The involvement of calmodulin in the secretion of calcitonin from the porcine thyroid gland

The effect of the calmodulin antagonist W7 has been studied in the pig in vivo by measuring directly the secretion rate of calcitonin (CT) in the thyroid venous blood after surgical isolation of the thyroid and subsequent perfusion of the gland in situ. Over the concentration range of W7 9-100 mumol/l in the perfusing plasma there was a significant increase in CT secretion rate associated with the addition of W7 to the perfusing blood. There was no significant change in the perfusing plasma calcium concentration. It is suggested that calmodulin plays an important role in calcium homeostasis within the porcine thyroid C-cell.