Inositol trisphosphate and calcium mobilisation in permeabilised enterocytes

Saponin-permeabilised epithelial cells isolated by hyalurodinase incubation from chicken small intestine were used to study 45Ca uptake into intracellular stores. At low (6.7 X 10(-7) M) free Ca2+ concentration most of the Ca2+ appears to be taken up into non-mitochondrial stores, whilst the mitochondria seem to play a major role at high (2 X 10(-5) M) Ca2+ concentration. Addition of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) causes a rapid and reversible release of 45Ca from non-mitochondrial stores, with a half-maximal effect of approximately 1 microM.     

Non-mitochondrial calcium ion regulation in rat ventricular myocytes

Ca2+ exchange has been measured in a suspension of rat ventricular myocytes treated with digitonin or saponin to render the sarcolemma permeable to small molecules and ions. Two fractions of exchange were identified, one that was attributed to the mitochondrial component of the cell and the other to a non-mitochondrial fraction. Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake was blocked by sodium azide and depended on respiratory substrates whereas non-mitochondrial uptake occurred independently of these molecules but was dependent on ATP and creatine phosphate. Non-mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake could be induced at a Ca2+ concentration below 1 microM and the initial rate increased with concentration up to 100 microM. Uptake could be reversed by sulmazole (a caffeine-like substance) and this reversal in turn inhibited by ryanodine. These properties suggest that the major locus for non-mitochondrial Ca2+ exchange is at the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Ca2+ exchange could be modulated by a number of agents, including carnosine, but was unaffected by others, including Na+, inositol trisphosphate and cyclic AMP. A kinetic model of the data is presented, which incorporates similar data of Ca2+ uptake into the mitochondrial fraction. The rates of Ca2+ exchange measured in these experiments suggest that these two components of the cell can reduce the sarcoplasmic Ca2+ concentration rapidly enough to account for the observed transient nature of the isometric twitch. Furthermore, it is suggested that both non-mitochondrial and mitochondrial fractions of the cell could significantly contribute to tension relaxation in rat cardiac muscle.     

Inositol (1,4,5)trisphosphate-promoted Ca2+ release from microsomal fractions of rat liver

Crude mitochondrial fractions containing a substantial amount of microsomes accumulate Ca2+ in the presence of ATP, ruthenium red and oligomycin. A proportion of this accumulated Ca2+ is released by the addition of low concentrations (ca. 1 microM) of inositol (1,4,5) trisphosphate . Under some conditions the release is transient, and evidence is presented which suggests that this is due to inhomogeneity in the vesicle population. (1,4,5)inositol trisphosphate -induced Ca2+ release can also be demonstrated, under appropriate experimental conditions, in a more purified microsomal fraction essentially free of mitochondria.     

Secretin induces rapid increases in inositol trisphosphate, cytosolic Ca2+ and diacylglycerol as well as cyclic AMP in rat pancreatic acini.

Previous studies have shown that the dose-response relationship for secretin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation is different from that for secretin-stimulated enzyme secretion in the rat exocrine pancreas. Here we show that secretin concentrations of 10(-10) M and higher stimulated a rise in cyclic AMP levels, with maximum effect on cyclic AMP accumulation being achieved already with 10(-8) M-secretin. However, at this concentration of secretin, enzyme secretion rates were approximately half-maximal. Unexpectedly, at concentrations of secretin greater than 10(-8) M there was evidence suggestive of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate hydrolysis with rapid increases in inositol trisphosphate, cytosolic free calcium and diacylglycerol content of rat pancreatic acini. Furthermore, there was a dose-response relationship among secretin concentration (in the range 10(-8) M-2 X 10(-6) M), increases in inositol trisphosphate and increases in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]i). Contrary to what has been previously believed, these results clearly indicate that in rat pancreatic acini secretin not only stimulates cyclic AMP accumulation but also raises inositol trisphosphate, [Ca2+]i and diacylglycerol. Thus, two second messenger systems may play a role in the regulation of secretin-induced amylase release.     

