scholarly journals Modulation of High-Voltage Activated Ca2+ Channels in the Rat Periaqueductal Gray Neurons by μ-Type Opioid Agonist

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1418-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Ju Kim ◽  
Jeong-Seop Rhee ◽  
Norio Akaike

Kim, Chang-Ju, Jeong-Seop Rhee, and Norio Akaike. Modulation of high-voltage activated Ca2+ channels in the rat periaqueductal gray neurons by μ-type opioid agonist. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 1418–1424, 1997. The effect of μ-type opioid receptor agonist, D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly5-ol-enkephalin (DAMGO), on high-voltage-activated (HVA) Ca2+ channels in the dissociated rat periaqueductal gray (PAG) neurons was investigated by the use of nystatin-perforated patch recording mode under voltage-clamp condition. Among 118 PAG neurons tested, the HVA Ca2+ channels of 38 neurons (32%) were inhibited by DAMGO (DAMGO-sensitive cells), and the other 80 neurons (68%) were not affected by DAMGO (DAMGO-insensitive cells). The N-, P-, L-, Q-, and R-type Ca2+ channel components in DAMGO-insensitive cells shared 26.9, 37.1, 22.3, 7.9, and 5.8%, respectively, of the total Ca2+ channel current. The channel components of DAMGO-sensitive cells were 45.6, 25.7, 21.7, 4.6, and 2.4%, respectively. The HVA Ca2+ current of DAMGO-sensitive neurons was inhibited by DAMGO in a concentration-, time-, and voltage-dependent manner. Application of ω-conotoxin-GVIA occluded the inhibitory effect of DAMGO ∼70%. So, HVA Ca2+ channels inhibited by DAMGO were mainly the N-type Ca2+ channels. The inhibitory effect of DAMGO on HVA Ca2+ channels was prevented almost completely by the pretreatment of pertussis toxin (PTX) for 8–10 h, suggesting that DAMGO modulation on N-type Ca2+ channels in rat PAG neurons is mediated by PTX-sensitive G proteins. These results indicate that μ-type opioid receptor modulates N-type HVA Ca2+ channels via PTX-sensitive G proteins in PAG neurons of rats.

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca B. Ruzicka ◽  
Khem Jhamandas

Previous investigations have shown that the activation of δ-opioid receptors depresses the release of acetylcholine (ACh) in the rat caudate putamen. This finding raised the possibility that the release of ACh is similarly modulated in the globus pallidus, a region containing a distinct population of cholinergic neurons and enriched in enkephalinergic nerve terminals. In the present study the pallidal release of ACh was characterized and the effects of δ-opioid receptor activation on this release were examined. The results show that this release is stimulated by high K+ in a concentration- and Ca2+-dependent manner. D-Pen2,L-Pen5-enkephalin (0.1 – 10 μM), a selective δ-opioid receptor agonist, produced a dose-related inhibition of the 25 mM K+-evoked tritium release. The maximal inhibitory effect, representing a 34% decrease in the K+-induced tritium release, was observed at a concentration of 1 μM. This opioid effect was attenuated by the selective δ-opioid receptor antagonist, ICI 174864 (1 μM). These findings support the role of a δ-opioid receptor in the modulation of ACh release in the rat globus pallidus.Key words: globus pallidus, acetylcholine, enkephalin, release.


2002 ◽  
Vol 172 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
AM Ronco ◽  
PF Moraga ◽  
MN Llanos

