Q-type Ca2+ channels are located closer to secretory sites than L-type channels: functional evidence in chromaffin cells.

This study uses a new strategy to investigate the hypothesis that, of the various Ca2+ channels expressed by a neurosecretory cell, a given channel subtype is coupled more tightly to the exocytotic apparatus than others. The approach is based on the prediction that the degree of inhibition of the secretory response by various Ca2+ channel blockers will differ at low (0.5 mM) and high (5 mM) extracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]o).

'Wide-spectrum Ca2+ channel antagonists': lipophilicity, inhibition, and recovery of secretion in chromaffin cells.

Repetitive application of short depolarizing K+ pulses (70 mM K+, 2 mM Ca2+ Krebs-HEPES solution, for 10 s every 5 min) produced reproducible catecholamine secretory responses from superfused bovine chromaffin cells. At 10 microM for 15 min, the piperazine derivatives dotarizine, flunarizine and lidoflazine inhibited secretion by around 90%; cinnarizine halved the secretory response. Recovery of secretion after 30-min washout with Krebs-HEPES solution amounted to 75% in the case of dotarizine, 8% for flunarizine, 46% for lidoflazine and 21% for cinnarizine.

Otilonium: a potent blocker of neuronal nicotinic ACh receptors in bovine chromaffin cells.

1. Otilonium, a clinically useful spasmolytic, behaves as a potent blocker of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) as well as a mild wide-spectrum Ca2+ channel blocker in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. 2.

Density of apamin-sensitive Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels in bovine chromaffin cells: relevance to secretion.

Three objectives were defined when planning this study: (i) to identify binding sites for [125I]-apamin in intact bovine adrenal medulla chromaffin cells and to estimate their density and selectivity; (ii) to determine whether apamin modified the release of catecholamines evoked by brief pulses of dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP, 1 or 5 microM for 10 sec), histamine (10 microM for 10 sec) or high K+ (20, 35 or 70 mM for 10 sec) applied to superfused cells; and (iii) to test whether apamin affected the profiles of the changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations [Ca2+]i obtained in suspensions of cells loaded with fura-2 and stimulated with DMPP or histamine. At equilibrium, increasing concentrations of [125I]-apamin gave a saturation curve whose Scatchard transformation produced a Kd of 132 pM and a Bmax of 0.72 fmol/10(6) cells.

Q- and L-type Ca2+ channels dominate the control of secretion in bovine chromaffin cells.

Potassium-stimulated catecholamine release from superfused bovine adrenal chromaffin cells (70 mM K+ in the presence of 2 mM Ca2+ for 10 s, applied at 5-min intervals) was inhibited by the dihydropyridine furnidipine (3 microM) by 50%. omega-Conotoxin MVIIC (CTx-MVIIC, 3 microM) also reduced the secretory response by about half. Combined CTx-MVIIC plus furnidipine blocked 100% catecholamine release.