Guanine nucleotides induce Ca2+-independent insulin secretion from permeabilized RINm5F cells

The role of guanine nucleotides in insulin secretion was investigated in electrically permeabilized RINm5F cells. Ca2+ stimulated insulin release (EC50 approximately 2 microM Ca2+). The GTP stable analog, GTP gamma S, elicited insulin secretion at vanishingly low Ca2+ concentrations (less than 10(-11) M), slightly potentiated the response to intermediate Ca2+ levels, but exerted less than additive effects at maximal Ca2+ concentrations. The GDP analog, GDP beta S, inhibited both GTP gamma S- and Ca2+-stimulated secretion. The action of GTP gamma S was not mediated by cAMP, as the latter only enhanced Ca2+-induced secretion. In contrast, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, an activator of protein kinase C, promoted insulin release at nonstimulatory Ca2+ levels as well as potentiating the Ca2+ response. GTP analogs stimulated hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdInsP2), as assessed by inositol phosphate generation. However, this could not fully explain guanine nucleotide-induced secretion because: GTP gamma S-stimulated PtdInsP2 breakdown was totally dependent on Ca2+ and abolished at Ca2+ below 10(-11) M; at these Ca2+ levels, activators of protein kinase C were weak or ineffective secretagogues; the GTP analog Gpp(NH)p was much less effective than GTP gamma S in activating PtdInsP2 hydrolysis, while fully mimicking the effect on Ca2+-independent secretion. Both GTP gamma S-induced PtdInsP2 hydrolysis and insulin release were insensitive to pertussis toxin and cholera toxin. The findings point to a guanine nucleotide-regulated site in the activation of insulin secretion different from the known transmembrane signalling systems.     

Extracellular ATP causes Ca2(+)-dependent and -independent insulin secretion in RINm5F cells. Phospholipase C mediates Ca2+ mobilization but not Ca2+ influx and membrane depolarization

The mechanism by which extracellular ATP stimulates insulin secretion was investigated in RINm5F cells. ATP depolarized the cells as demonstrated both by using the patch-clamp technique and a fluorescent probe. The depolarization is due to closure of ATP-sensitive K+ channels as shown directly in outside-out membrane patches. ATP also raised cytosolic Ca2+ [( Ca2+]i). At the single cell level the latency of the [Ca2+]i response was inversely related to ATP concentration. The [Ca2+]i rise is due both to inositol trisphosphate mediated Ca2+ mobilization and to Ca2+ influx. The former component, as well as inositol trisphosphate generation, were inhibited by phorbol myristate acetate which uncouples agonist receptors from phospholipase C. This manoeuvre did not block Ca2+ influx or membrane depolarization. Diazoxide, which opens ATP-sensitive K+ channels, attenuated membrane depolarization and part of the Ca2+ influx stimulated by ATP. However, the main Ca2+ influx component was unaffected by L-type channel blockers, suggesting the activation of other Ca2+ conductance pathways. ATP increased the rate of insulin secretion by more than 12-fold but the effect was transient. Prolonged exposure to EGTA dissociated the [Ca2+]i rise from ATP-induced insulin secretion, since the former was abolished and the latter only decreased by about 60%. In contrast, vasopressin-evoked insulin secretion was more sensitive to Ca2+ removal than the accompanying [Ca2+]i rise. Inhibition of phospholipase C stimulation by phorbol myristate acetate abrogated vasopressin but only reduced ATP-induced insulin secretion by 34%. These results suggest that ATP stimulates insulin release by both phospholipase C dependent and distinct mechanisms. The Ca2+)-independent component of insulin secretion points to a direct triggering of exocytosis by ATP.     

Regulation of steady-state free Ca2+ levels by the ATP/ADP ratio and orthophosphate in permeabilized RINm5F insulinoma cells