Stimulation by ATP of Inositol Trisphosphate Accumulation and Calcium Mobilization in Cultured Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

Effects of ATP on accumulation of inositol phosphates and Ca2+ mobilization were investigated in cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. When the cells were stimulated with 30 microM ATP, a rapid and transient rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration was observed. At the same time, ATP rapidly increased accumulation of inositol phosphates. The concentration-response curve for the ATP-induced Ca2+ mobilization was similar to that for inositol trisphosphate (IP3) accumulation. ATP exerted its maximal effects at 30 microM for either IP3 accumulation or Ca2+ mobilization. The order of the efficacy of the agonists for IP3 accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization at 100 microM was ATP greater than ADP greater than AMP approximately adenosine, AMP (100 microM) and adenosine (300 microM) failed to induce IP3 accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization. Although 100 microM GTP and 100 microM UTP also induced IP3 accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization, their efficacy was less than that of ATP. CTP (100 microM) induced a slight IP3 accumulation, but it did not induce Ca2+ mobilization. Nifedipine (10 microM), a Ca2+ channel antagonist, and theophylline (100 microM), a P1-purinergic receptor antagonist, failed to inhibit the ATP-induced IP3 accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization. The above two cellular responses induced by ATP were also observed in the Ca2+-depleted medium. ATP induced a rapid and transient accumulation of 1,4,5-IP3 (5s), followed by a slower accumulation of 1,3,4-IP3. These results suggest that ATP induces the formation of 1,4,5-IP3 through the P2-purinergic receptor and consequently promotes Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular storage sites in cultured adrenal chromaffin cells.     

Hepatic inositol release upon hormonal stimulation of perfused rat liver.

A sustained increase in the hepatic release of 3H radioactivity was shown to occur upon hormonal stimulation of perfused rat liver 15-20 h after intraperitoneal injection of 100 microCi of myo-[2-3H]inositol. Hormone-released radioactive material was analysed by t.l.c. and was found to consist predominantly of [3H]inositol, without further metabolites. Vasopressin (14 nM), phenylephrine (1.7 microM), angiotensin II (15 nM), glucagon (0.5 nM) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (5 microM) exert maximal effects on hepatic inositol efflux after 10-15 min of stimulation. Omission of Ca2+ from the perfusion medium abolishes the hormone-dependent inositol release. LiCl (10 mM) does not significantly affect the basal release of [3H]inositol, but suppresses vasopressin- and angiotensin-triggered inositol release. Inositol efflux induced by glucagon, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and phenylephrine, however, remains essentially unchanged by LiCl infusion. This establishes a further metabolic difference between these two groups of agonists in that stimuli that act through cyclic AMP produce a stimulated outflow of inositol, but apparently without a Li+-sensitive phosphatase being involved in the overall process.     

Activation of muscarinic receptors in PC12 cells. Correlation between cytosolic Ca2+ rise and phosphoinositide hydrolysis.

The intracellular signals generated by carbachol activation of the muscarinic receptor [release of inositol phosphates as a consequence of phosphoinositide hydrolysis and rise of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i, measured by quin2)] were studied in intact PC12 pheochromocytoma cells that had been differentiated by treatment with nerve growth factor. When measured in parallel samples of the same cell preparation 30 s after receptor activation, the release of inositol trisphosphate and of its possible metabolites, inositol bis- and mono-phosphate, and the [Ca2+]i rise were found to occur with almost superimposable carbachol concentration curves. At the same time carbachol caused a decrease in the radioactivity of preloaded phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, the precursor of inositol trisphosphate. Neither the inositol phosphate nor the [Ca2+]i signal was modified by preincubation of the cells with either purified Bordetella pertussis toxin or forskolin, the direct activator of adenylate cyclase. Both signals were partially inhibited by dibutyryl cyclic AMP, especially when the nucleotide analogue was applied in combination with the phosphodiesterase inhibitors RO 201724 and theophylline. The latter drug alone profoundly inhibited the carbachol-induced [Ca2+]i rise, with only minimal effect on phosphoinositide hydrolysis. Because of the diverging results obtained with forskolin on the one hand, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and phosphodiesterase inhibitors on the other, the effects of the latter drugs are considered to be pharmacological, independent of the intracellular cyclic AMP concentration. Two further drugs tested, mepacrine and MY5445, inhibited phosphoinositide hydrolysis at the same time as the 45Ca2+ influx stimulated by carbachol. Taken together, our results concur with previous evidence obtained with permeabilized cells and cell fractions to indicate phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis and [Ca2+]i rise as two successive events in the intracellular transduction cascade initiated by receptor activation. The strict correlation between the carbachol concentration curves for inositol trisphosphate generation and [Ca2+]i rise, and the inhibition by theophylline of the Ca2$ signal without major effects on inositol phosphate generation, satisfy important requirements of the abovementioned interpretation.     

