Ca2+- and voltage-dependent K+ conductance in dispersed parathyroid cells

Modulation of Ca2+ oscillation and melatonin secretion by BKCa channel activity in rat pinealocytes

The pineal glands regulate circadian rhythm through the synthesis and secretion of melatonin. The stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor due to parasympathetic nerve activity causes an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and eventually downregulates melatonin production. Our previous report shows that rat pinealocytes have spontaneous and nicotine-induced Ca(2+) oscillations that are evoked by membrane depolarization followed by Ca(2+) influx through voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels (VDCCs). These Ca(2+) oscillations are supposed to contribute to the inhibitory mechanism of melatonin secretion. Here we examined the involvement of large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BKCa) channel conductance on the regulation of Ca(2+) oscillation and melatonin production in rat pinealocytes. Spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations were markedly enhanced by BKCa channel blockers (1 μM paxilline or 100 nM iberiotoxin). Nicotine (100 μM)-induced Ca(2+) oscillations were also augmented by paxilline. In contrast, spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations were abolished by BKCa channel opener [3 μM 12,14-dichlorodehydroabietic acid (diCl-DHAA)]. Under whole cell voltage-clamp configurations, depolarization-elicited outward currents were significantly activated by diCl-DHAA and blocked by paxilline. Expression analyses revealed that the α and β3 subunits of BKCa channel were highly expressed in rat pinealocytes. Importantly, the activity of BKCa channels modulated melatonin secretion from whole pineal gland of the rat. Taken together, BKCa channel activation attenuates these Ca(2+) oscillations due to depolarization-synchronized Ca(2+) influx through VDCCs and results in a recovery of reduced melatonin secretion during parasympathetic nerve activity. BKCa channels may play a physiological role for melatonin production via a negative-feedback mechanism.

High extracellular Ca2+ stimulates Ca2+-activated Cl- currents in frog parathyroid cells through the mediation of arachidonic acid cascade

Elevation of extracellular Ca(2+) concentration induces intracellular Ca(2+) signaling in parathyroid cells. The response is due to stimulation of the phospholipase C/Ca(2+) pathways, but the direct mechanism responsible for the rise of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration has remained elusive. Here, we describe the electrophysiological property associated with intracellular Ca(2+) signaling in frog parathyroid cells and show that Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels are activated by intracellular Ca(2+) increase through an inositol 1,4,5-trisphophate (IP(3))-independent pathway. High extracellular Ca(2+) induced an outwardly-rectifying conductance in a dose-dependent manner (EC(50) ∼6 mM). The conductance was composed of an instantaneous time-independent component and a slowly activating time-dependent component and displayed a deactivating inward tail current. Extracellular Ca(2+)-induced and Ca(2+) dialysis-induced currents reversed at the equilibrium potential of Cl(-) and were inhibited by niflumic acid (a specific blocker of Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channel). Gramicidin-perforated whole-cell recording displayed the shift of the reversal potential in extracellular Ca(2+)-induced current, suggesting the change of intracellular Cl(-) concentration in a few minutes. Extracellular Ca(2+)-induced currents displayed a moderate dependency on guanosine triphosphate (GTP). All blockers for phospholipase C, diacylglycerol (DAG) lipase, monoacylglycerol (MAG) lipase and lipoxygenase inhibited extracellular Ca(2+)-induced current. IP(3) dialysis failed to induce conductance increase, but 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), arachidonic acid and 12S-hydroperoxy-5Z,8Z,10E,14Z-eicosatetraenoic acid (12(S)-HPETE) dialysis increased the conductance identical to extracellular Ca(2+)-induced conductance. These results indicate that high extracellular Ca(2+) raises intracellular Ca(2+) concentration through the DAG lipase/lipoxygenase pathway, resulting in the activation of Cl(-) conductance.

Biophysical properties of voltage-gated Na+ channels in frog parathyroid cells and their modulation by cannabinoids

The membrane properties of isolated frog parathyroid cells were studied using perforated and conventional whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. Frog parathyroid cells displayed transient inward currents in response to depolarizing pulses from a holding potential of -84 mV. We analyzed the biophysical properties of the inward currents. The inward currents disappeared by the replacement of external Na+ with NMDG+ and were reversibly inhibited by 3 micromol l-1 TTX, indicating that the currents occur through the TTX-sensitive voltage-gated Na+ channels. Current density elicited by a voltage step from -84 mV to -24 mV was -80 pA pF-1 in perforated mode and -55 pA pF-1 in conventional mode. Current density was decreased to -12 pA pF-1 by internal GTPgammaS (0.5 mmol l-1), but not affected by internal GDPbetaS (1 mmol l-1). The voltage of half-maximum (V1/2) activation was -46 mV in both perforated and conventional modes. V1/2 of inactivation was -80 mV in perforated mode and -86 mV in conventional mode. Internal GTPgammaS (0.5 mmol l-1) shifted the V1/2 for activation to -36 mV and for inactivation to -98 mV. A putative endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol ether (2-AG ether, 50 micromol l-1) and a cannabinomimetic aminoalkylindole, WIN 55,212-2 (10 micromol l-1) also greatly reduced the Na+ current and shifted the V1/2 for activation and inactivation. The results suggest that the Na+ currents in frog parathyroid cells can be modulated by cannabinoids via a G protein-dependent mechanism.

