot 0.99 +/- 0.08), yielding a Kd for mepyramine of 3.5 +/- 0.3 nM, consistent with the involvement of histamine H1-receptors. 3. The temelastine-sensitive binding of [3H]-mepyramine to a membrane fraction from U373 MG cells was hyperbolic and had a mean Kd of 2.5 +/- 1.0 nM. The maximum amount of temelastine-sensitive binding was 86 +/- 19 pmol g-1 membrane protein. 4. Carbachol also induced [3H]-IP1 accumulation in U373 MG cells, 2.8 (+/- 0.1) fold of basal with 1 mM carbachol, with an EC50 of 48 +/- 8 microM. Pirenzepine shifted carbachol concentration-response curves to the right (slope of Schild plot 0.89 +/- 0.07) giving a Kd for pirenzepine of 0.10 +/- 0.01 microM, suggesting that phosphoinositide hydrolysis in U373 MG cells is mediated by the M3-, rather than the M1-, muscarinic receptor subtype. 5. [3H]-IP1 accumulation induced by both 1 mM histamine and by 1 mM carbachol increased when the Ca2+ concentration of the medium was increased from 'zero' (no added Ca2+) to 0.3 mM. Histamine-stimulated [3H]-IP1 accumulation was further increased, although not so markedly, as the Ca2+ was raised to 4 mM. The same pattern was apparent with histamine-induced accumulations of [3H]-IP2 and [3H]-IP3. In contrast, [3H]-IPx accumulation in response to carbachol increased between 0.3 and 1.3 mM, but thereafter remained unchanged ([3H]-IP1) or declined ([3H]-IP2 and [3H]-IP3). 6. In HeLa cells, [3H]-IP1 accumulations induced by 1 mM histamine and 1 mM carbachol showed the same pattern of Ca2+ dependence and were independent of extracellular Ca2+ above 0.3 mM (histamine) or 1.3 mM (carbachol). The response to carbachol appeared to be mediated by an M3-muscarinic receptor (apparent Kd for pirenzepine 0.09 microM). 7. In cross-chopped slices of guinea-pig cerebral cortex and guinea-pig cerebellum, [3H]-IPI accumulation induced by 1 mM histamine in the presence of 10 mM Li+ increased as the extracellular Ca2+ was increased from 0.3 to 2.5 mM, but a further increase to 4 mM had no further effect. In contrast the response to histamine in rat cerebral cortex increased markedly between 1.3 and 4 mM Ca2+. Accumulations of [3H]-IP1 induced by carbachol in guinea-pig or rat cerebral cortical slices were not increased as extracellular Ca2+ was raised from 0.3 to 4 mM.8. Nimodipine (100 nM) and w-conotoxin (3 microM) had no significant effect on histamine-induced [3H]-IP1accumulation in rat cerebral cortical slices or in U373 MG cells. 9. We conclude that histamine-induced [3H]-IP1 accumulation in U373 MG cells does appear to have a component dependent on the extracellular Ca2+ concentration. The degree of Ca2+-dependence approaches that observed in guinea-pig cerebral cortex but is much less than in rat cerebral cortex.Whether U373 MG cells will be of use as a model system for the apparent Ca2+-entry component observed in guinea-pig or rat brain slices remains to be established.

Characterization of the calcium and chloride [3H]glutamate binding site in crude synaptic membranes from human brain tissue

1. The specific binding properties of [3H]glutamate to crude synaptic membranes (CSM) from postmortem human brain were studied. 2. Equilibrium binding analysis of [3H]glutamate binding to CSM from human brain cortex revealed a KD = 110 +/- 12 nM and a Bmax = 27 +/- 4 pmol/mg protein). 3. Calcium increased the number of binding sites, Bmax = 44 +/- 6 pmol/mg protein, without a significant change in the affinity constant, KD = 95 +/- 10 nM. 4. The dissociation constant of the [3H]glutamate bound to human CSM was 4.0 +/- 0.4 min-1 (n = 3). 5. The relative potencies of glutamate analogs and 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB) to compete for the glutamate binding sites, in human CSM, were glutamate > quisqualate = ibotenic acid > APB >> alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxozolepropionate acid. 6. The glutamate specific binding in CSM from postmortem human brain was particularly rich in the gyrus hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, thalamus and frontal cortex. 7. This glutamate binding protein is related, probably, to a presynaptic neurosecretory pathway.

