title: Somatic Ca2+ signaling in cerebellar Purkinje neurons.
abstract: Activity-driven Ca(2+) signaling plays an important role in a number of neuronal functions, including neuronal growth, differentiation, and plasticity. Both cytosolic and nuclear Ca(2+) has been implicated in these functions. In the current study, we investigated membrane-to-nucleus Ca(2+) signaling in cerebellar Purkinje neurons in culture to gain insight into the pathways and mechanisms that can initiate nuclear Ca(2+) signaling in this neuronal type. Purkinje neurons are known to express an abundance of Ca(2+) signaling molecules such as voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, ryanodine receptors, and IP3 receptors. Results show that membrane depolarization evoked by brief stimulation with K(+) saline elicits a prominent Ca(2+) signal in the cytosol and nucleus of the Purkinje neurons. Ca(2+) influx through P/Q- and L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels and Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR) from intracellular stores contributed to the Ca(2+) signal, which spread from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. At strong K(+) stimulations, the amplitude of the nuclear Ca(2+) signal exceeded that of the cytosolic Ca(2+) signal, suggesting the involvement of a nuclear amplification mechanism and/or differences in Ca(2+) buffering in these two cellular compartments. An enhanced nuclear Ca(2+) signal was more prominent for Ca(2+) signals elicited by membrane depolarization than for Ca(2+) signals elicited by activation of the metabotropic glutamate receptor pathway (mGluR1), which is linked to Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores controlled by the IP3 receptor.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. gruol@scripps.edu
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Gruol
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Netzeband
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064026:Calbindins; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology; D003600:Cytosol / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D064026:Calbindins; D015220:Calcium Channels; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium