title: Vasoactive intestinal peptide elevates pinealocyte intracellular calcium concentrations by enhancing influx: evidence for involvement of a cyclic GMP-dependent mechanism.
abstract: Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor density is high in the pineal gland, which receives VIP innervation and responds to VIP with a relatively small increase in cAMP and cGMP levels. In the present study, we show that VIP (5-200 nM) treatment increased the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in 64% of isolated individual pinealocytes; in comparison, norepinephrine (NE) elevated [Ca2+]i in 93% of the cells and produced more robust responses. Analysis of the role of second messengers indicated that [Ca2+]i was strongly elevated by cGMP analogs, but not by cAMP analogs. The nitric oxide-releasing agent S-nitro-N-acetylpenicillamine and 2,2-diethyl-1-nitroxyhydraxine also elevated [Ca2+]i. Investigation of the mechanisms revealed that responses to VIP or 8-bromo-cGMP involved Ca2+ influx, as did the plateau component of the response to NE; the large rapid component of the response to NE, however, appeared to reflect release from intracellular stores. Pharmacological studies indicated that the VIP-induced Ca2+ influx was mediated by a retinal rod-type cyclic nucleotidegated cation channel, expression of which was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. These observations indicate that fundamentally different mechanisms generate the responses to NE and VIP. The dominant effect of VIP causing transient elevation of [Ca2+]i appears to be through cGMP gating aI-cis-diltiazem-sensitive rod-type cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel. In contrast, the dominant effect of NE on [Ca2+]i is due to enhanced Ca2+ release from intracellular stores; the plateau component is due to influx through aI-cis-diltiazem-insensitive channel.
authors.affiliation: Section on Neuroendocrinology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Schaad
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanecek
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holtzclaw
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004110:Diltiazem / Q000494:pharmacology; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017136:Ion Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic / Q000819:agonists; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D018005:Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D026423:S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018005:Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; C016276:8-bromocyclic GMP; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D026423:S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; D004110:Diltiazem; D010396:Penicillamine; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D002118:Calcium; D009638:Norepinephrine