Rapid phosphorylation of phospholipase C gamma 1 by brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 in cultures of embryonic rat cortical neurons

Phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLC-gamma 1) is involved at an early step in signal transduction of many hormones and growth factors and catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4,5-bisphosphate to diacylglycerol and inositol trisphosphate, two potent intracellular second messenger molecules. The transformation of PC12 cells into neuron-like cells induced by nerve growth factor is preceded by a rapid stimulation of PLC-gamma 1 phosphorylation and PI hydrolysis. The present study analyzed the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) on phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 in primary cultures of embryonic rat brain cells. BDNF and NT-3 stimulated the phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1, followed by hydrolysis of PI. The stimulation of PLC-gamma 1 phosphorylation occurred within 20 s after addition of BDNF or NT-3 and lasted up to 30 min, with a peak after 4 min. ED50 values were similar for BDNF and NT-3, with approximately 25 ng/ml. Phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 by BDNF and NT-3 was found in cultures from all major brain areas. K-252b, a compound known to inhibit selectively neutrophin actions by interfering with the phosphorylation of trk-type neutrophin receptors, prevented the BDNF- and NT-3-stimulated phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1. Receptors of the trk type were coprecipitated with anti-PLC-gamma 1 antibodies. The presence of trkB mRNA in the cultures was substantiated by northern blot analysis. The action of BDNF and NT-3 seems to be neuron specific because no phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 was observed in cultures of nonneuronal brain cells. The results provide evidence that developing neurons of the cerebral cortex and other brain areas are responsive to BDNF and NT-3, and they indicate that the transduction mechanism of BDNF and NT-3 in the brain involves rapid phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 followed by PI hydrolysis.

Muscarinic receptors--characterization, coupling and function

At least five muscarinic receptor genes have been cloned and expressed. Muscarinic receptors act via activation of G proteins: m1, m3 and m5 muscarinic receptors couple to stimulate phospholipase C, while m2 and m4 muscarinic receptors inhibit adenylyl cyclase. This review describes the localization, pharmacology and function of the five muscarinic receptor subtypes. The actions of muscarinic receptors on the heart, smooth muscle, glands and on neurons (both presynaptic and postsynaptic) in the autonomic nervous system and the central nervous system are analyzed in terms of subtypes, biochemical mechanisms and effects on ion channels, including K+ channels and Ca2+ channels.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors in cultured cerebellar granule cells: developmental profile

Excitatory amino acid (EAA)-induced polyphosphoinositide (PPI) hydrolysis was studied during the development in culture of cerebellar granule cells. The developmental pattern was similar using metabotropic glutamate (Glu) receptor (mGluR) agonists, including L-Glu, quisqualate, and trans-(+/-)-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid: The stimulation of [3H]inositol monophosphate ([3H]-InsP) formation was low at 2 days in vitro (DIV), but the response increased steeply, reaching a peak at 4 DIV, followed by a progressive decline. In contrast, carbamylcholine-induced PPI hydrolysis exhibited a plateau after a pronounced increase during the first week in vitro. At 6 DIV, but not at 4 DIV, when the activity peaked, PPI hydrolysis elicited by Glu was reduced by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801, indicating that in cultured granule cells, NMDA receptors contribute to [3H]-InsP formation and that this component of the response develops relatively late. Accordingly, NMDA-induced [3H]-InsP formation, estimated under Mg(2+)-free conditions, increased markedly from very low values at 2 DIV to a plateau at 8-10 DIV. The developmental pattern of EAA-induced PPI hydrolysis was paralleled by changes in the level of an mRNA for a specific mGluR subtype (mGluR1 mRNA). RNA blot analysis performed with the pmGR1 cDNA probe revealed that the hybridization signal in RNA extracts from cultures at 1 DIV was very weak, but mGluR mRNA levels increased dramatically between 1 and 3 DIV, followed by a progressive decrease, so that by 15 DIV the mRNA levels were only approximately 10% of the values at 3 DIV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

N-methyl-D-aspartate-mediated injury enhances quisqualic acid-stimulated phosphoinositide turnover in perinatal rats

Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that ischemic-hypoxic brain injury in postnatal day 7 rats causes a substantial increase in phosphoinositide (PPI) turnover stimulated by the glutamate analogue quisqualic acid (QUIS) in the hippocampus and striatum. To examine this phenomenon in more detail, we performed similar experiments after producing injury by unilateral intracerebral injections of the glutamate analogue N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). The 7-day-old rodent brain is hypersensitive to NMDA neurotoxicity and NMDA injection causes histopathology that closely resembles that produced by ischemia-hypoxia. NMDA, 17 nmol in 0.5 microliter, was injected into the right posterior striatum of 7-day-old rat pups and they were killed 3 days later. Hippocampal or striatal tissue slices were prepared from ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres from vehicle-injected control and from noninjected control rat pups. Slices were then incubated with myo-[3H]inositol plus glutamate agonists or antagonists in the presence of lithium ions and [3H]inositol monophosphate ([3H]IP1) accumulation was measured. The glutamate agonists, QUIS, L-glutamic acid, and (RS)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid, stimulated greater [3H]IP1 release in tissue ipsilateral to the NMDA injection compared with that in the contralateral side and in control pups. The glutamate antagonists, D,L-2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid, 3-[(+)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl]-propyl-1-phosphoric acid, kynurenic acid, and 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione did not inhibit QUIS-stimulated [3H]IP1 release. The enhanced PPI turnover in the lesioned tissue was specific to glutamate receptors because carbachol (CARB) failed to elicit preferential enhanced stimulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of muscarinic agonists and depolarizing agents on inositol monophosphate accumulation in the rabbit vagus nerve