Stimulation of insulin secretion in the pancreatic beta-cell by a fuel such as glucose requires the metabolism of the fuel and is accompanied by increases in oxygen consumption and intracellular free Ca2+. A very early signal for these events could be a decrease in the cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio due to fuel phosphorylation. To test this hypothesis the regulation of free Ca2+ was evaluated in permeabilized RINm5F insulinoma cells that sequester Ca2+ and maintain a low medium free Ca2+ concentration (set point), between 100 and 200 nM, in the presence of Mg2+ and ATP. ATP, creatine, creatine phosphate, and creatine phosphokinase were added to the media to achieve various constant ratios of ATP/ADP. Free Ca2 was monitored using fura-2. The results demonstrated that the steady-state free Ca2+ concentration varied inversely with the ATP/ADP ratio and orthophosphate (Pi) levels. In contrast, no correlation between free Ca2+ and the phosphorylation potential (ATP/ADP.Pi) was found. Regulation of the Ca2+ set point by the ATP/ADP ratio was observed at ratios between 5 and 50 and at Pi concentrations between 1 and 7 mM, irrespective of whether mitochondria were participating in Ca2+ sequestration or were inhibited. Increasing the ATP/ADP ratio stimulated Ca2+ uptake by the nonmitochondrial pool but did not modify Ca2+ efflux. Glucose 6-phosphate (1 mM) had no effect on the Ca2+ set point. The data suggest that variations in the cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio induced by fuel stimuli may regulate Ca2+ cycling across nonmitochondrial compartments and the plasma membrane by modulating the activity of Ca2+ -ATPases. A mechanism linking fuel metabolism and cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio to activation of the Ca2+ messenger system in pancreatic beta-cells is proposed.     

Mechanisms of nitric-oxide-induced increase of free cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cells

In this study, we investigated a role for nitric oxide (NO) in mediating the elevation of the free cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](cyt)) in plants using Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cells expressing the Ca(2+) reporter apoaequorin. Hyperosmotic stress induced a fast increase of [Ca(2+)](cyt) which was strongly reduced by pretreating cell suspensions with the NO scavenger carboxy PTIO, indicating that NO mediates [Ca(2+)](cyt) changes in plant cells challenged by abiotic stress. Accordingly, treatment of transgenic N. plumbaginifolia cells with the NO donor diethylamine NONOate was followed by a transient increase of [Ca(2+)](cyt) sensitive to plasma membrane Ca(2+) channel inhibitors and antagonist of cyclic ADP ribose. We provided evidence that NO might activate plasma membrane Ca(2+) channels by inducing a rapid and transient plasma membrane depolarization. Furthermore, NO-induced elevation of [Ca(2+)](cyt) was suppressed by the kinase inhibitor staurosporine, suggesting that NO enhances [Ca(2+)](cyt) by promoting phosphorylation-dependent events. This result was further supported by the demonstration that the NO donor induced the activation of a 42-kDa protein kinase which belongs to SnRK2 families and corresponds to Nicotiana tabacum osmotic-stress-activated protein kinase (NtOSAK). Interestingly, NtOSAK was activated in response to hyperosmotic stress through a NO-dependent process, supporting the hypothesis that NO also promotes protein kinase activation during physiological processes.     

Inositol tetrakisphosphate isomers and elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ in vasopressin-stimulated insulin-secreting RINm5F cells.

Signal generation during the stimulation of insulin secretion by arginine vasopressin (AVP) was investigated in RINm5F cells. AVP (0.1 microM) caused a biphasic cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) rise, namely a rapid transient marked elevation after stimulation followed by a series of oscillations. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, the sustained oscillations were abolished, while the initial [Ca2+]i transient was only partly decreased, indicating that the former are due to Ca2+ influx and the latter due mainly to mobilization from internal Ca2+ stores. AVP also evoked a transient depolarization of the average membrane potential. AVP-induced Ca2+ influx during the sustained phase, which was strictly dependent on receptor occupancy, was attenuated by membrane hyperpolarization with diazoxide. However, blockade of Ca2+ channels of the L- or T-type was ineffective. AVP stimulated production of diacylglycerol and inositol phosphates; for the latter both [3H] inositol labeling and mass determinations were performed. A transient increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3 was followed by a marked enhancement of Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 (8-fold) peaking at 15 s and gradually returning to basal values. Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 and Ins(3,4,5,6)P4 exhibited the most long-lasting augmentation (4- and 1.7-fold, respectively), and therefore correlated best with the period of sustained [Ca2+]i oscillations. InsP5 and InsP6 were not elevated. The effects of AVP, including the stimulation of insulin secretion from perifused cells, were obliterated by a V1 receptor antagonist. In conclusion, AVP induces protracted [Ca2+]i elevation in RINm5F cells which is associated with long-lasting increases in InsP4 isomers. The accumulation of InsP4 isomers reflects receptor occupancy and accelerated metabolism of the inositol phosphates. Activation of second messenger-operated Ca2+ channels is not necessarily implicated because of the attenuating effect of membrane hyperpolarization.     

