guanosine-triphosphate and arachidonic-acid-5-hydroperoxide

Fatty acids play an important role in a variety of physiological processes including ion channel modulation and catecholamine release. Using patch-clamp techniques we show that arachidonic acid (AA) is converted to lipoxygenase metabolites (LOMs) to potentiate activity of the Ca2+ and voltage-dependent, large-conductance K+ channel (BK) in bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells (BAMCCs). AA and LOM potentiation of BK current and recovery from potentiation were unaffected by the nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue AMP-PNP, or by exclusion of nucleotides in excised patch recordings. Also, AA and LOM potentiation of BK channel activity in outside-out patches exposed to strong Ca2+ buffering ruled out cytoplasmic messengers or changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels as causative factors. Lipoxygenase inhibitor attenuated AA, but not LOM potentiation of BK activity in outside-out patches, indicating that lipoxygenase processing of AA is possible in excised membrane patches, possibly via a membrane associated lipoxygenase. AA and LOM release have been implicated in the mechanics of catecholamine secretion from BAMCCs. By limiting action potential duration and thus voltage-gated Ca2+ influx, fatty acid potentiation of BK current may serve an inhibitory feedback function in regulating secretion from BAMCCs.

Topics: Adenosine Triphosphate; Adrenal Medulla; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Calcium; Cattle; Cells, Cultured; Chromaffin Cells; Drug Synergism; Guanosine Triphosphate; Leukotrienes; Lipoxygenase; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Potassium Channels

Intracellular loading of nonhydrolyzable GTP analogs into innervated muscle cells in Xenopus cultures led to a marked increase in the frequency of spontaneous synaptic currents (SSCs), while extracellular application of the drugs at the same concentration was without effect. The increase in SSC frequency appeared to be unrelated to changes in the muscle membrane sensitivity toward acetylcholine (ACh), but resulted from an elevated spontaneous ACh secretion from the presynaptic nerve terminal. Postsynaptic loading of arachidonic acid (AA) produced a similar effect as the GTP analogs, and the potentiation effect of both GTP analogs and AA was reversed by an inhibitor of AA metabolism, AA861. Further studies indicate that a lipoxygenase metabolite, 5-HPETE, appears to be a likely candidate for the retrograde factor involved in modulating ACh secretion. These results suggest that G protein activation of the AA cascade in the postsynaptic cell could produce a retrograde signal to modulate transmitter secretion from the presynaptic nerve terminal at developing synapses.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Animals; Arachidonic Acid; Benzoquinones; Cyclic AMP; Diglycerides; Electric Conductivity; Embryo, Nonmammalian; Guanosine Triphosphate; Leukotrienes; Neuromuscular Junction; Organ Culture Techniques; Synapses; Xenopus