The effects of muscarinic agonists and depolarizing agents on inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in the rabbit vagus nerve were assessed by the measurement of [3H]inositol monophosphate production in nerves that had been preincubated with [3H]inositol. After 1 h of drug action, carbachol, oxotremorine, and arecoline increased the inositol monophosphate accumulation, though the maximal increase induced by these agonists differed. Addition of the muscarinic antagonists atropine or pirenzepine shifted the carbachol dose-response curves to the right, without decreasing the carbachol maximal stimulatory effects. The KB for pirenzepine was 35 nM, which is characteristic of muscarinic high-affinity binding sites coupled to phosphoinositide turnover and often associated with the M1 receptor subtype. On the other hand, agents known to depolarize or to increase the intracellular Ca2+ concentration, e.g., elevated extracellular K+, ouabain, Ca2+, and the Ca2+ ionophore A23187, also increased inositol monophosphate accumulation. These effects were not mediated by the release of acetylcholine, as suggested by the fact that they could not be potentiated by the addition of physostigmine nor inhibited by the addition of atropine. The Ca(2+)-channel antagonist Cd2+, also known to inhibit the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, was able to block the effects of K+ and ouabain, but did not alter those of carbachol. These results suggest that depolarizing agents increase inositol monophosphate accumulation in part through elevation of the intracellular Ca2+ concentration and that muscarinic receptors coupled to phosphoinositide turnover are present along the trunk of the rabbit vagus nerve.

Regional development of carbachol-, glutamate-, norepinephrine-, and serotonin-stimulated phosphoinositide metabolism in rat brain

Phosphoinositide metabolism stimulated by activation of cholinergic muscarinic, glutamatergic, alpha-adrenergic and serotoninergic receptors was measured in brain regions of the developing rats. Accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates ([3H]InsPs) in [3H]inositol-prelabeled slices from cerebral cortex, hippocampus, brainstem and cerebellum was measured as an index of phosphoinositide metabolism. Large age-, neurotransmitter receptor-, and brain region-dependent differences were found. Carbachol-stimulated [3H]InsPs accumulation peaked on postnatal day 7 in cerebral cortex and hippocampus while in cerebellum and brainstem the effect of muscarinic stimulation was maximal at birth and then declined to adulthood. The effect of glutamate also showed a peak on day 7 in hippocampus and brainstem and a developmentally related decrease in cerebral cortex. In the cerebellum, on the other hand, the response to glutamate remained sustained through adulthood. Stimulation of phosphoinositide metabolism by norepinephrine increased with age in hippocampus and cerebral cortex, but decreased in the cerebellum, while the effect of serotonin did not change significantly with age except in cerebellum. These changes in receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide metabolism do not parallel, for the most part, the ontogeny of receptor recognition sites. Activation of the phosphoinositide metabolism pathway leads to an increase in intracellular calcium levels and to stimulation of protein kinase C, which are believed to play significant roles in cellular proliferation and differentiation. Thus, the differential ability of neurotransmitters to stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis might play a role in the development of brain regions.

Pharmacological characterization of the quisqualate receptor coupled to phospholipase C (Qp) in striatal neurons

A detailed pharmacological characterization of the quisqualate (QA) receptor coupled to phospholipase C (Qp) was performed in striatal neurons. The experiments were carried out in the presence of the ionotropic antagonists MK-801 (1 microM) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (30 microM), concentrations that block N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or alpha-amino-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors in these cells. QA, ibotenate and trans-1-aminocyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboxylate (ACPD) evoked dose-dependent inositol phosphate formations with EC50 values of 0.3, 6.7 and 29 microM, respectively. QA and ibotenate had the same maximal effect (295.7 +/- 17.9% of basal, n = 6) whereas the efficacy of ACPD was somewhat lower (70.2 +/- 8.9% of the maximal quisqualate effect, n = 4). The QA-, ibotenate- and ACPD-induced maximal effects were not additive, and the inositol phosphate formations induced by high concentrations of L-aspartate (L-ASP), AMPA, kainate (KA) and domoate (DO) (100 microM or higher) were also not additive. The inositol phosphate responses induced by all these agonists were totally blocked by the phorbol ester phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PdBu), but not by atropine or prazosin suggesting that all these substances were able to stimulate the Qp excitatory amino acid receptor in striatal neurons. Of the excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists tested, only D,L-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate (D,L-AP3) inhibited QA-induced InsP formation in a competitive manner (mean pKi = 4.45 +/- 0.43, n = 4). However, this drug was also a partial agonist of the Qp receptor since it stimulated the inositol phosphate formation. We found that D,L-AP3 also inhibited NMDA-induced calcium increase, in a competitive manner (mean pIC50 = 4.34 +/- 0.22, n = 8, and mean pKi = 3.7 +/- 0.11, n = 5). The Qp excitatory amino acid receptor in striatal neurons therefore closely resembles Qp receptors with high potency for agonists as described in striatal and retinal slices and synaptoneurosomes, and has several pharmacological differences compared to the Qp receptors which have low potency for agonists described in hippocampal and cortical slices, cerebellar granule cells, astrocytes and rat brain mRNA-injected oocytes.

