Rossi AM, Riley AM, Dupont G, Rahman T, Potter BVL, Taylor CW. Quantal Ca
2+ release mediated by very few IP
3 receptors that rapidly inactivate allows graded responses to IP
3.
Cell Rep 2021;
37:109932. [PMID:
34731613 DOI:
10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109932]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are intracellular Ca2+ channels that link extracellular stimuli to Ca2+ signals. Ca2+ release from intracellular stores is "quantal": low IP3 concentrations rapidly release a fraction of the stores. Ca2+ release then slows or terminates without compromising responses to further IP3 additions. The mechanisms are unresolved. Here, we synthesize a high-affinity partial agonist of IP3Rs and use it to demonstrate that quantal responses do not require heterogenous Ca2+ stores. IP3Rs respond incrementally to IP3 and close after the initial response to low IP3 concentrations. Comparing functional responses with IP3 binding shows that only a tiny fraction of a cell's IP3Rs mediate incremental Ca2+ release; inactivation does not therefore affect most IP3Rs. We conclude, and test by simulations, that Ca2+ signals evoked by IP3 pulses arise from rapid activation and then inactivation of very few IP3Rs. This allows IP3Rs to behave as increment detectors mediating graded Ca2+ release.
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