ATP and G proteins affect the runup of the Ca²⁺ current in bovine chromaffin cells

Abstract

The Ca²⁺ current recorded by the whole-cell technique in chromaffin cells shows, before the often described rundown, a transient facilitation or runup. Initial current amplitude was 570±165 pA and then it increased by 49±23% (n=19, SD) over 2±1 min in the absence of adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP). In the presence of ATP, this process occurred with the same magnitude but it was slowed in a dose-dependent manner, lasting 17±2 min with 2 mM ATP (n=8). Since adenosine 5′-diphosphate (ADP) does not reproduce this ATP effect, a complex series of phosphorylations is likely to intervene and we show that, at least, a cAMP-dependent i.e., cyclic adenosine monophosphate) phosphorylation occurs. Pertussis toxin (PTX) pretreatment yielded an already maximal Ca²⁺ current (around 1000 pA) at the time of the patch rupture, which only slightly increased thereafter (10%, n=11). Also, guanosine 5’-diphosphate (GDP) and guanosine 5′-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP[βs]), induced a fast runup, which was absent in the presence of GTP. Furthermore, we show that facilitation does not occur in the presence of dihydrophyridine (DHP) antagonists. Globally, our data suggest that an ATP-dependent phosphorylation stabilizes the inhibitory control exerted by a PTX-sensitive G protein and, as a result, slows down the facilitation of L-type Ca²⁺ channels. The recruitment of L-type channels can also be facilitated by the application of a DHP agonist or a depolarizing prepulse protocol. We show that these processes are only effective over a period which parallels the runup and are not additive to it. This suggests that a single process may underlie these various types of facilitation.