Expression and function of the extracellular calcium-sensing receptor in pancreatic beta-cells

The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) was first identified in tissues involved in systemic Ca2+ homeostasis, where it acts to sense changes in circulating Ca2+. It has since been reported that the CaR is expressed in many tissues that are not associated with Ca2+ homeostasis, including the endocrine cells in pancreatic islets of Langerhans. In the present study we have used an insulin-secreting pancreatic beta-cell line (MIN6) to investigate the expression and function of CaR, using the calcimimetic A568, a CaR agonist that activates the CaR at physiological concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o). Immunocytochemistry, Western blotting and RT-PCR confirmed the expression of CaR in MIN6 cells. CaR activation was associated with rapid and transient increases in [Ca2+]o, which were accompanied by the initiation of a marked but transient insulin secretory response. Stimulation of beta-cell secretory activity had no detectable effect on CaR mRNA levels, but CaR mRNA was markedly reduced by configuring MIN6 cells into islet- like structures. Our data are consistent with an important function for the beta-cell CaR in cell - cell communication within islets to co-ordinate insulin secretory responses.     

Increased cytosolic calcium in cystic fibrosis neutrophils effect on stimulus-secretion coupling

A disorder of calcium homeostasis has been related to the pathogenesis of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The Authors have studied the relationship between the cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i), the amount of Ca2+ released from endogenous stores and the secretory response in CF neutrophils. Significantly elevated resting [Ca2+]i and depressed Ca2+ release induced by the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP) is present in CF neutrophils. In the absence of exogenous Ca2+ the secretory response of CF neutrophils after a weak stimulus such as Cytochalasin B (CB) is greater than in normal neutrophils, while a depressed secretion of azurophilic granules is evident in CF neutrophils stimulated by CB + FMLP. The data confirm the hypothesis of an altered Ca2+ homeostasis in CF cells. Cystic Fibrosis (CF), an autosomal recessive exocrinopathy, is characterized by secretory abnormalities and ion transport dysfunctions (for review see 1,2). Since intracellular Ca2+ seems to play a role in stimulus-secretion coupling and ion movements, several aspects of Ca2+ homeostasis have been investigated in CF. The total Ca2+ content has been reported to be increased in fibroblast cultures and in lymphocytes (3,4,5) and mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake was found elevated in fibroblast cultures (6). An elevated free cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) has been recently reported in buccal epithelial cells (7), while normal concentration has been found in lymphocytes and Epstein Barr virus transformed lymphoblasts (5,8). The present paper shows the results of a study in human neutrophils, a cell whose several functions such as secretion, movement and respiratory burst are in some way regulated by Ca2+. The data report that in neutrophils of CF patients the resting [Ca2+]i is higher and the secretory response is partly modified.     

Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate stimulates secretion of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone from permeabilized cells of the intermediate lobe of the rat pituitary gland

The effect of Mg-ATP and cyclic AMP on the secretion of alpha-melanocyto-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) from electrically permeabilized cells of rat intermediate lobe (IL) were investigated. Addition of exogenous Ca2+ stimulated alpha-MSH secretion in a concentration- (EC50 = 4.8 microM) and temperature-dependent manner. This Ca2+-evoked secretion was further enhanced by Mg-ATP and cyclic AMP. Mg-ATP was required for the fully secretory response in the electrically permeabilized IL cells and the maximal secretion was reached at 1 mM. Cyclic AMP in the presence of GTP gamma S also potentiated Ca2+-evoked alpha-MSH secretion to the same magnitude as Mg-ATP. In the absence of Ca2+ both the cyclic AMP and Mg-ATP did not stimulate alpha-MSH secretion from IL cells. The data suggest that Mg-ATP and cyclic AMP may modulate directly the secretory components rather than change intracellular concentration of free Ca2+.     

