title: Facilitation of L-type calcium current in thalamic neurons.
abstract: We have studied facilitation of the L-type calcium current in neurons acutely isolated from the ventrobasal nucleus of the rat thalamus. Currents were recorded after pretreatment with 1 microM omega-conotoxin GVIA and 5 microM omega-conotoxin MVIIC, to better isolate L-current. Long, strong depolarizations induced slow tail currents at negative voltages, but did not affect currents at voltages where channels were strongly activated. The initial peak tail current was not measurably increased. The time course of recovery from facilitation paralleled the time course of the tail current, indicating that facilitation does not outlast channel closing. The kinase inhibitors staurosporine and H-7 and the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid had no significant effect on L-current facilitation compared with control, but facilitation was greater with H-7 than with okadaic acid. The guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) analogs GTP-gamma-S and GDP-beta-S did not affect facilitation. We conclude that L-current facilitation in thalamic neurons does not result from Ser/Thr phosphorylation, although phosphorylation may modulate facilitation. This form of facilitation differs kinetically and pharmacologically from facilitation induced by activation of G protein-coupled receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kammermeier
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate) / Q000494:pharmacology; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019319:Okadaic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D019311:Staurosporine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D013873:Thionucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA; D020960:omega-Conotoxins
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010455:Peptides; D013873:Thionucleotides; D020960:omega-Conotoxins; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate; C075851:omega-conotoxin-MVIIC; D019319:Okadaic Acid; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate); C023427:guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate); D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D019311:Staurosporine