title: Bovine subcommissural organ displays spontaneous and synchronous intracellular calcium oscillations.
abstract: The subcommissural organ (SCO) is an ependymal brain gland that secretes into the cerebrospinal fluid glycoproteins that polymerize, forming Reissner's fiber (RF). The SCO-RF complex seems to be involved in vertebrate nervous system development, although its role in adults is unknown. Furthermore, its physiology is still greatly undetermined, and little is known about the release control of SCO secretion and the underlying intracellular mechanisms. In this report, we show that up to 90% of 3-5-day-old in vitro SCO cells from both intact and partially-dispersed SCO explants displayed spontaneous cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations. The putative role of these spontaneous calcium oscillations in SCO secretory activity is discussed taking into consideration several previous findings. Two distinct subpopulations of SCO cells were detected, each one containing cells with synchronized calcium oscillations. A possible existence of different functional domains in SCO is therefore discussed. Oscillations persisted in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, indicating the major involvement of Ca2+ released from internal stores. Depolarization failed to induce intracellular calcium increases, although it disturbed the oscillation frequency, suggesting a putative modulator role of depolarizing agonists on the calcium oscillating pattern through voltage-gated calcium channels. Carbachol, a cholinergic agonist, evoked a switch in Ca2+ signaling from a calcium oscillating mode to a sustained and increased intracellular Ca2+ mode in 30% of measured cells, suggesting the involvement of acetylcholine in SCO activity, via a calcium-mediated response.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: F Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bermúdez-Silva
authors.forename: Trinidad
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: León-Quinto
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: Bernat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Soria
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nadal
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández-Llebrez
mesh_terms: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D013351:Subcommissural Organ / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014966:Xanthenes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D002614:Chelating Agents; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007211:Indoles; D014966:Xanthenes; C059715:Fluo-3; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D002217:Carbachol; C048960:indo-1; D002118:Calcium