Inwardly rectifying K+ channels in dispersed bovine parathyroid cells

Excitation-secretion coupling in various endocrine cells is dependent on membrane voltage which is controlled by ion channels. In order to characterize and determine the functional significance of voltage-gated ion channels in the parathyroid cell, the patch clamp technique was used in cell-attached and whole cell configurations to study single channel and whole cell currents in dispersed bovine parathyroid cells. Whole cell voltage clamp recordings from dissociated bovine parathyroid cells were obtained in a physiologic solution containing (in mM): 140 NaCl, 5.4 KCI, 2 CaCl2, and 2 MgCl2. The pipette (intracellular) solution contained (in mM) 145 KAsp, 10(-5) CaCl2, and 2 MgCl2. Currents were recorded in response to 20-mV incremental changes in voltage of 300-ms duration every 3 s from -80 to +40 mV and from -40 to -140 mV. There was a small outward current recorded in response to 300-ms pulses of 20-mV increments from -80 to +40 mV. A large inward current was recorded following hyperpolarization of the parathyroid cell from -40 to -140 mV. The reversal potential for the current was -60 to -65 mV, suggesting that the majority of the current is carried by a channel that is K+ selective. Our results suggest that the whole cell currents of dispersed bovine parathyroid cells in physiologic extracellular solution include an in inwardly rectifying K+ current which is open at low intracellular calcium concentration. This inwardly rectifying K+ channel is likely to play a major role in maintaining negative membrane potential by opposing calcium-induced depolarization of the parathyroid cell and, as a result, may have an important role in regulation of PTH secretion.

Regulation of Ca(2+)-conducting currents in parathyroid cells by extracellular Ca(2+) and channel blockers

High extracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]o) produce sustained intracellular Ca2+ responses in parathyroid cells that correlate with suppression of parathyroid hormone release. Using whole cell patch clamping, we identified two types of Ca(2+)-conducting currents in these cells. Type 1 currents were enhanced by raising [Ca2+]o and blocked by Cd2+ and nifedipine, whereas type 2 currents were resistant to blockade by these agents. Both types of membrane currents were cation nonselective, voltage independent over a broad range of membrane potentials, and blocked by the trivalent ions La3+ and Gd3+ (> 98%). Cd2+, La3+, and Gd3+ had biphasic effects on membrane conductance (Gm). At submicromolar concentrations, these ions increased Gm, whereas at higher concentrations they reduced Gm. In contrast to ionic channel blockers, nifedipine had only an inhibitory effect on the Ca(2+)-conducting currents that were sensitive to changes in [Ca2+]o (dose inhibiting 50% of maximal response = approximately 3-10 x 10(-8) M). Microfluorimetric ratio-imaging analysis of single parathyroid cells loaded with fura 2 showed that Gd3+ inhibited sustained intracellular Ca2+ responses to high [Ca2+]o. These findings suggest that the Ca(2+)-conducting currents identified in these studies may play a role in regulating intracellular Ca2+ responses in this system.

Intracellular Ca2+ inactivates an outwardly rectifying K+ current in human adenomatous parathyroid cells

We have used whole-cell patch-clamp techniques to study the conductances in the plasma membranes of human parathyroid cells. With a KCl-rich pipette solution containing Ca2+ buffered to a concentration of 0.1 mumol/l, the zero current potential was -71.1 +/- 0.5 mV (n = 19) and the whole-cell current/voltage (I/V) relation had an inwardly rectifying and an outwardly rectifying component. The inwardly rectifying current activated instantaneously on hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane to potentials more negative than -80 mV, and a semi-logarithmic plot of the reversal potential of the inward current (estimated by extrapolation from the range in which it was linear) as a function of extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o) revealed a linear relation with a slope of 64 mV per decade change in [K+]o, which is not significantly different from the Nernstian slope, demonstrating that the current was carried by K+ ions. The conductance exhibited a square root dependence on [K+]o as has been observed for inward rectifiers in other tissues. The current was blocked by the presence of Ba2+ (1 mmol/l) or Cs+ (1.5 mmol/l) in the bath. The outwardly rectifying current was activated by depolarization of the membrane potential to potentials more positive than -20 mV. It was inhibited by replacement of pipette K+ with Cs+, indicating that it also was a K+ current: it was partially (42%) blocked when tetraethylammonium (TEA+, 10 mmol/l) was added to the bath.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An inwardly rectifying K+ channel in human adenomatous parathyroid cells

The ion channel populations of cells prepared from human adenomatous parathyroid glands have been investigated using standard patch-clamp techniques with pipettes containing isotonic K(+)-rich solutions. The principal channel type observed was an inwardly rectifying K+ channel of 35 pS conductance. In addition, we have frequently observed a lower conductance (12 pS) K+ channel that appeared to conduct current in both directions. In addition to these K+ channels, we have observed non-selective cation channels and possibly CI- channels. Although we have observed occasional current transitions that might have arisen from a large conductance K+ channel similar to that observed in rat and bovine parathyroid cells, we have not been able positively to identify such a channel in human parathyroid cells, either in cell-attached or in excised inside-out patches.