We have previously demonstrated that the release of arachidonic acid (AA) from human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-stimulated Leydig cells occurs in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, the amount of AA released was dependent on the hormone-receptor interaction and the concentration of LH-hCG binding sites on the cell surface. The present study was conducted to evaluate the involvement of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) and G proteins in AA release from hormonally stimulated rat Leydig cells, and the possible role of this fatty acid in cAMP production. Cells were first prelabelled with [(14)C]AA to incorporate the fatty acid into cell phospholipids, and then treated in different ways to evaluate AA release. hCG (25 mIU) increased the release of AA to 180+/-12% when compared with AA released from control cells, arbitrarily set as 100%. Mepacrine and parabromophenacyl bromide (pBpB), two PLA(2) inhibitors, decreased the hormone-stimulated AA release to 85+/-9 and 70+/-24% respectively. Conversely, melittin, a PLA(2) stimulator, increased the release of AA up to 200% over control. The inhibitory effect of mepacrine on the release of AA was evident in hCG-treated Leydig cells, but not in the melittin-treated cells. To determine if the release of AA was also mediated through a G protein, cells were first permeabilized and subsequently treated with pertussis toxin or GTPgammaS, a non-hydrolyzable analog of GTP. Results demonstrate that GTPgammaS was able to induce a similar level of the release of AA as hCG. In addition, pertussis toxin completely abolished the stimulatory effect of hCG on the release of AA, indicating that a member of the G(i) family was involved in the hCG-dependent release of AA. Cells treated with PLA(2) inhibitors did not modify cAMP production, but exogenously added AA significantly reduced cAMP production from hCG-treated Leydig cells, in a manner dependent on the concentration of AA and hCG. Results presented here suggest an involvement of PLA(2) and G proteins in the release of AA from hCG-stimulated Leydig cells, and under particular conditions, regulation of cAMP production by this fatty acid in these cells.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 392-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor M. Nikonorov ◽  
Thomas J. J. Blanck ◽  
Esperanza Recio-Pinto

Background G-protein activation mediates inhibition of N-type Ca2+ currents. Volatile anesthetics affect G-protein pathways at various levels, and activation of G-proteins has been shown to increase the volatile anesthetic potency for inhibiting the electrical-induced contraction in ileum. The authors investigated whether isoflurane inhibition of N-type Ba2+ currents was mediated by G-protein activation. Methods N-type Ba2+ currents were measured in the human neuronal SH-SY5Y cell line by using the whole cell voltage-clamp method. Results Isoflurane was found to have two effects on N-type Ba2+ currents. First, isoflurane reduced the magnitude of N-type Ba2+ currents to a similar extent (IC50 approximately 0.28 mm) in the absence and presence of GDPbetaS (a nonhydrolyzable GDP analog). Interestingly, GTPgammaS (a nonhydrolyzable GTP analog and G-protein activator) in a dose-dependent manner reduced the isoflurane block; 120 microm GTPgammaS completely eliminated the block of 0.3 mm isoflurane and reduced the apparent isoflurane potency by approximately 2.4 times (IC50 approximately 0.68 mm). Pretreatment with pertussis toxin or cholera toxin did not eliminate the GTPgammaS-induced protection against the isoflurane block. Furthermore, isoflurane reduced the magnitude of voltage-dependent G-protein-mediated inhibition of N-type Ba2+ currents, and this effect was eliminated by pretreatment with pertussis toxin or cholera toxin. Conclusions It was found that activation of G-proteins in a neuronal environment dramatically reduced the isoflurane potency for inhibiting N-type Ba2+ currents and, in turn, isoflurane affected the G-protein regulation of N-type Ba2+ currents.


1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (4) ◽  
pp. H1791-H1797 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. S. Piedras-Renteria ◽  
O. D. Sherwood ◽  
P. M. Best

The peptide hormone relaxin has direct, positive inotropic and chronotropic effects on rat hearts in vivo and in vitro. Relaxin's effects on the electrophysiological properties of single quiescent atrial cells from normal rats were investigated with a whole cell patch clamp. Relaxin had a significant inhibitory effect on outward potassium currents. The outward potassium current consisted of a transient component (I(to)) and a sustained component (I(S)). The addition of 100 ng/ml of relaxin inhibited the peak I(to) in a voltage-dependent manner (74% inhibition at a membrane potential of -10 mV to 30% inhibition at +70 mV). The time to reach peak I(to) and the apparent time constant of inactivation of I(to) were increased by relaxin. Dialysis with the protein kinase A inhibitor 5-24 amide (2 microM) prevented relaxin's effects, suggesting an obligatory role for this kinase in the relaxin-dependent regulation of the potassium current.


