Functional aspects of calcium channels of splanchnic neurons and chromaffin cells of the rat adrenal medulla

Roles of Na+, Ca2+, and K+ channels in the generation of repetitive firing and rhythmic bursting in adrenal chromaffin cells

Adrenal chromaffin cells (CCs) are the main source of circulating catecholamines (CAs) that regulate the body response to stress. Release of CAs is controlled neurogenically by the activity of preganglionic sympathetic neurons through trains of action potentials (APs). APs in CCs are generated by robust depolarization following the activation of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors that are highly expressed in CCs. Bovine, rat, mouse, and human CCs also express a composite array of Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ channels that regulate the resting potential, shape the APs, and set the frequency of AP trains. AP trains of increasing frequency induce enhanced release of CAs. If the primary role of CCs is simply to relay preganglionic nerve commands to CA secretion, why should they express such a diverse set of ion channels? An answer to this comes from recent observations that, like in neurons, CCs undergo complex firing patterns of APs suggesting the existence of an intrinsic CC excitability (non-neurogenically controlled). Recent work has shown that CCs undergo occasional or persistent burst firing elicited by altered physiological conditions or deletion of pore-regulating auxiliary subunits. In this review, we aim to give a rationale to the role of the many ion channel types regulating CC excitability. We will first describe their functional properties and then analyze how they contribute to pacemaking, AP shape, and burst waveforms. We will also furnish clear indications on missing ion conductances that may be involved in pacemaking and highlight the contribution of the crucial channels involved in burst firing.

Distinguishing splanchnic nerve and chromaffin cell stimulation in mouse adrenal slices with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry

Electrical stimulation is an indispensible tool in studying electrically excitable tissues in neurobiology and neuroendocrinology. In this work, the consequences of high-intensity electrical stimulation on the release of catecholamines from adrenal gland slices were examined with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon fiber microelectrodes. A biphasic signal, consisting of a fast and slow phase, was observed when electrical stimulations typically used in tissue slices (10 Hz, 350 μA biphasic, 2.0 ms/phase pulse width) were applied to bipolar tungsten-stimulating electrodes. This signal was found to be stimulation dependent, and the slow phase of the signal was abolished when smaller (≤250 μA) and shorter (1 ms/phase) stimulations were used. The slow phase of the biphasic signal was found to be tetrodotoxin and hexamethonium independent, while the fast phase was greatly reduced using these pharmacological agents. Two different types of calcium responses were observed, where the fast phase was abolished by perfusion with a low-calcium buffer while both the fast and slow phases could be modulated when Ca²(+) was completely excluded from the solution using EGTA. Perfusion with nifedipine resulted in the reduction of the slow catecholamine release to 29% of the original signal, while the fast phase was only decreased to 74% of predrug values. From these results, it was determined that high-intensity stimulations of the adrenal medulla result in depolarizing not only the splanchnic nerves, but also the chromaffin cells themselves resulting in a biphasic catecholamine release.

Key role of the nicotinic receptor in neurotransmitter exocytosis in human chromaffin cells

The whole-cell secretory response evoked by acetylcholine (ACh) in human chromaffin cells was examined using a new protocol based on quickly switching from the voltage-clamp to the current-clamp (CC) configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Our experiments revealed that Ca(2+) entry through the nicotinic receptor at hyperpolarized membrane potentials contributed as much to the exocytosis (100.4 +/- 27.3 fF) evoked by 200 ms pulses of ACh, as Ca(2+) flux through voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels at depolarized membrane potentials. The nicotinic current triggered a depolarization event with a peak at +49.3 mV and a 'plateau' phase that ended at -23.9 mV, which was blocked by 10 mumol/L mecamylamine. When a long ACh stimulus (15 s) was applied, the nicotinic current at the end of the pulse reached a value of 15.45 +/- 3.6 pA, but the membrane potential depolarization still remained at the 'plateau' stage until withdrawal of the agonist. Perfusion with 200 mumol/L Cd(2+) during the 15 s ACh pulse completely abolished the plasma membrane depolarization at the end of the pulse, indicating that Ca(2+) entry through Ca(2+) channels contributed to the membrane potential depolarization provoked by prolonged ACh pulses. These findings also reflect that voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels were recruited by the small current flowing through the desensitized nicotinic receptor to maintain the depolarization. Finally, muscarinic receptor activation triggered a delayed exocytotic process after prolonged ACh stimulation, dependent on Ca(2+) mobilization from the endoplasmic reticulum. In summary, we show here that nicotinic and muscarinic receptors contribute to the exocytosis of neurotransmitters in human chromaffin cells, and that the nicotinic receptor plays a key role in several stages of the stimulus-secretion coupling process in these cells.