Effects of glucose on 45Ca2+ outflow, cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and insulin release from freshly isolated and cultured adult rat islets

The present study aimed at comparing the effects of glucose on ionic and secretory events in freshly isolated and 5-7 day cultured rat pancreatic islets. The capacity of glucose to provoke insulin release was severely reduced in islets maintained in culture. Whether in freshly isolated or cultured islets, glucose provoked a marked and sustained decrease in 45Ca2+ outflow from islets deprived of extracellular Ca2+. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+ throughout, the magnitude of the glucose-induced secondary rise in 45Ca2+ outflow was reduced in cultured islets. Glucose provoked a weaker increase in [Ca2+]i in islet cells obtained from cultured islets than in islet cells dissociated from freshly isolated pancreatic islets. On the other hand, the stimulatory effect of carbamylcholine on 45Ca2+ outflow was unaffected by tissue culture. Lastly, in islet cells obtained from cultured islets, the increase in [Ca2+]i evoked by K+ depolarization averaged half of that observed in control experiments. These results indicate that the reduced secretory potential of glucose in cultured pancreatic islets can be ascribed to the inability of the nutrient secretagogue to provoke a suitable increase in Ca2+ influx.     

Stoichiometry of GTP hydrolysis in a poly(U)-dependent cell-free translation system. Determination of GTP/peptide bond ratios during codon-specific elongation and misreading

Pancreatic secretory factor (PSF), a 17.5-kDa protein purified from the venom of Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), stimulated amylase secretion from dispersed rat pancreatic acini more efficiently than CCK-8, bombesin, carbachol and secretin, and without increasing 45Ca2+ efflux and cyclic AMP levels. The secretory action was dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium and was additive to the secretion induced by agents acting via cyclic AMP or via Ca2+ efflux.     

Hypothyroidism does not affect the dihydropyridine sensitivity of precontracted murine uterus

Thyroid hormones are known to influence various processes of cell differentiation. Recently, it was reported that hypothyroidism reduces the sensitivity to Ca2+-channel antagonists in the rat uterus. We examined the sensitivity to dihydropyridines of the uterus from mice that had reduced thyroid hormone levels. Isradipine relaxed with the same potency precontracted uterine muscle strips from control and hypothyroid mice, independently from a pseudo-pregnant state. These results demonstrate that hypothyroidism does not change dihydropyridine sensitivity (i.e., the pattern of Ca2+-channel expression) in the murine uterus.     

Insulin release and protein phosphorylation: possible role of calmodulin

Both Ca2+ and cyclic AMP (cAMP) are implicated in the regulation of insulin release in the pancreatic beta cell. In hamster insulinoma cells used in our laboratory to study the mechanism of insulin release, Ca2+ and cAMP trigger secretion independently. Concomitant with stimulation of the secretory apparatus both cAMP and Ca2+ promote phosphorylation of distinct insulinoma cell proteins. Calmodulin may be involved in the stimulation of insulin release and protein phosphorylation induced by Ca2+ influx. The Ca2+-dependent protein kinase of the insulinoma cell is activated by exogenous calmodulin and blocked by trifluoperazine, and inhibitor of calmodulin action. This drug also inhibits glucose-induced insulin release in pancreatic islets. In insulinoma cells trifluoperazine blocks Ca2+ influx-mediated insulin release and protein phosphorylation with no effect on basal or cAMP-mediated insulin release and protein phosphorylation with no effect on basal or cAMP-mediated secretion. Inhibition of Ca2+ influx-mediated insulin release and protein phosphorylation occurs with nearly identical dose dependence. Inasmuch as trifluoperazine affects voltage-dependent Ca2+ uptake in insulinoma cells, an involvement of calmodulin cannot be directly inferred. The evidence suggests that protein phosphorylation may be involved in the activation of the secretory apparatus by both cAMP and Ca2+. It is proposed that stimulation of insulin release by cAMP and Ca2+ is mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, respectively.     