Vasopressin directly closes ATP-sensitive potassium channels evoking membrane depolarization and an increase in the free intracellular Ca2+ concentration in insulin-secreting cells.

The effects of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) (0.01-1 microM) on membrane potential, [Ca2+]i and ATP-sensitive potassium channels have been studied in the insulin-secreting cell line RINm5F. In whole cells, with an average spontaneous cellular transmembrane potential of -64 +/- 3 mV (n = 33) and an average basal [Ca2+]i of 102 +/- 6 nM (n = 40), AVP evoked: (i) membrane depolarization, (ii) voltage-dependent Ca2+ spike-potentials and (iii) a sharp rise in [Ca2+]i. Single-channel current events recorded from excised outside-out membrane patches show that AVP closes potassium channels that are also closed by tolbutamide (100 microM) and opened by diazoxide (100 microM). AVP acts on KATP channels specifically from the outside of the membrane and a soluble cytosolic messenger appears not to be involved, since there is no channel activation in cell-attached membrane patches when the peptide is added to the bath solution.     

Linked oscillations of free Ca2+ and the ATP/ADP ratio in permeabilized RINm5F insulinoma cells supplemented with a glycolyzing cell-free muscle extract

We show in the accompanying paper that the steady-state level of free Ca2+ maintained by the organelles of permeabilized RINm5F insulinoma cells varies inversely with the ATP/ADP ratio when this ratio is set by addition of creatine phosphokinase and fixed ratios of creatine to creatine phosphate. We, therefore, asked whether acute cyclic alterations in the cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio in the range known to modulate O2 consumption might be involved in regulating the physiological activity of Ca2+ -ATPases and the cytosolic free Ca2+ level. To explore this hypothesis we combined two experimental systems: 1) permeabilized RINm5F insulinoma cells that can maintain a low medium Ca2+ concentration and 2) a cell-free extract of rat skeletal muscle that spontaneously exhibits oscillatory behavior of glycolysis and linked oscillations in the ATP/ADP ratio, when provided with glucose. The free Ca2+ level maintained by the permeabilized cells oscillated in phase with the glycolytic oscillations and correlated closely with the ATP/ADP ratio but not with glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, orthophosphate, or pH. When glucokinase replaced hexokinase as the glucose phosphorylating enzyme, Ca2+ oscillations were induced by increasing the glucose concentration from 2 to 8 mM. The results demonstrate a link between metabolite changes and free Ca2+ levels in a reconstituted physiological system. They support a model in which oscillations in glycolysis and the ATP/ADP ratio may cause oscillations in cytosolic free Ca2+, beta-cell electrical activity, and insulin release.     

Measurements of cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration in human pancreatic islets and insulinoma cells

In human pancreatic islets an increase in the glucose concentration from 3 to 20 mM raised the free cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]i), an effect being reversible upon withdrawal of the sugar. Depolarization with a high concentration of K+ or the sulphonylurea tolbutamide also raised [Ca2+]i. Addition of extracellular ATP produced a transient rapid rise in [Ca2+]i. Oscillations in [Ca2+]i were observed in the presence of 10 mM glucose. Insulinoma cells responded to glucose and tolbutamide with increases in [Ca2+]i, whereas the sulphonamide diazoxide caused a decrease in [Ca2+]i. These findings confirm previous results obtained in rodent beta-cells.     

Fc epsilon receptor mediated Ca2+ influx into mast cells is modulated by the concentration of cytosolic free Ca2+ ions.

The relationship between the Fc epsilon receptor mediated stimulation of mast cells and the Ca2+ signal it induces were studied using thapsigargin (TG), a blocker of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump. TG induced, in mucosal mast cells (RBL-2H3 line), a dose-dependent and an InsP3-independent increase in [Ca2+]i (from resting levels of 83-150 nM to 600-680 nM), and a secretory response amounting to 30-50% of that observed upon Fc epsilon RI clustering. The TG induced rise of [Ca2+]i is most probably provided by both arrest of its uptake by the endoplasmic reticulum and influx from the medium. Thus, Ca2+ influx in mast cells may be modulated by the [Ca2+]i level.     

