omega-agatoxin-iva and phorbol-12-13-diacetate

To investigate the mechanisms by which phorbol esters potentiate transmitter release from mossy fibre terminals we used fura dextran to measure the intraterminal Ca2+ concentration in mouse hippocampal slices. A phorbol ester, phorbol 12,13-diacetate (PDAc), potentiated the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) slope. PDAc also enhanced the stimulation-dependent increase of [Ca2+]i in the mossy fibre terminal (Delta[Ca2+]pre). The magnitude of the PDAc-induced fEPSP potentiation (463+/-57% at 10 microM) was larger than that expected from the enhancement of Delta[Ca2+]pre (153+/-5%). The Delta[Ca2+]pre was suppressed by omega-agatoxin IVA (omega-AgTxIVA, 200 nM), a P/Q-type Ca2+ channel-specific blocker, by 31%. The effect of PDAc did not select between omega-AgTxIVA-sensitive and -resistant components. The PDAc-induced potentiation of the fEPSP slope was partially antagonized by the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I (BIS-I, 10 microM), whereas the Delta[Ca2+]pre was completely blocked by BIS-I. Although the BIS-I-sensitive fEPSP potentiation was accompanied by a reduction of the paired-pulse ratio (PPR), the BIS-I-resistant component was not. Whole-cell patch clamp recording from a CA3 pyramidal neuron in a BIS-I-treated slice demonstrated that PDAc (10 microM) increased the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs, 259+/-33% of control) without a noticeable change in their amplitude (102+/-5% of control). These results suggest that PKC potentiates transmitter release by at least two distinct mechanisms, one Delta[Ca2+]pre dependent and the other Delta[Ca2+]pre independent. In addition, some phorbol ester-mediated potentiation of synaptic transmission appears to occur without activating PKC.

Topics: Action Potentials; Animals; Calcium; Calcium Channel Blockers; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; In Vitro Techniques; Indoles; Maleimides; Mice; Mossy Fibers, Hippocampal; Nerve Endings; Neurotransmitter Agents; omega-Agatoxin IVA; omega-Conotoxin GVIA; Osmolar Concentration; Phorbol Esters; Protein Kinase C; Pyramidal Cells

Protein kinase C (PKC) is present abundantly in the mammalian central nervous system, and is involved in a variety of neuronal functions. Phorbol esters mimic the role of diacylglycerol, the physiological activator of PKC. We examined effects of phorbol 12,13-diacetate (PDAc) on excitatory synaptic transmission in neurons in the dentate granule cell layer of rat hippocampal slices using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked by stimulation of the perforant path (pp) consisted of AMPA and NMDA receptor-mediated components. The application of PDAc potentiated both components of the EPSC, but the effect was more pronounced on the NMDA component. The potentiating effect of PDAc on the NMDA component was dependent on the membrane potential, being most prominent at - 31 and -51 mV. Omega-agatoxin-IVA, a P-type Ca2+ channel blocker, suppressed both AMPA and NMDA components to a similar extent by reducing transmitter release. However, when the PDAc-potentiated AMPA component was reduced to the control level by applying omega-agatoxin-IVA, a substantial potentiation on the NMDA component remained. These results suggest that the potentiation of the NMDA component of the EPSC by PDAc is caused partly by a postsynaptic mechanism in the dentate neurons.

Topics: Animals; Calcium Channel Blockers; Dentate Gyrus; Electric Conductivity; Hippocampus; In Vitro Techniques; Neurons; omega-Agatoxin IVA; Phorbol Esters; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, AMPA; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Spider Venoms; Synapses