Effect of hypothyroidism on the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration in rat hepatocytes during rest and following stimulation by noradrenaline or vasopressin

The mean resting concentration of cytosolic free Ca2+ [( Ca2+]i) in parenchymal liver cells, as determined with the intracellular Ca2+ indicator quin2, was lowered by about 30% in hypothyroidism (0.17 microM vs. 0.27 microM in normal cells). The [Ca2+]i level in hypothyroid cells at 10 s following stimulation by noradrenaline (1 microM) was about 64% lower than in normal cells (0.33 microM vs. 1.0 microM). The response to noradrenaline in hypothyroid cells was slower in onset (significant at 5 s vs. 3 s in euthyroid cells), and the maximum of the initial [Ca2+]i increase was reached later (14 s vs. 8 s in normal cells). In hypothyroid hepatocytes the initial increase was followed by a slow but prolonged secondary increase in [Ca2+]i. With vasopressin similar results were found. Chelation of extracellular Ca2+ with EGTA immediately prior to stimulation had no effect on the initial [Ca2+]i increase. Treatment with T3 in vivo (0.5 micrograms/100 g body weight daily during 3 days) completely restored the basal and stimulated [Ca2+]i in hypothyroid cells. The half-maximally effective dose of noradrenaline was the same in euthyroid and hypothyroid liver cells (1.8 X 10(-7) M). Hypothyroidism had no significant effect on the number of alpha 1-receptors determined by [3H]prazosin labeling in crude homogenate fractions, while the Kd for [3H]prazosin was 21% lower than in the euthyroid group. These results show that thyroid hormone has a general stimulating effect on intracellular Ca2+ mobilization by Ca2+-mobilizing hormones, probably at a site distal to the binding of the agonist to its receptor. The results also support our idea that thyroid hormone may control metabolism during rest and activation, at least partially, by altering Ca2+ homeostasis.     

Dephosphorylation of beta2-syntrophin and Ca2+/mu-calpain-mediated cleavage of ICA512 upon stimulation of insulin secretion

Islet cell autoantigen (ICA) 512 is a receptor-tyrosine phosphatase-like protein associated with the secretory granules of neuroendocrine cells, including pancreatic beta-cells. Binding of its cytoplasmic tail to beta2-syntrophin suggests that ICA512 connects secretory granules to the utrophin complex and the actin cytoskeleton. Here we show that stimulation of insulin secretion from INS-1 cells triggers the biosynthesis of pro-ICA512 and the degradation of its mature form. Inhibition of calpain, which is activated upon stimulation of insulin secretion, prevents the Ca2+-dependent proteolysis of ICA512. In vitro mu-calpain cleaves ICA512 between a putative PEST domain and the beta2-syntrophin binding site, whereas binding of ICA512 to beta2-syntrophin protects the former from cleavage. beta2-syntrophin and its F-actin-binding protein utrophin are enriched in subcellular fractions containing secretory granules. ICA512 preferentially binds phospho-beta2-syntrophin and stimulation of insulin secretion induces the Ca2+-dependent, okadaic acid-sensitive dephosphorylation of beta2-syntrophin. Similarly to calpeptin, okadaic acid inhibits ICA512 proteolysis and insulin secretion. Thus, stimulation of insulin secretion might promote the mobilization of secretory granules by inducing the dissociation of ICA512 from beta2-syntrophin-utrophin complexes and the cleavage of the ICA512 cytoplasmic tail by mu-calpain.     

Regulation of hormone secretion and cytosolic Ca2+ by extracellular Ca2+ in parathyroid cells and C-cells: role of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels

The two dihydropyridine enantiomers, (+)202-791 and (-)202-791, that act as voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel agonist and antagonist, respectively, were examined for effects on cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) and on hormones secretion in dispersed bovine parathyroid cells and a rat medullary thyroid carcinoma (rMTC) cell line. In both cell types, small increases in the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ evoked transient followed by sustained increases in [Ca2+]i, as measured with fura-2. Increases in [Ca2+]i obtained by raised extracellular Ca2+ were associated with a stimulation of secretion of calcitonin (CT) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in rMTC cells, but an inhibition of secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in parathyroid cells. The Ca2+ channel agonist (+)202-791 stimulated whereas the antagonist (-)202-791 inhibited both transient and sustained increases in [Ca2+]i induced by extracellular Ca2+ in rMTC cells. Secretion of CT and CGRP was correspondingly enhanced and depressed by (+)202-791 and (-)202-791, respectively. In contrast, neither the agonist nor the antagonist affected [Ca2+]i and PTH secretion in parathyroid cells. Depolarizing concentrations of extracellular K+ increased [Ca2+]i and hormone secretion in rMTC cells and both these responses were potentiated or inhibited by the Ca2+ channel agonist or antagonist, respectively. The results suggest a major role of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ influx in the regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ and hormones secretion in rMTC cells. Parathyroid cells, on the other hand, appear to lack voltage-sensitive Ca2+ influx pathways and regulate PTH secretion by some alternative mechanism.     