Enhancement of Stimulation-Evoked Catecholamine Release from Cultured Bovine Adrenal Chromaffin Cells by Forskolin

Acetylcholine (ACh) increased cyclic AMP levels in cultured bovine chromaffin cells with a peak effect at 1 min after the addition. Pretreatment with forskolin (0.3 microM) enhanced the ACh-evoked cyclic AMP increase. The catecholamine (CA) release induced by ACh was enhanced by forskolin, but forskolin alone did not enhance the CA release. The effect of forskolin increased dose-dependently up to 1 microM, but decreased at higher concentrations. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DBcAMP) also enhanced ACh-evoked CA release, but the effect was less potent than that of forskolin. Forskolin enhanced both [3H]norepinephrine ([3H]NE) and endogenous CA release evoked by 30 mM K+ from cells that were preloaded with [3H]NE. The effects of forskolin were substantial when CA release was evoked with low concentrations of ACh or excess K+, but decreased with higher concentrations of the stimulants. Forskolin also enhanced the CA release induced by ionomycin and veratrine, or by caffeine in Ca2+-free medium. The potentiation by forskolin of the ACh-evoked CA release was manifest in low Ca2+ concentrations in the medium, but decreased when Ca2+ concentration was increased. These results suggest that cyclic AMP may play a role in the modulation of CA release from chromaffin cells.     

Ca2+ release by inositol trisphosphate from Ca2+-transporting microsomes derived from uterine sarcoplasmic reticulum

Microsomes derived from pregnant uterine sarcoplasmic reticulum, isolated by differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugation, accumulates Ca2+ in the presence of ATP. Inositol trisphosphate caused release of this Ca2+, in a dose dependent manner. 40% of the Ca2+ that can be released by the ionophore A23187 was released by 5 microM inositol trisphosphate. Removal of Mg by EDTA prior to addition of inositol trisphosphate did not change the course of Ca2+ release. These results indicate that by mobilizing intracellular Ca2+, inositol trisphosphate may be the link between hormonal stimuli and smooth muscle contraction.     

Plasma from uninephrectomized rats stimulates production of inositol trisphosphates and inositol tetrakisphosphate in renal cortical slices.

Metabolism of inositol phosphates in renal cortical slices was investigated in vitro after addition of plasma from uninephrectomized or sham-operated rats. Plasma from uninephrectomized rats stimulated production of InsP3 (inositol trisphosphate) when obtained within the first 3 h after uninephrectomy. With different amounts of added plasma a graded response of InsP3 production was obtained. This effect could be prevented by 0.1 microM-TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate). When analysis of inositol phosphates was performed by h.p.l.c., plasma from uninephrectomized rats stimulated a rapid increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3 radioactivity, whereas the increase in inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate and Ins(1,3,4)P3 radioactivity was slower. Plasma from uninephrectomized rats decreased cyclic AMP concentration in renal cortical slices. Similar effect was obtained when slices were incubated with TPA (0.05 microM). Plasma from uninephrectomized rats increased cyclic GMP concentration in renal cortical slices, but this effect was abolished when extracellular Ca2+ had been chelated with 4 mM-EGTA. Results indicate that plasma from uninephrectomized rats stimulates phospholipase C, increases cyclic GMP concentration and decreases cyclic AMP concentration in renal cortical slices. Increases in cyclic GMP depend on extracellular Ca2+, whereas the decrease in cyclic AMP concentration is mediated by protein kinase C.     