2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (2) ◽  
pp. E287-E294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiying Cheng ◽  
Susanne G. Straub ◽  
Geoffrey W. G. Sharp

The major physiological inhibitors of insulin secretion, norepinephrine, somatostatin, galanin, and prostaglandin E2, act via specific receptors that activate pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive G proteins. Four inhibitory mechanisms are known: 1) activation of ATP-sensitive K channels and repolarization of the β-cell; 2) inhibition of L-type Ca2+ channels; 3) decreased activity of adenylyl cyclase; and 4) inhibition of exocytosis at a “distal” site in stimulus-secretion coupling. We have examined the underlying mechanisms of inhibition at this distal site. In rat pancreatic islets, 2-bromopalmitate, cerulenin, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, all of which suppress protein acyltransferase activity, blocked the distal inhibitory effects of norepinephrine in a concentration-dependent manner. In contrast, control compounds such as palmitate, 16-hydroxypalmitate, and etomoxir, which do not block protein acylation, had no effect. Furthermore, 2-bromopalmitate also blocked the distal inhibitory actions of somatostatin, galanin, and prostaglandin E2. Importantly, neither 2-bromopalmitate nor cerulenin affected the action of norepinephrine to decrease cAMP production. We also examined the effects of norepinephrine, 2-bromopalmitate, and cerulenin on palmitate metabolism. Palmitate oxidation and its incorporation into lipids seemed not to contribute to the effects of 2-bromopalmitate and cerulenin on norepinephrine action. These data suggest that protein acylation mediates the distal inhibitory effect on insulin secretion. We propose that the inhibitors of insulin secretion, acting via PTX-sensitive G proteins, activate a specific protein acyltransferase, causing the acylation of a protein or proteins critical to exocytosis. This particular acylation and subsequent disruption of the essential and precise interactions involved in core complex formation would block exocytosis.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (3) ◽  
pp. H967-H973 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Shan ◽  
L. M. Resnick ◽  
Q. Y. Liu ◽  
X. C. Wu ◽  
M. Barbagallo ◽  
...  

Bolus intravenous injections of 100 micrograms/kg 17 beta-estradiol significantly decreased the pressor responses to norepinephrine (NE; 0.3 microgram/kg) at the fourth, fifth, and sixth hour in anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. At doses of 10(-6) to 3 x 10(-5) M, 17 beta-estradiol relaxed the sustained phase of contraction in male Sprague-Dawley rat tail artery helical strips precontracted in vitro by [Arg8]vasopressin (AVP), KCl, or NE. The effect was dose dependent. At doses of 3 x 10(-6) to 3 x 10(-5) M, it also decreased the initial phase of tension generation and extracellular Ca(2+)-dependent vasoconstriction induced by NE, AVP, or KCl in a dose-dependent manner in male Sprague-Dawley rat tail artery helical strips. 17 beta-Estradiol (2 x 10(-8) to 2 x 10(-6) M) decreased the voltage-dependent inward Ca2+ current and the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) increment induced by 15 mM KCl in a dose-dependent manner (3.6 x 10(-8) to 3.6 x 10(-6) M) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rat tail arteries. We suggest that, at pharmacological doses, estrogen has a direct vasodilating effect on the rat tail artery that is mediated by its inhibitory effect on Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. The inhibitory effect of estrogen on the pressor responses to NE or AVP may be correlated with its modulation of VSMC [Ca2+]i through its actions on membrane Ca2+ channels.


2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Gach ◽  
Mariola Piestrzeniewicz ◽  
Jakub Fichna ◽  
Barbara Stefanska ◽  
Janusz Szemraj ◽  
...  