Spatial organization of Ca(2+) entry and exocytosis in mouse pancreatic beta-cells

Secretion from single pancreatic beta-cells was imaged using a novel technique in which Zn(2+), costored in secretory granules with insulin, was detected by confocal fluorescence microscopy as it was released from the cells. Using this technique, it was observed that secretion from beta-cells was limited to an active region that comprised approximately 50% of the cell perimeter. Using ratiometric imaging with indo-1, localized increases in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) evoked by membrane depolarization were also observed. Using sequential measurements of secretion and [Ca(2+)](i) at single cells, colocalization of exocytotic release sites and Ca(2+) entry was observed when cells were stimulated by glucose or K(+). Treatment of cells with the Ca(2+) ionophore 4-Br-A23187 induced large Ca(2+) influx around the entire cell circumference. Despite the nonlocalized increase in [Ca(2+)](i), secretion evoked by 4-Br-A23187 was still localized to the same region as that evoked by secretagogues such as glucose. It is concluded that Ca(2+) channels activated by depolarization are localized to specific membrane domains where exocytotic release also occurs; however, localized secretion is not exclusively regulated by localized increases in [Ca(2+)](i), but instead involves spatial localization of other components of the exocytotic machinery.     

Manipulating thyroid status alters endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis in rat cerebellum

Thyroid-related hormones regulate the efficiency and expression of sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPases in cardiac and skeletal muscle. However, little is known about the relationship between thyroid hormones and calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis in the brain. It is hypothesized that manipulating rat thyroid hormone levels would induce significant brain Ca2+ adaptations consistent with clinical findings. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of three treatment groups for 28 days: control, hypothyroid (6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU), an inhibitor of thyroxine (T4) synthesis), and hyperthyroid (T4). Throughout, rats were given weekly behavioral tests. Ca2+ accumulation decreased in the cerebellum in both hyper- and hypothyroid animals. This was specific to different ER pools of calcium with regional heterogeneity in the response to thyroid hormone manipulation. Behavioral tasks demonstrated sensitivity to thyroid manipulation, and corresponded to alterations in calcium homeostasis. Ca2+ accumulation heterogeneity in chronic hyper- and hypothyroid animals potentially explains clinical manifestations of altered thyroid status.     

Role of Thapsigargin-Sensitive Intracellular Ca2+ Pools in Secretion Induced by Muscarinic Agonists in Porcine Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

The role of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3]-sensitive Ca2+ pools in secretion, induced by muscarinic agonists in porcine adrenal chromaffin cells, was studied. Activation of muscarinic receptors, as in other species, was found to increase inositol phosphate production including that of Ins(1,4,5)P3. Treatment of cells with thapsigargin, which is known to deplete Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive Ca2+ pools, eliminated the initial transient component of increases in the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]in) induced by the muscarinic agonist, methacholine, in both the presence and the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Thapsigargin treatment also decreased methacholine-induced secretion by about 30% in the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and essentially eliminated secretion that occurred independently of extracellular Ca2+ (which was about 30% of the secretory response that occurred in the presence of extracellular Ca2+). Thapsigargin itself had no effect on inositol phosphate production. These results indicate that about 30% of muscarinic agonist-induced secretion is mediated by the release of Ca2+ from Ins(1,4,5)P3- and thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ pools. These results also suggest that Ca2+ influx activated by muscarinic agonists is not due to depletion of intracellular Ca2+ pools, as prior depletion of these pools had no effect on the portion of the methacholine-induced secretory response and [Ca2+]in signal that was dependent on extracellular Ca2+.     