Stimulation of hepatic inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate kinase activity by Ca2+-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

A cytosolic fraction derived from rat hepatocytes was used to investigate the regulation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] kinase, the enzyme which converts Ins(1,4,5)P3 to inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4,5)P4]. The activity was doubled by raising the free Ca2+ concentration of the assay medium from 0.1 microM to 1.0 microM. A 5 min preincubation of the hepatocytes with 100 microM-dibutyryl cyclic AMP (db.cAMP) plus 100 nM-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) resulted in a 40% increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3 kinase activity when subsequently assayed at 0.1 microM-Ca2+. This effect was smaller at [Ca2+] greater than 0.5 microM, and absent at 1.0 microM-Ca2+. Similar results were obtained after preincubation with 100 microM-db.cAMP plus 300 nM-vasopressin (20% increase at 0.1 microM-Ca2+; no effect at 1.0 microM-Ca2+). Preincubation with vasopressin, db.cAMP or TPA alone did not alter Ins(1,4,5)P3 kinase activity. It is proposed that these results, together with recent evidence implicating Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 in the control of Ca2+ influx, could be relevant to earlier findings that hepatic Ca2+ uptake is synergistically stimulated by cyclic AMP analogues and vasopressin.     

Coordination of Ca2+ signalling by NAADP

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) mobilizes intracellular Ca2+ stores in several cell types. Ample evidence suggests that NAADP activates intracellular Ca2+ channels distinct from those that are sensitive to inositol trisphosphate and ryanodine/cyclic ADP-ribose. Recent studies in intact cells have demonstrated functional coupling ('channel chatter') between Ca2+ release pathways mediated by NAADP, inositol trisphosphate and cyclic ADP-ribose. Thus, NAADP is probably an important determinant in shaping cytosolic Ca2+ signals.     

Prostaglandins and muscarinic agonists induce cyclic AMP attenuation by two distinct mechanisms in the pregnant-rat myometrium. Interaction between cyclic AMP and Ca2+ signals.

In pregnant-rat myometrium (day 21 of gestation), isoprenaline-induced cyclic AMP accumulation, resulting from receptor-mediated activation of adenylate cyclase, was negatively regulated by prostaglandins [PGE2, PGF2 alpha; EC50 (concn. giving 50% of maximal response) = 2 nM] and by the muscarinic agonist carbachol (EC50 = 2 microM). PG-induced inhibition was prevented by pertussis-toxin treatment, supporting the idea that it was mediated by the inhibitory G-protein Gi through the inhibitory pathway of the adenylate cyclase. Both isoprenaline-induced stimulation and PG-evoked inhibition of cyclic AMP were insensitive to Ca2+ depletion. By contrast, carbachol-evoked attenuation of cyclic AMP accumulation was dependent on Ca2+ and was insensitive to pertussis toxin. The inhibitory effect of carbachol was mimicked by ionomycin. Indirect evidence was thus provided for the enhancement of cyclic AMP degradation by a Ca2(+)-dependent phosphodiesterase activity in the muscarinic-mediated effect. The attenuation of cyclic AMP elicited by carbachol coincided with carbachol-stimulated inositol phosphate (InsP3, InsP2 and InsP) generation, which displayed an almost identical EC50 (3 microM) and was similarly unaffected by pertussis toxin. Both carbachol effects were reproduced by oxotremorine, whereas pilocarpine (a partial muscarinic agonist) failed to induce any decrease in cyclic AMP accumulation and concurrently was unable to stimulate the generation of inositol phosphates. These data support our proposal for a carbachol-mediated enhancement of a Ca2(+)-dependent phosphodiesterase activity, compatible with the rises in Ca2+ associated with muscarinic-induced increased generation of inositol phosphates. They further illustrate that a cross-talk between the two major transmembrane signalling systems contributed to an ultimate decrease in cyclic AMP in the pregnant-rat myometrium near term.     

