title: Modulation of calcium channels by norepinephrine in internally dialyzed avian sensory neurons.
abstract: Modulation of voltage-dependent Ca channels by norepinephrine (NE) was studied in chick dorsal root ganglion cells using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Cells dialyzed with K+ and 2-10 mM EGTA exhibited Ca action potentials that were reversibly decreased in duration and amplitude by NE. Ca channel currents were isolated from other channel contributions by using: (a) tetrodotoxin (TTX) to block gNa, (b) internal K channel impermeant ions (Cs or Na/N-methylglucamine mixtures) as K substitutes, (c) external tetraethylammonium (TEA) to block K channels, (d) internal EGTA to reduce possible current contribution from Ca-activated channels. A marked decline (rundown) of Ca conductance was observed during continual dialysis, which obscured reversible NE effects. The addition of 2-5 mM MgATP to the intracellular solutions greatly retarded Ca channel rundown and permitted a clear assessment of modulatory drug effects. The inclusion of an intracellular creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase nucleotide regeneration system further stabilized Ca channels, which permitted recording of Ca currents for up to 3 h. NE reversibly decreased both steady state Ca currents and Ca tail currents in Cs/EGTA/MgATP-dialyzed cells. A possible role of several putative intracellular second messengers in NE receptor-Ca channel coupling was investigated. Cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP added to the intracellular solutions at concentrations several orders of magnitude higher than the Kd for activation of cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases did not block or mask the expression of the NE-mediated decrease in gCa. Addition of internal EGTA to a final concentration of 10 mM also did not affect the expression of the NE response. These results suggest that neither cyclic AMP nor cyclic GMP nor Ca is acting as a second messenger coupling the NE receptor to the down-modulated Ca channel population.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forscher
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Oxford
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000494:pharmacology; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000502:physiology; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium; D009638:Norepinephrine