Thyroid hormones differentially regulate the distribution of rabbit skeletal muscle Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) isoforms in light and heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is composed of two fractions, the heavy fraction that contains proteins involved in Ca2+ release, and the light fraction enriched in Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA), an enzyme responsible for Ca2+ transport from the cytosol to the lumen of SR. It is known that in red muscle thyroid hormones regulate the expression of SERCA 1 and SERCA 2 isoforms. Here we show the effects of thyroid hormone on SERCA expression and distribution in light and heavy SR fractions from rabbit white and red muscles. In hyperthyroid red muscle there is an increase of SERCA 1 and a decrease of SERCA 2 expression. This is far more pronounced in the heavy than in the light SR fraction. As a result, the rates of Ca(2+)- ATPase activity and Ca(2+)-uptake by the heavy vesicles are increased. In hypothyroidism we observed a decrease in SERCA 1 and no changes in the amount of SERCA 2 expressed. This promoted a decrease of both Ca(2+)-uptake and Ca(2+)-ATPase activity. While the major differences in hyperthyroidism were found in the heavy SR fraction, the effects of hypothyroidism were restricted to light SR fraction. In white muscle we did not observe any significant changes in either hypo- or hyperthyroidism in both SR fractions. Thus, the regulation of SERCA isoforms by thyroid hormones is not only muscle specific but also varies depending on the subcellular compartment analyzed. These changes might correspond to the molecular basis of the altered contraction and relaxation rates detected in thyroid dysfunction.     

Phenylarsine oxide evokes intracellular calcium increases and amylase secretion in isolated rat pancreatic acinar cells

The effects of the thiol reagent, phenylarsine oxide (PAO, 10(-5)-10(-3) M ), a membrane-permeable trivalent arsenical compound that specifically complexes vicinal sulfhydryl groups of proteins to form stable ring structures, were studied by monitoring intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and amylase secretion in collagenase dispersed rat pancreatic acinar cells. PAO increased [Ca2+]i by mobilizing calcium from intracellular stores, since this increase was observed in the absence of extracellular calcium. PAO also prevented the CCK-8-induced signal of [Ca2+]i and inhibited the oscillatory pattern initiated by aluminium fluoride (AlF-4). In addition to the effects of PAO on calcium mobilization, it caused a significant increase in amylase secretion and reduced the secretory response to either CCK-8 or AlF-4. The effects of PAO on both [Ca2+]i and amylase release were reversed by the sulfhydryl reducing agent, dithiothreitol (2 mM). Pretreatment of acinar cells with high concentration of ryanodine (50 microM) reduced the PAO-evoked calcium release. However, PAO was still able to release a small fraction of Ca2+ from acinar cells in which agonist-releasable Ca2+ pools had been previously depleted by thapsigargin (0.5 microM) and ryanodine receptors were blocked by 50 microM ryanodine. We conclude that, in pancreatic acinar cells, PAO mainly releases Ca2+ from the ryanodine-sensitive calcium pool and consequently induces amylase secretion. These effects are likely to be due to the oxidizing effects of this compound.     

Mechanism of action of bombesin on amylase secretion. Evidence for a Ca2+-independent pathway

The mode of action of bombesin on amylase secretion was investigated in rat pancreatic acini. Bombesin induced a dose-dependent increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and cytosolic free Ca2+. The threshold concentration capable of inducing both effects was 0.1 nM and the half-maximal dose of the peptide for Ca2+ mobilization was approximately 0.6 nM. By contrast, amylase release was approximately 30 times more sensitive than inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production and Ca2+ mobilization to bombesin action, with 1 pM being the first stimulatory concentration and a half-maximal effect at approximately 20 pM. The ability of low bombesin doses to trigger enzyme secretion was unaffected by chelation of extracellular Ca2+ with EGTA. In order to test whether the stimulation of amylase release was truly a Ca2+-independent response, the intracellular Ca2+ stores were depleted by pretreating acini with EGTA plus ionomycin, the Ca2+ ionophore. Under these conditions bombesin was still capable of eliciting a significant twofold enhancement of the secretory activity. These results indicate that bombesin, an agonist thought to activate secretion mainly through mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, elicits amylase release at low concentrations, independently of a concomitant rise in cytosolic free Ca2+. The relevance of these findings to the physiological regulation of pancreatic exocrine secretion is discussed.     