Potentiation of stimulus-induced insulin secretion in protein kinase C-deficient RINm5F cells.

The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in stimulus recognition and insulin secretion was investigated after long-term (24 h) treatment of RINm5F cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Three methods revealed that PKC was no longer detectable, and PMA-induced insulin secretion was abolished. Such PKC-deficient cells displayed enhanced insulin secretion (2-6-fold) in response to vasopressin and carbachol (activating phospholipase C) as well as to D-glyceraldehyde and alanine (promoting membrane depolarization and voltage-gated Ca2+ influx). Insulin release stimulated by 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (OAG) was also greater in PKC-deficient cells. OAG caused membrane depolarization and raised the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), both of which were unaffected by PKC down-regulation. Except for that caused by vasopressin, the secretagogue-induced [Ca2+]i elevations were similar in control and PKC-depleted cells. The [Ca2+]i rise evoked by vasopressin was enhanced during the early phase (observed both in cell suspensions and at the single cell level) and the stimulation of diacylglycerol production was also augmented. These findings suggest more efficient activation of phospholipase C by vasopressin after PKC depletion. Electrically permeabilized cells were used to test whether the release process is facilitated after long-term PMA treatment. PKC deficiency was associated with only slightly increased responsiveness to half-maximally (2 microM) but not to maximally stimulatory Ca2+ concentrations. At 2 microM-Ca2+ vasopressin caused secretion, which was also augmented by PMA pretreatment. The difference between intact and permeabilized cells could indicate the loss in the latter of soluble factors which mediate the enhanced secretory responses. However, changes in cyclic AMP production could not explain the difference. These results demonstrate that PKC not only exerts inhibitory influences on the coupling of receptors to phospholipase C but also interferes with more distal steps implicated in insulin secretion.     

Voltage-activation of high-conductance K+ channel in the insulin-secreting cell line RINm5F is dependent on local extracellular Ca2+ concentration

Patch-clamp single-channel current recording experiments have been carried out on intact insulin-secreting RINm5F cells. Voltage-activation of high-conductance K+ channels were studied by selectively depolarizing the electrically isolated patch membrane under conditions with normal Ca2+ concentration in the bath solution but with or without Ca2+ in the patch pipette solution. When Ca2+ was present in the pipette, 40 mV to 120 mV depolarizing pulses (100 ms) from the normal resting potential (-70 mV) regularly evoked tetraethylammonium-sensitive large outward single-channel currents and the average open state probability during the pulses varied from about 0.015 (40 mV pulses) to 0.1 (120 mV pulses). In the absence of Ca2+ in the pipette solution the same protocol resulted in fewer and shorter K+ channel openings and the open-state probability varied from about 0.0015 (40 mV pulses) to about 0.03 (120 mV pulses). It is concluded that Ca2+ entering voltage-gated channels raises [Ca2+]i locally and thereby markedly enhances the open-state probability of tetraethylammonium-sensitive voltage-gated high-conductance K+ channels.     

Octanoate increases cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and membrane conductance in ovine pancreatic acinar cells

 In order to investigate the cellular mechanisms involved in amylase release in response to stimulation with short-chain fatty acids, changes in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i), membrane current and amylase release were measured in pancreatic acinar cells of sheep. Both octanoate and acetylcholine raised [Ca²⁺]_i in acinar cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The rise in [Ca²⁺]_i in response to the stimulation with octanoate (10 mmol ⋅ l^-1) was reduced in a medium without CaCl₂, but was markedly enhanced by reintroduction of CaCl₂ into the medium up to 2.56 mmol ⋅ l^-1. Perfusion of the cells with a medium containing octanoate (5 mmol ⋅ l^-1) or acetylcholine (0.5 μmol ⋅ l^-1) immediately raised inward current across the cell membrane at a holding-membrane potential of −30 mV. The inward current became greater as the holding potential became more negative. The equilibrium potential was 1.8 mV and 3.9 mV for octanoate and acetylcholine, respectively, being consistent with that for Cl^-. Although intracellular application of octanoate through a patch-clamp pipette also raised inward current after several minutes in some cells (4 out of 12), this possibility was significantly smaller than that for extracellular application. In other cells, even though the intracellular application of octanoate did not cause an increase in current, it always caused responses immediately after introduction of the fatty acid into the medium. Stimulation with fatty acid as well as acetylcholine raised amylase release in a concentration-dependent manner in cells dispersed from tissue segments with crude collagenase and trypsin inhibitor. Without trypsin inhibitor, crude collagenase significantly and selectively reduced the octanoate (10 mmol ⋅ l^-1)-induced amylase release. Dispersion with crude collagenase and trypsin significantly reduced both responses induced by octanoate and acetylcholine (5.5 μmol ⋅ l^-1). We conclude that fatty acids and acetylcholine increase [Ca²⁺]_i, which consequently evokes a rise in transmembrane ion (Cl^-) conductance and amylase release, and that trypsin-sensitive protein(s) in the cell membrane are involved in secretory processes activated by stimulation with fatty acids in ovine pancreatic acinar cells. Accepted: 14 May 1996     

