Ca currents in human neuroblastoma IMR32 cells: kinetics, permeability and pharmacology.
We have investigated the kinetics, permeability and pharmacological properties of Ca channels in in vitro differentiated IMR32 human neuroblastoma cells. The low-threshold (LVA, T) Ca current activated positive to -50 mV and inactivated fully within 100 ms in a voltage-dependent manner. This current persisted in the presence of 3.2 microM omega-conotoxin (omega-CgTx) or 40 microM Cd and showed a weaker sensitivity to Ni and amiloride than in other neurons. The high-threshold Ca currents (HVA,L and N) turned on positive to -30 mV, and inactivated slowly and incompletely during pulses of 200 ms duration. The amplitude of the HVA currents and the number of 125I-omega-CgTx binding sites increased markedly during cell differentiation. In agreement with recent reports, 6.4 microM omega-CgTx blocked only about 85% of the Ba currents through HVA channels in 50% of the cells. Residual omega-CgTx-resistant currents proved to be more sensitive to dihydropyridines (DHP) than total HVA currents. Bay K 8644 (1 microM) had a clear agonistic action on omega-CgTx-resistant currents and was preferred to other Ca antagonists for identifying HVA DHP-sensitive channels. Compared to the omega-CgTx-sensitive, the DHP-sensitive currents turned on at slightly more negative potentials and showed a weaker sensitivity to voltage. The two HVA currents were otherwise hardly distinguishable in terms of activation/inactivation kinetics, Ca/Ba permeability and sensitivity to holding potentials. This suggests that currently used criteria for identifying multiple types of neuronal Ca channels (T;L,N) may be widely misleading if not supported by pharmacological assays.
Carbone
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E
Department of Anatomy and Human Physiology, Torino, Italy.
Sher
E
E
Clementi
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F
D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D000584:Amiloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008978:Mollusk Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology; D009447:Neuroblastoma; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009532:Nickel / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA
D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D008978:Mollusk Venoms; D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester; D000584:Amiloride; D009532:Nickel; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA; D002118:Calcium