Annexin XI may be involved in Ca2+ - or GTP-gammaS-induced insulin secretion in the pancreatic beta-cell

The aim of this study was to investigate possible involvement of annexin XI in the insulin secretory machinery. In fluorescence immunocytochemistry, annexin XI was found in the cytoplasm of pancreatic endocrine cells and a pancreatic beta-cell line, MIN6, in a granular pattern. MIN6 cells also possessed weak and diffused annexin XI immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed annexin XI in the insulin granules. Insulin secretion from streptolysin-O-permeabilized MIN6 cells was inhibited by anti-annexin XI antibody, when the release was stimulated by either Ca2+ or GTP-gammaS, but not by a protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester. Inhibition of insulin release by anti-annexin XI antibody was reproduced in permeabilized rat islets. These findings suggest that annexin XI may be involved in the regulation of insulin secretion from the pancreatic beta-cells.     

Effect of 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 and ionized Ca2+ on 45Ca uptake by primary cultures of aortic myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto normotensive rats

The effect of several regulators of whole animal Ca2+ homeostasis on 45Ca uptake by primary cultures of aortic myocytes isolated from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats was examined. Exposure of confluent cells to 1.0, 1.25 or 1.50 mM ionized Ca2+ in serum-free medium for seven days resulted in increased 45Ca uptake at the higher concentrations of Ca2+ in cells of the SHR but not the WKY. 1,25 (OH)2 vitamin D3 (1 ng/ml) for 7 days caused enhanced influx in cells from both the SHR and WKY while parathyroid hormone (1-34) (1 ng/ml) was without effect. The data indicate that humoral factors that serve to regulate whole animal Ca2+ homeostasis may also play a role in the regulation of Ca2+ metabolism of the vascular smooth muscle cell.     

The biphasic stimulation of insulin secretion by bombesin involves both cytosolic free calcium and protein kinase C.

Members of the bombesin family of peptides potently stimulate insulin release by HIT-T15 cells, a clonal pancreatic cell line. The response to bombesin consists of a large burst in secretion during the first 30 s, followed by a smaller elevation of the secretory rate, which persists for 90 min. The aim of this study was to identify the intracellular messengers involved in this biphasic secretory response. Addition of 100 nM-bombesin to cells for 20 s increased the cellular accumulation of [3H]diacylglycerol (DAG) by 40% and that of [3H]inositol monophosphate (InsP), bisphosphate (InsP2) and trisphosphate (InsP3) by 40%, 300%, and 800%, respectively. In contrast, cyclic AMP concentrations were unaffected. Bombesin stimulation of [3H]InsP3 formation was detected at 2 s, before the secretory response, which was not measurable until 5 s. Furthermore, the potency of bombesin to stimulate [3H]InsP3 generation (ED50 = 14 +/- 9 nM) agreed with its potency to stimulate insulin release (ED50 = 6 +/- 2 nM). Consistent with its effects on [3H]InsP3 formation, bombesin raised the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]i) from a basal value of 0.28 +/- 0.01 microM to a peak of 1.3 +/- 0.1 microM by 20 s. Chelation of extracellular Ca2+ did not abolish either the secretory response to bombesin or the rise in [Ca2+]i, showing that Ca2+ influx was not required. Although the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin (100 nM) mimicked the [Ca2+]i response to bombesin, it did not stimulate secretion. However, pretreating cells with ionomycin decreased the effects of bombesin on both [Ca2+]i and insulin release, suggesting that elevation of [Ca2+]i was instrumental in the secretory response to this peptide. To determine the role of the DAG produced upon bombesin stimulation, we examined the effects of another activator of protein kinase C, the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). TPA did not affect [Ca2+]i, but it increased insulin secretion after a 2 min lag. However, an immediate increase in secretion was observed when ionomycin was added simultaneously with TPA. These data indicate that the initial secretory burst induced by bombesin results from the synergistic action of the high [Ca2+]i produced by InsP3 and DAG-activated protein kinase C. However, activation of protein kinase C alone appears to be sufficient for a sustained secretory response.