Cross-linking of surface immunoglobulin on B lymphocytes induces both intracellular Ca2+ release and Ca2+ influx: analysis with indo-1

The new Ca2+-probe indo-1 has a high fluorescence intensity, which allows low intracellular dye loadings. Stimulation of indo-1-loaded mouse B cells with anti-Ig antibodies provoked rapid rise of free cytoplasmic Ca2+ from 100 nM to greater than 1 microM, followed by a decline to a plateau at 300-400 nM. The initial rapid rise was not detected in quin2-loaded cells, presumably due to the Ca2+-buffering effects of the dye. The sustained Ca2+ increase was due to influx, whereas the initial rise was caused by release from intracellular stores. The magnitudes of Ca2+ release and inositol trisphosphate release were closely correlated. Concanavalin A does not provoke inositol trisphosphate release in mouse B cells. It did not induce a rapid initial Ca2+ rise in indo-1-loaded B cells either, but only a sustained increase to 200-300 nM. Finally, Ca2+ influx induced by both anti-Ig and concanavalin A were not affected by membrane depolarization.     

Involvement of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and calcium in the action of adenine nucleotides on aortic endothelial cells

ADP and ATP, in the 1-100 microM range of concentrations, increased the formation of inositol phosphates in bovine aortic endothelial cells. The accumulation of inositol trisphosphate in response to adenine nucleotides was rapid (maximum at 15 s) and transient. This material was identified as the biologically active isomer inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate on the basis of its retention time by high-performance liquid chromatography on an anion-exchange resin. AMP and adenosine have no effect on inositol phosphates. The action of ATP and ADP was mimicked with an equal potency and activity by their phosphorothioate analogs, ATP gamma S and ADP beta S, and with a lower potency by adenosine 5'-(beta,gamma-imido)triphosphate, whereas adenosine 5'-(alpha,beta-methylene)triphosphate, was inactive. In the same range of concentrations, ADP and ATP induced an efflux of 45Ca2+ from prelabeled bovine aortic endothelial cells and increased the fluorescence emission by cells loaded with quin-2. Here, too, AMP and adenosine were completely inactive. The outflow of 45Ca2+ induced by ADP was partially maintained in a calcium-free medium. These data suggest that in aortic endothelial cells, P2-purinergic receptors, of the P2Y subtype, are coupled to the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate by a phospholipase C. It is likely that the release of prostacyclin and endothelium-derived relaxing factor in response to ADP and ATP is a consequence of this initial event.     

Calcium homeostasis in procyclic and bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei. Lack of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ release.

When Trypanosoma brucei procyclic trypomastigotes were permeabilized with digitonin in a reaction medium containing MgATP, succinate, and 3.5 microM free Ca2+, they lowered the medium Ca2+ concentration to the submicromolar level (0.05-0.1 microM), a range that correlates favorably with that detected in the intact cells with fura-2. The carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone-insensitive Ca2+ uptake, certainly represented by the endoplasmic reticulum, was completely inhibited by 500 microM vanadate. When vanadate instead of carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone was present, the Ca2+ set point was increased to 0.6-0.7 microM. The succinate dependence and carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone sensitivity of the later Ca2+ uptake indicate that it may be exerted by the mitochondria. When bloodstream trypomastigotes were used, neither succinate nor alpha-glycerophosphate stimulated the mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. The mitochondrial Ca2+ transport could be measured only in the presence of ATP and 500 microM vanadate to inhibit the endoplasmic reticulum uptake. Bloodstream trypomastigotes have a lower cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, as detected with fura-2 and a smaller extramitochondrial Ca2+ pool than procyclic trypomastigotes. Despite the presence of inositol phosphates, as determined by [3H]inositol incorporation, and the large extramitochondrial Ca2+ pool of procyclic trypomastigotes (61.7 nmol of Ca2+/mg of protein), no inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ release could be detected in these parasites.     

Is Inositol Bisphosphate the Product of A23187 and Carbachol-Mediated Polyphosphoinositide Breakdown in Synaptosomes?