Cholinergic inositol phosphate formation in striatal neurons is mediated by distinct mechanisms

In murine striatal neurons devoid of functional synapses (6 days in vitro) the cholinergic agonists carbachol and arecoline evoked dose-dependent inositol phosphate (InsP) responses with mean log EC50s of -4.1 +/- 0.5 and -4.48 +/- 0.1, respectively. Carbachol (1 mM) and arecoline (1 mM) responses were insensitive to tetrodotoxin, a voltage-sensitive Na+ channel blocker, and were blocked by pirenzepine with relatively low affinity (logIC50 = -5.9 +/- 0.3 for the carbachol response and logIC50 = -5.8 +/- 0.3 for the arecoline response). After synaptogenesis (13 days in vitro) the maximal carbachol effect doubled whereas the arecoline response remained unchanged. This additional effect was sensitive to tetrodotoxin and the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel blocker, omega-conotoxin. The tetrodotoxin-sensitive carbachol response was blocked by lower concentrations of pirenzepine than the tetrodotoxin-insensitive carbachol response. More than 75% of the InsP response evoked by low concentrations of muscarine (1 and 10 microM) was sensitive to tetrodotoxin whereas only 38% of the InsP response stimulated by 1 mM of muscarine could be blocked by tetrodotoxin. These results suggest that there are at least two different mechanisms (depending on the stage of development), activated most probably by two different muscarinic receptors responsible for the carbachol-induced InsP formation in striatal neurons.

Striatal proenkephalin turnover and gene transcription are regulated by cyclic AMP and protein kinase C-related pathways

Preproenkephalin metabolism, in the rat, was studied in primary striatal neurons maintained in a chemically defined medium. Acute treatment (30 min) with forskolin (10(-5) M) or phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate (10(-7) M) resulted, respectively, in a two- and seven-fold increase in methionine-enkephalin secretion. Chronic treatment with forskolin or phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate (24 h) induced a 100% increase in methionine-enkephalin content (forskolin) and on the other hand a 50% decrease in methionine-enkephalin (phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate). Both treatments increased preproenkephalin mRNA levels in a time-dependent manner, this augmentation being observable after 180 min by Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. These data indicate that under chronic stimulation, with either forskolin or phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate, proenkephalin turnover is accelerated. However, after stimulation with phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate, the more potent methionine-enkephalin secretagogue, increased peptide synthesis is not sufficient to replenish methionine-enkephalin intracellular stores. Preproenkephalin gene transcription was analysed by introducing the preproenkephalin gene promoter fused to the bacterial acetyl chloramphenicol transferase reporter gene into primary neurons. Chronic stimulation (48 h) by forskolin (10(-5) M) or phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate (10(-7) M) of striatal neurons transfected with this fusion gene increased chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity six-fold and the two effects were additive. These data suggest that the cyclic AMP and the protein kinase C pathways directly activate preproenkephalin gene transcription.

Muscarinic regulation of cyclic AMP metabolism in rat neostriatal cultures

Muscarinic receptor expression and function were investigated in cultured rat neostriatum. Muscarinic receptor levels were determined from saturation binding experiments performed on intact cultures using [3]N-methylscopolamine. In cultures maintained for 3, 7 and 12-14 days in vitro, the Bmax was 2.3, 5.4 and 10.9 fmol/culture. The average number of receptors per neuron increased during the 2nd week in vitro. Carbachol (100 microM) had no significant effect on basal cAMP levels but reduced cAMP levels elevated by forskolin. Carbachol significantly reduced cAMP levels stimulated with dopamine only in cultures untreated with a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Comparing equimolar doses, the carbachol response was more sensitive to the M1 selective antagonist pirenzepine than the cardioselective M2 antagonist AF-DX 116. These results suggest that the muscarinic receptors regulate cAMP levels in neostriatal neurons and, in so doing, provide a post-synaptic substrate for the interaction of dopamine and acetylcholine.

Comparison of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-stimulated inositol phosphate formation in primary neuronal and glial cultures

alpha 1-Adrenergic receptor binding sites and norepinephrine-stimulated 3H-inositol phosphate (3H-InsP) accumulation were measured in primary cultures of neurons and glia from 1-day-old rat brains. The density of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor binding sites was approximately three times higher in membranes from neurons compared to glia. Although norepinephrine was slightly more potent in stimulating 3H-InsP formation in neurons than in glia, the maximal response was greater in glial cells. Norepinephrine-stimulated 3H-InsP formation remained constant for [3H]inositol prelabelling periods of 1-14 days in neurons, whereas the response increased with time in glia and was maximal after 7-10 days of prelabelling. Both the incorporation of [3H]inositol into lipid and basal levels of 3H-InsPs were lower in glial cells than in neurons, which accounted for the greater percent stimulation in glia. Pretreatment with phenoxybenzamine decreased norepinephrine-stimulated 3H-InsP formation in a dose-dependent manner in both neurons and glia by decreasing the maximal response without altering potency. HPLC separation showed that similar types of 3H-InsPs were accumulated in neurons and glial cells. These results demonstrate that alpha 1-adrenergic receptors exist on both neurons and glial cells and activate 3H-InsP accumulation in both cell types. Although receptor density is higher in neurons than in glia, the 3H-InsP response is higher in glia. This difference does not appear to be due to different receptor reserves, but may be due to differential coupling mechanisms in the two cell types.