Erythrocyte cytosolic free Ca2+ and plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase activity in cystic fibrosis

The properties of the Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase of erythrocyte membranes from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) were extensively compared to that of healthy controls. Following removal of an endogenous membrane inhibitor of the ATPase, activation of the enzyme by Ca2+, calmodulin, limited tryptic digestion or oleic acid, as well as inhibition by trifluoperazine, were studied. The only properties found to be significantly different (CF cells vs controls) were calmodulin-stimulated peak activity (90 vs 101, P less than 0.02) and trypsin-activated peak activity (92 vs 102, P less than 0.02). No significant difference could be measured in the steady-state Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of CF and control erythrocyte membranes indicating similar numbers of enzyme molecules per cell. The functional state of Ca2+ homeostasis in intact erythrocytes was investigated by measuring the resting cytosolic free Ca2+ levels using quin-2. Both CF and control erythrocytes maintained cytosolic free Ca2+ between 20 to 30 nM. Addition of 50 uM trifluoperazine resulted in an increase in erythrocyte cytosolic free Ca2+ to about 50 nM in both CF and control cells. Estimates of erythrocyte membrane permeability using the steady-state uptake of 45Ca into intact erythrocytes revealed no differences between CF and control cells. These results confirm that there is a small decrease in the calmodulin-stimulated activity of the erythrocyte Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase in CF. However, this deficit is apparently not large enough to impair the ability of the CF erythrocyte to maintain normal resting levels of cytosolic free Ca2+.     

Antimicrobial and immunostimulatory peptide,KLK, induces an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration by mobilizing Ca2+ from intracellular stores

The cationic antimicrobial immunomodulatory peptide, KLK (KLKL₅KLK), exerts profound membrane interacting properties, impacting on ultrastructure and fluidity. KLK–membrane interactions that lead to these alterations require the ability of the peptide to move into an α‐helical conformation. We show that KLK induces an increase of the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration in human T24 cells. The effect of KLK is buffer‐sensitive, as it is detected when HBSS buffer is used, but not with PBS. This, together with the lack of effect of the middle leucine‐to‐proline‐substituted peptide derivative [KPK (KLKLLPLLKLK)], indicates that it is the conformational propensity rather than the net positive charge that contributes to the effect of KLK on intracellular Ca²⁺ level of T24 cells. We show that, although KLK slightly stimulates Ca²⁺ influx into the cell, the bulk increase of Ca²⁺ levels is due to KLK‐induced depletion of intracellular Ca²⁺ stores. Finally, we demonstrate a KLK‐induced switch of PS (phosphatidylserine) from the inner to the outer plasma membrane leaflet that contributes to the onset of early apoptotic changes in these cells.     

Effects of Ca2+ agonist and antagonists on cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration: studies on Ca2+ channels in rat parotid cells

1. Effects of Ca2+ agonist and antagonists on cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]i)were studied using quin2. 2. Nicardipine (NIC), diltiazem (DIL) and verapamil (VER) had no effect on the rise in [Ca2+]i evoked by carbachol. Methoxamine-elevated [Ca2+]i was inhibited by VER but not by NIC and DIL. 3. All Ca2+ antagonists tested produced a decline of [Ca2+]i elevated by isoproterenol to the resting level. 4. The addition of 30 mM K+ gradually elevated [Ca2+]i in normal and Ca2+-free media, but it did not increase 45Ca2+ uptake into cells. BAY K 8644 did not increase [Ca2+]i. 5. We suggest that voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels are lacking and that at least 2 distinct receptor-operated Ca2+ channels exist in rat parotid cells.