In vitro interactions between membrane, hormone, and cyclic nucleotides as revealed with aequorin

Aequorin was used to study Ca²⁺ movements in an acellular plasma membrane-rich extract from starfish oocyte cortices. Adenosine cyclic nucleotides were found to release Ca²⁺ in this system and to enhance Ca²⁺ release resulting from hormonal stimulation. The natural hormone, 1-methyladenine (1-MeAde), must act directly, independently of cyclic nucleotides, since incubating the extract with phosphodiesterase does not significantly affect the response to the hormone. Moreover, this preparation responds faster to the hormone than to cyclic nucleotides.