Further evidence against the coupling of dopamine receptors to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat striatum

The effects of D1 and D2 dopamine receptor agonists on phosphoinositide hydrolysis were studied by measuring the accumulation of radioactive inositol phosphates in slices of rat corpus striatum prelabelled with [3H]inositol. All assays were performed in the presence of lithium. Neither the D1 receptor agonist SKF 38393 nor the D2 receptor agonist quinpirole, alone or in combination, had an effect on basal accumulation of inositol phosphates. The muscarinic receptor agonist carbachol produced a robust increase in the accumulation of inositol monophosphate and a smaller increase in the accumulation of inositol bisphosphate. These effects were not altered by the presence of quinpirole. Additionally, quinpirole also had no effect when assays were conducted in the presence of the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine, the glutamic acid receptor antagonist kynurenic acid, and the antioxidant glutathione. These results are discussed in relation to recent contradictory reports and lend support to the position that D2 dopamine receptors are not coupled to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat striatum.

Potentiation by gamma-aminobutyric acid of alpha 1-agonist-induced accumulation of inositol phosphates in slices of rat cerebral cortex

Noradrenaline-induced accumulation of 3H-labeled inositol mono-, bis-, and trisphosphate (IP1, IP2, and IP3, respectively) in lithium-treated slices of rat cerebral cortex preincubated with [3H]inositol was potentiated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). However, the effect on [3H]IP2 accumulation was much greater than that on [3H]IP1 or [3H]IP3 accumulation. The principal effect of GABA on noradrenaline concentration-response curves for both [3H]IP1 and [3H]IP2 was to cause an increase in the maximal response attainable. However, whereas the EC50 for GABA potentiation of [3H]IP1 formation was 0.5 mM, the curve for the potentiation of [3H]IP2 formation showed a marked upturn at GABA concentrations of greater than 1 mM. Prazosin (1 microM) blocked the noradrenaline-induced formation of all three inositol phosphates (IPs), in both the presence and the absence of 2 mM GABA. 3H-IP formation induced by phenylephrine and methoxamine was also potentiated by GABA, and again the greatest effect was on [3H]IP2 accumulation. The ratio of [3H]IP2/[3H]IP1 formed in response to 100 microM noradrenaline was increased by 2 mM GABA at all times from 10 to 60 min, whereas the ratio of [3H]IP3/[3H]IP1 was little altered. The effect of GABA was not mimicked by the GABAA agonists isoguvacine and 3-aminopropanesulphonic acid and was not blocked by bicuculline methiodide. (-)-Baclofen, a GABAB agonist, did produce some stimulation of the response to noradrenaline, but to a much lesser extent than GABA. Of the agents tested, nipecotic acid came nearest to reproducing the effect of GABA, in that the major effect was on [3H]IP2 accumulation. The effects of 2 mM GABA and 2 mM nipecotic acid were not additive. GABA potentiation of noradrenaline-induced 3H-IP formation was still apparent in the absence of Li+, but the increase of [3H]IP2 content was less than that of [3H]IP1 content.

Characterization of the quisqualate receptor linked to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in neurocortical cultures

Activation of phosphoinositide metabolism is an early event in signal transduction for a number of neurotransmitters and hormones. In primary cultures of rat neurocortical cells, various excitatory amino acids stimulate inositol phosphate production with a rank order of potency of quisqualate greater than ibotenate greater than glutamate greater than kainate, N-methyl-D-aspartate greater than alpha-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate. This response to excitatory amino acids was insensitive to a variety of excitatory amino acid antagonists including 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, 3-3(2-carboxypiperazine-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonate, and 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate. The individual responses of quisqualate-, ibotenate-, and kainate-stimulated inositol phosphate production were not additive. These results suggest that phosphoinositide metabolism activated by excitatory amino acids is mediated by a unique quisqualate-preferring receptor that is not antagonized by known N-methyl-D-aspartate and non-N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists, and is relatively insensitive to alpha-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate.