The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of opioid receptor types in human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells and to characterize the changes in MOR expression induced by opioid agonist and antagonist treatment. We have shown that all three types of opioid receptors, but predominantly MOR, are expressed in MCF-7 cells. Selective MOR agonists, morphine, endomorphin-1, and endomorphin-2 downregulated MOR mRNA levels in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, but the effect produced by endomorphins was much stronger. Downregulation was blocked by the opioid antagonist naloxone. Naloxone alone produced a slight increase in MOR gene expression. Immunoblotting with antiserum against MOR-1 confirmed these results at the protein level. The results of our study indicate that, in MCF-7 cells, MOR gene expression is downregulated by opioid agonists and upregulated by opioid antagonists. We propose that the opioid-induced regulation of MOR mRNA expression is mediated by reduced binding of the transcription factors NFκB and AP-1 to the promoter region on the MOR gene.


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (3) ◽  
pp. G799-G805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kentaro Kaneko ◽  
Masashi Iwasaki ◽  
Masaaki Yoshikawa ◽  
Kousaku Ohinata

We previously reported that soymorphins, μ-opioid agonist peptides derived from soy β-conglycinin β-subunit, have anxiolytic-like activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of soymorphins on food intake and gut motility, along with their mechanism. We found that soymorphins decreases food intake after oral administration in fasted mice. Orally administered soymorphins suppressed small intestinal transit at lower dose than that of anorexigenic activity. Suppression of food intake and small intestinal transit after oral administration of soymorphins was inhibited by naloxone or naloxonazine, antagonists of μ- or μ1-opioid receptor, respectively, after oral but not intraperitoneal administration. The inhibitory activities of small intestinal transit by soymorphins were also inhibited by WAY100135, raclopride, or saclofen, antagonists for serotonin 5-HT1A, dopamine D2, or GABABreceptor, respectively. We then examined the order of activation of 5-HT1A, D2, and GABABreceptors, using their agonists and antagonists. The inhibitory effect of 8-hydroxy-2-dipropylaminotetralin hydrobromide, a 5-HT1Aagonist, after oral administration on small intestinal transit was blocked by raclopride or saclofen. Bromocriptine, a D2agonist-induced small intestinal transit suppression, was inhibited by saclofen, but not by WAY100135. Baclofen, a GABABagonist-induced small intestinal transit suppression, was not blocked by WAY100135 or raclopride. These results suggest that 5-HT1Aactivation elicits D2followed by GABABactivations in small intestinal motility. We conclude that orally administered soymorphins suppress food intake and small intestinal transit via μ1-opioid receptor coupled to 5-HT1A, D2, and GABABsystems.


1991 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 505-518
Author(s):  
J. Bernal ◽  
A. M. Kelsey ◽  
B. E. Ehrlich

Behavioral and electrophysiological experiments were made to examine the hypothesis that G-proteins modulate the voltage-dependent calcium channel in the marine ciliate Paramecium calkinsi. It was found that guanosine-5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP-gamma-S), an analogue of GTP that binds to and activates G-proteins, increased the duration of backward swimming behavior in reversibly permeabilized Paramecium in an irreversible and concentration-dependent manner. At 1 mumol l-1 GTP-gamma-S, the duration of backward swimming behavior was increased fivefold. Other nucleotides and related compounds did not have a significant effect on the backward swimming behavior. To evaluate whether the behavioral effects were due to ion channel modulation, the calcium action potential in intact Paramecium was monitored before and after guanine nucleotide injection. Within 5 min after the injection of GTP-gamma-S or GTP into the cell, the duration of the calcium action potential was prolonged at least threefold. Like the behavioral response, the GTP-gamma-S effect on the calcium action potential duration was irreversible, whereas the effect of GTP began to decay after 6 min. GDP-beta-S, which binds to and inactivates G-proteins, markedly reduced the calcium action potential within 5 min after injection. These results support the hypothesis that the voltage-dependent calcium channels present in Paramecium are modulated by GTP-binding proteins.


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