Synaptosomes have been isolated from rat cerebral cortex and labelled in vitro with [32P]orthophosphate and myo-[2-3H]inositol. Subsequent addition of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 in the presence of 2 mM extrasynaptosomal Ca2+ raised intrasynaptosomal free [Ca2+] to greater than 2 microM from a resting level of 200 nM and led to rapid breakdown of polyphosphoinositides. This was accompanied by a small increase in the level of inositol monophosphate, greatly enhanced accumulation in inositol bisphosphate, but no detectable increase in inositol trisphosphate. Depolarising (25 mM) extrasynaptosomal K+ produced a smaller increase in intrasynaptosomal free [Ca2+] (to around 400 nM) and a proportional increase in inositol bisphosphate radioactivity. Carbachol (1 mM) alone elicited only limited polyphosphoinositide breakdown and inositol mono- and bisphosphate formation, but this was greatly increased in the presence of 25 mM K+. The effect of carbachol in the presence of depolarising K+ was time- and dose-dependent and was antagonised by atropine (10 microM). There was no detectable accumulation of inositol trisphosphate in the presence of carbachol, K+, or carbachol plus K+, even after short (30 s.) incubations. The lack of inositol trisphosphate accumulation does not appear to result from rapid formation of inositol tetrakisphosphate or from enhanced breakdown of the trisphosphate in synaptosomes.     

Two Possibly Distinct Prostaglandin E1 Receptors in N1E-115 Clone: One Mediating Inositol Trisphosphate Formation, Cyclic GMP Formation, and Intracellular Calcium Mobilization and the Other Mediating Cyclic AMP Formation

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)-mediated transmembrane signal control systems were investigated in intact murine neuroblastoma cells (clone N1E-115). PGE1 increased intracellular levels of total inositol phosphates (IP), cyclic GMP, cyclic AMP, and calcium ([Ca2+]i). PGE1 transiently increased inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate formation, peaking at 20 s. There was more than a 10-fold difference between the ED50 for PGE1 at cyclic AMP formation (70 nM) and its ED50 values at IP accumulation (1 microM), cyclic GMP formation (2 microM), and [Ca2+]i increase (5 microM). PGE1-mediated IP accumulation, cyclic GMP formation, and [Ca2+]i increase depended on both the concentration of PGE1 and extracellular calcium ions. PGE1 had more potent intrinsic activity in cyclic AMP formation, IP accumulation, and cyclic GMP formation than did PGE2, PGF2 alpha, or PGD2. A protein kinase C activator, 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate, had opposite effects on PGE1-mediated IP release and cyclic GMP formation (inhibitory) and cyclic AMP formation (stimulatory). These data suggest that there may be subtypes of the PGE1 receptor in this clone: a high-affinity receptor mediating cyclic AMP formation, and a low-affinity receptor mediating IP accumulation, cyclic GMP formation, and intracellular calcium mobilization.     

Inositol Trisphosphate Mobilizes Intracellular Calcium in Permeabilized Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

Using permeabilized chromaffin cells and the fluorescent probe Quin 2 (an indicator of free Ca2+), we found that inositol trisphosphate (IP3) specifically triggered an immediate and dose-dependent release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Desensitization of the response was observed at nonsaturating concentrations of inositol trisphosphate and resequestration of Ca2+ was not observed. While representing only a small fraction of the total cellular Ca2+, the amount released by IP3 could significantly raise cytosolic Ca2+ and may account for muscarinic effects on Ca2+ metabolism in chromaffin cells.     

Calcium regulates inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate production in lysed thymocytes and in intact cells stimulated with concanavalin A.

Lysed mouse thymocytes release [3H]inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate from [3H]inositol-labelled phosphatidyl inositol 4,5-bisphosphate in response to GTP gamma S, and rapidly phosphorylate [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to [3H]inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. The rate of phosphorylation is increased approximately 7-fold when the free [Ca2+] in the lysate is increased from 0.1 to 1 microM, the range in which the cytosolic free [Ca2+] increases in intact thymocytes in response to the mitogen concanavalin A. Stimulation of the intact cells with concanavalin A also results in a rapid and sustained increase in the amount of inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate, and a much smaller transient increase in 1,4,5-trisphosphate. Lowering [Ca2+] in the medium from 0.4 mM to 0.1 microM before addition of concanavalin A reduces accumulation of inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate by at least 3-fold whereas the increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is sustained rather than transient. The data imply that in normal medium the activity of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate kinase increases substantially in response to the rise in cytosolic free [Ca2+] generated by concanavalin A, accounting for both the transient accumulation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and the sustained high levels of inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. Inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate is a strong candidate for the second messenger for Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane. This would imply that the inositol polyphosphates regulate both Ca2+ entry and intracellular Ca2+ release, with feedback control of the inositol polyphosphate levels by Ca2+.