Muscarinic receptors and second-messenger responses of neurons in primary culture

The coupling of muscarinic receptors to second messenger responses was investigated in primary cultures of neurons from the fetal mouse brain. Neurons were maintained in monolayer culture, in serum-free medium; immunocytochemical studies found these cultures to be nearly exclusively neuronal. In striatal cultures, [3H]N-methylscopolamine (NMS) bound specifically and with high affinity (Kd = 70 pM) to a homogeneous population of receptors on intact neurons (320 fmol/mg cellular protein). Displacement of the binding of [3H]NMS by pirenzepine indicated the presence of heterogeneous sites (81% high affinity sites, Kh = 51 nM, K1 = 1.5 microM); AF-DX 116 showed the opposite selectivity (15% high affinity sites, Kh = 56 nM, K1 = 1.3 microM). The dopamine agonist SKF-38393 (1 microM) enhanced the accumulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in these cultures 2.5-fold; addition of carbachol reduced cyclic AMP levels by 30% (EC50, 1.7 microM). In the presence of 1 mM lithium, carbachol stimulated the accumulation of inositol monophosphate 5-fold (EC50, 61 microM). Both responses were antagonized by pirenzepine (apparent Ki of 23 nM for the phosphoinositide response and 200 nM for the cyclic AMP response) and AF-DX 116 (apparent Ki 540 nM and 160 nM, respectively). In binding studies on brainstem cultures, AF-DX 116 indicated the presence of two sites of approximately equal abundance (Kh = 170 nM, K1 = 2.9 microM); data for pirenzepine were adequately fit by a one-site model (Kd = 630 nM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Muscarinic modulation of a transient K+ conductance in rat neostriatal neurons

Neurons of the neostriatum are richly innervated by cholinergic neurons of intrinsic origin. Both pre- and post-synaptic muscarinic receptors mediate the effects of acetylcholine (ACh). Activation of these receptors is functionally significant, particularly in Parkinson's disease. Current-clamp studies indicate that muscarinic receptors serve to decrease the responsiveness of neostriatal neurons to excitatory inputs. Here we present evidence that this effect is caused, in part, by the muscarinic modulation of the A-current, a transient outward potassium current. The voltage dependence of this current suggests that normally it enhances spike repolarization and slows discharge rate, but does not affect 'synaptic integration'. We find that under the influence of muscarinic agonists, the voltage dependence of A-current activation and inactivation is shifted towards more negative membrane potentials and the peak conductance is increased. Therefore, at relatively hyperpolarized resting potentials, ACh transiently alters the functional role of the A-current, allowing it to suppress excitatory inputs and further slow the discharge rate. But at relatively depolarized resting potentials, ACh increases excitability by removing the A-current through inactivation.

Adrenergic and calcium-mediated subcellular redistribution of protein kinase C in primary neuronal cultures

Incubation of primary neuronal cultures prepared from the brains of neonatal rats with 50 microM epinephrine resulted in the transient redistribution of protein kinase C from the cytosol to the particulate fraction. This effect occurred after 1 and 5 min of incubation and resulted in a decrease in cytosolic protein kinase C activity with a corresponding increase in particulate protein kinase C of approximately 30% and 15%, respectively. The epinephrine-stimulated translocation of protein kinase C was blocked by 1 microM prazosin indicating the involvement of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors. Further, inclusion of 0.1 microM Ca2+ in the homogenization buffer was found to significantly enhance the binding of protein kinase C to cellular membranes prepared from neuronal cultures. These results indicate that alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in neuronal brain cell cultures are linked to the activation of protein kinase C and that the mobilization of Ca2+ may enhance this effect.

M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor in cultured rat neostriatum regulates phosphoinositide hydrolysis

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor expression and function in cultured rat neostriatal neurons were examined. All experiments were performed on intact neurons grown in vitro for 12-14 days. The muscarinic antagonist N-[3H]methylscopolamine [( 3H]NMS) binds to a single site in cultures with a KD of 89 pM and a Bmax of 187 fmol/mg of protein, or 32,000 sites/neuron. Competition studies using [3H]NMS were performed to determine what receptor subtypes were present. Nonlinear analysis of competition curves was best described with a single binding site for atropine, pirenzepine, and AF-DX 116 (11-[[2-[(diethylamino)-methyl]-1-piperidinyl]acetyl]-5,11-dihydro- 6H-pyrido[2,3-b][1,4]benzodiazepine-6-one), with Ki values of 0.6, 62, and 758 nM, respectively. These results indicate that the muscarinic receptors present in neostriatal cultures are of the M1 subtype, having high affinity for pirenzepine and low affinity for AF-DX 116. In contrast with antagonists, carbachol displaced [3H]NMS from two sites with Ki values of 6.5 and 147 microM, with the higher-affinity form predominant (83% of sites). The M1 receptor subtype was linked to phosphoinositide turnover. Carbachol stimulated the formation of phosphoinositides with an EC50 of 37 microM and was antagonized by atropine. At equimolar doses, pirenzepine was more potent than AF-DX 116 at antagonizing the response.