Mn2+ can substitute for Ca2+ in causing catecholamine secretion but not for increasing tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells

The ability of the divalent cation manganese (Mn2+) to substitute for calcium (Ca2+) both in triggering catecholamine release and in stimulating catecholamine synthesis, as indicated by an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase (TOH) phosphorylation, has been determined in bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells maintained in tissue culture. Mn2+ was found to enter chromaffin cells through pathways activated by nicotinic receptor stimulation and potassium depolarisation, and via the Na1:Ca0 exchange mechanism in Na(+)-loaded cells. Like Ca2+, entry of Mn2+ through these pathways triggered immediate catecholamine release and, like Ca2+, maintained quantitatively comparable release at least up to 40 min. Unlike Ca2+, Mn2+ did not stimulate an increase in TOH phosphorylation in intact chromaffin cells, even over a prolonged time course, but Mn2+ did stimulate increased TOH phosphorylation in lysed cell preparations showing that its lack of effect in the intact cells was not due to inhibition of the specific phosphorylation pathway. In lysed cell preparations, Mn2+ stimulated also phosphorylation of a different spectrum of proteins to Ca2+, and of the same proteins to different extents. In particular, P80 (MARCKS protein) was more intensely phosphorylated in the presence of Mn2+ than in the presence of Ca2+. Since TOH phosphorylation always occurs when intracellular Ca2+ is increased, the absence of an increase with Mn2+ indicates that none of its intracellular effects could have occurred as a consequence of Mn2+ mobilisation of intracellular Ca2+. In summary, the data show that Mn2+ is a surrogate for Ca2+ in triggering and maintaining catecholamine release, but does not substitute for Ca2+ in stimulating TOH phosphorylation.

Role of intracellular Cd2+ in catecholamine release and lethality in PC12 cells

To evaluate the role of intracellular Cd2+ in catecholamine release and lethality in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells the following results were obtained: [1] the presence of Cd2+ intracellularly was demonstrated with the Cd(2+)-sensitive fluorescent dye BTC-5N, [2] Cd2+ entry through Ca(2+)-channels was either blocked with nifedipine or diltiazem or increased with Bay K8644, [3] Cd2+ entry through voltage sensitive Ca2+ channels was related to dopamine release and cell lethality, [4] a calmodulin inhibitor protected against Cd2+ toxicity, and [5] extracellular Ca2+ concentration, altered prior to Cd2+ exposure, was inversely related to dopamine release by Cd2+. The data indicate intracellular effects of Cd2+ rather than cell surface actions are primarily involved in neurotransmitter release and lethality by toxic levels of Cd2+ in adrenomedullary cells. To evaluate the role of intracellular Cd2+ in catecholamine release and lethality in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells the following results were obtained: [1] the presence of Cd2+ intracellularly was demonstrated with the Cd(2+)-sensitive fluorescent dye BTC-5N, [2] Cd2+ entry through Ca(2+)-channels was either blocked with nifedipine or diltiazem or increased with Bay K8644, [3] Cd2+ entry through voltage sensitive Ca2+ channels was related to dopamine release and cell lethality, [4] a calmodulin inhibitor protected against Cd2+ toxicity, and [5] extracellular Ca2+ concentration, altered prior to Cd2+ exposure, was inversely related to dopamine release by Cd2+. The data indicate intracellular effects of Cd2+ rather than cell surface actions are primarily involved in neurotransmitter release and lethality by toxic levels of Cd2+ in adrenomedullary cells.

Permeation by zinc of bovine chromaffin cell calcium channels: relevance to secretion

Zn2+ increased the rate of spontaneous release of catecholamines from bovine adrenal glands. This effect was Ca2+ independent; in fact, in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, the secretory effects of Zn2+ were enhanced. At low concentrations (3-10 microM), Zn2+ enhanced the secretory responses to 10-s pulses of 100 microM 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium (DMPP, a nicotinic receptor agonist) or 100 mM K+. In the presence of DMPP, secretion was increased 47% above controls and in high-K+ solutions, secretion increased 54% above control. These low concentrations of Zn2+ did not facilitate the whole-cell Ca2+ (ICa) or Ba2+ (IBa) currents in patch-clamped chromaffin cells. Higher Zn2+ concentrations inhibited the currents (IC50 values, 346 microM for ICa and 91 microM for IBa) and blocked DMPP- and K(+)-evoked secretion (IC50 values, 141 and 250 microM, respectively). Zn2+ permeated the Ca2+ channels of bovine chromaffin cells, although at a much slower rate than other divalent cations. Peak currents at 10 mM Ba2+, Ca2+, Sr2+ and Zn2+ were 991, 734, 330 and 7.4 pA, respectively. Zn2+ entry was also evidenced using the fluorescent Ca2+ probe fura-2. This was possible because Zn2+ causes an increase in fura-2 fluorescence at the isosbestic wave-length for Ca2+, i.e. 360 nm. There was a slow resting entry of Zn2+ which was accelerated by stimulation with DMPP or high-K+ solution. The entry of Zn2+ was concentration dependent, slightly antagonized by 1 mM Ca2+ and completely blocked by 5 mM Ni2+. The entry of Ca2+ evoked by depolarization with high-K+ solution was antagonized by Zn2+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)