Ethanol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate mobilize calcium from rat brain microsomes

The effects of ethanol on ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins-P3)-induced Ca2+ release were assessed in rat cerebellar and cortical microsomes. Ins-P3, 0.2-10 microM, released 7-14% of ATP loaded microsomal Ca2+ stores after a 15-sec exposure. Ethanol, 250-750 mM, added after ATP-dependent loading, significantly released microsomal Ca2+ stores, and the amount released was additive to that seen with Ins-P3 alone. The presence of ethanol, 250-750 mM, during the ATP-dependent loading period, resulted in decreased Ca2+ uptake that correlated with decreases in Ins-P3-induced Ca2+ release. Chronic ethanol treatment failed to produce any alterations in ethanol's ability to promote Ca2+ release or to inhibit ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake. Furthermore, Ins.-P3-induced Ca2+ release was not altered by chronic ethanol treatment. These results suggest that Ins-P3 sensitive Ca2+ stores are resistant to pharmacologically relevant concentrations of ethanol, and do not appear to be involved in the chronic cellular effects of ethanol.

Regulation of angiotensin II binding sites in neuronal cultures by catecholamines

Previous studies determined that direct activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with phorbol esters increases the number of angiotensin II (ANG II)-specific binding sites in neuronal cultures prepared from the hypothalamus and brain stem of 1-day-old rats. In the physiological situation, PKC is activated by diacylglycerol, which can be produced by multiple pathways, such as stimulation of inositol phospholipid (IP) hydrolysis, phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis, or by de novo synthesis. In the present study we have examined whether stimulation of IP hydrolysis, and presumably activation of PKC, can mimic the actions of phorbol esters on ANG II-specific binding. We have incubated neuronal cultures with agents that increase IP hydrolysis and have determined the effects on ANG II-specific binding. Incubation of neuronal cultures with norepinephrine (NE) at concentrations (greater than 5 microM) and for times (15-60 min) that cause large increases in IP hydrolysis caused increases in the number of ANG II-specific binding sites, mimicking the actions of phorbol esters. The return of IP hydrolysis to control values was associated with a return of ANG II-specific binding to control levels. The upregulatory action of NE was abolished by prazosin, demonstrating the involvement of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors. In addition, this effect was blunted by the PKC antagonist H 7, suggesting PKC involvement in the response. Thus we have determined a potential physiological mechanism by which stimulation of IP hydrolysis by NE, and possible subsequent activation of PKC, leads to upregulation of ANG II-specific binding sites in neuronal cultures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Muscarinic and quisqualate receptor-induced phosphoinositide hydrolysis in primary cultures of striatal and hippocampal neurons. Evidence for differential mechanisms of activation

Several neurotransmitters activate polyphosphoinositide (PPI) hydrolysis in CNS neurons as the first step of a transmembrane signalling cascade that may lead to neuronal circuit modulation. Muscarinic and quisqualate receptor-triggered PPI hydrolysis was investigated in neuronal primary cultures. A clear increase in inositol phosphates (Ins-Ps) was detected as early as 15 s after the agonist addition; at this time, the increases of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (measured by HPLC) were relatively larger with respect to the other Ins-Ps. Ins-P accumulation was maintained in part in a Ca2+-free medium, excluding that Ca2+ entry is the fundamental step of the receptor-induced PPI hydrolysis. Acute cell pretreatment with phorbol dibutyrate, an activator of protein kinase C, was able to inhibit 50% of the response to carbachol, and almost completely the quisqualate effect, suggesting a negative feedback modulation by the enzyme. Finally, pertussis toxin failed to inhibit muscarinic responses, whereas it blocked greater than 70% of the quisqualate stimulation. The two receptors therefore appear coupled to phosphodiesterase by two different G proteins. The comparison of the results obtained by stimulating the two receptor systems suggests that the generation of the same intracellular signal at two distinct receptor types may occur by different coupling mechanisms, and be differently regulated even in the same neuronal preparations.

Two distinct quisqualate receptor systems are present on striatal neurons

At concentrations at which it did not alter spontaneous release, quisqualate (QUIS) induced a dose-dependent (EC50, 0.5 microM) potentiation of KCl- or veratrine-evoked release of [3H]GABA from striatal neurons in primary culture. QUIS potentiation of KCl-evoked [3H]GABA release was mimicked by the selective agonist alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA), glutamate and kainate, and was blocked by kynurenic acid and gamma-D-glutamylglycine. QUIS also induced a dose-dependent (EC50, 0.2 microM) augmentation of [3H]inositol monophosphate production in striatal neurons. This action of QUIS was mimicked by glutamate, but not by AMPA nor by kainate. Furthermore, none of the antagonists tested (kynurenic acid, gamma-D-glutamylglycine, glutamic acid diethyl ester, and 4-aminophosphonobutanoic acid) could block QUIS-induced elevations in [3H]inositol monophosphate production. The results of the present study suggest that two QUIS receptor systems, distinguished on the basis of their pharmacological properties, may subserve specific roles in the regulation of striatal neuron function by excitatory amino acids.

Distribution of endoplasmic reticulum and calciosome markers in membrane fractions isolated from different regions of the canine brain

Four regions of the canine brain (frontal lobe, parieto-occipital lobe, brainstem, and cerebellum) were each fractionated by differential centrifugation into a crude mitochondrial pellet (P2) and a crude microsomal pellet (P3). Markers of endoplasmic reticulum (glucose-6-phosphate phosphatase and rotenone-insensitive NADPH cytochrome c reductase) and markers of the 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-sensitive Ca2+ store ([3H]IP3 binding and IP3-induced Ca2+ release) were measured. No correlation was found between the two classes of markers, which suggests that the IP3 receptor does not belong to the endoplasmic reticulum in canine brain. Cerebellum P2 and P3 fractions displayed levels of [3H]IP3 binding 10- to 30-fold higher, and rates of IP3-induced Ca2+ release greater than 15-fold faster than the homologous cerebrum and brainstem fractions. Actively accumulated Ca2+ was only partially released by IP3, both before and after saponin disruption of the plasma membrane compartment. The proportion of the IP3-sensitive Ca2+ store relative to that of the total (IP3-sensitive and IP3-insensitive) Ca2+ store was variable; i.e., it was larger in cerebellum P2 (approximately 90%) than in cerebrum fractions (less than 30%). Cerebellum fractions constitute the best source from which an IP3-sensitive Ca2+ storing organelle can be purified.

Muscarinic agonists cause calcium influx and calcium mobilization in forebrain neurons in vitro

We have examined the effects of the muscarinic agonist carbachol on the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in primary cultures of neurons from rat forebrain using the Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2. Addition of carbachol increased the [Ca2+]i in approximately 60% of cells studied. Oxotremorine-M, but not pilocarpine, mimicked the effects of carbachol. The response was reduced by 60% on removal of extracellular Ca2+, a finding suggesting that muscarinic receptor activation causes Ca2+ influx in addition to intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. Tetrodotoxin and nitrendipine also significantly reduced the response to carbachol. These studies suggest that the changes in [Ca2+]i produced by activation of muscarinic receptors result in part from mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and that influx through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels also provides a significant contribution to the net [Ca2+]i change observed.

Translocation and activation of protein kinase C in striatal neurons in primary culture: relationship to phorbol dibutyrate actions on the inositol phosphate generating system and neurotransmitter release

The actions of the tumor-promoting phorbol ester phorbol dibutyrate were examined, under identical physiological conditions, on three distinct cellular processes in striatal neurons: the distribution of protein kinase C, the carbachol-stimulated generation of [3H]inositol monophosphate, and the KCl-evoked release of gamma-[3H]aminobutyric acid ([3H]GABA). Phorbol dibutyrate induced a rapid (complete in 5 min), dose-dependent, entirely reversible (t0.5 = 15 min) translocation of protein kinase C from cytosol to membrane. On longer exposure to phorbol dibutyrate, membrane-associated protein kinase C returned toward the control level, and total cellular enzyme activity declined markedly. Phorbol dibutyrate also induced the dose-dependent attenuation of carbachol-stimulated [3H]inositol monophosphate production and potentiation of KCl-evoked release of [3H]GABA. The translocation of protein kinase C and the potentiation of KCl-evoked [3H]GABA release were both rapidly reversed following washout of phorbol dibutyrate. In addition, for both processes, the effect of a 1-h exposure to phorbol dibutyrate was markedly less than that observed following a 5-min exposure to the agent. In direct contrast, inhibition of carbachol-stimulated [3H]inositol monophosphate production was not rapidly reversed following washout of phorbol dibutyrate and was actually more pronounced following a 1-h exposure, compared with a 5-min exposure. These findings indicate that some, but not all, of the actions of phorbol dibutyrate are closely associated with the translocation of protein kinase C in striatal neurons in primary culture.

Forskolin attenuates the evoked release of [3H]GABA from striatal neurons in primary culture

The actions of the diterpene forskolin, and cyclic AMP analogues, on the evoked release of [3H]GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) was examined in intact striatal neurons in primary culture, generated from the fetal mouse brain. Exposure of striatal neurons to forskolin (100 microM) resulted in a 40-55% attenuation of [3H]GABA release evoked by either KCl (30 mM) or veratrine (2 micrograms/ml), while baseline levels of release were unaffected. The dose-dependence for forskolin attenuation of KCl-evoked release of [3H]GABA was virtually identical to the dose-dependent elevation of cyclic AMP levels by forskolin in striatal neurons. Exposure of striatal neurons to membrane-permeable analogues of cyclic AMP, such as p-chlorophenylthio cyclic AMP (0.5 mM) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (1 mM), resulted in a 25 and 26% attenuation of [3H]GABA release, respectively; dibutyryl cyclic GMP (1 mM) was without effect. The similarity between the actions of forskolin and the cyclic AMP analogues suggests that, in striatal neurons in primary culture, the elevation of cyclic AMP levels results in the attenuation of the evoked release of [3H]GABA. The greater effectiveness of forskolin, compared to the cyclic AMP analogues, may be related to the recently reported, additional direct actions of forskolin on neuronal membrane ion channels.