Muscarinic Receptors in Chromaffin Cell Cultures Mediate Enhanced Phospholipid Labeling but Not Catecholamine Secretion

Abstract: The addition of either carbachol or muscarinic agonists to cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells results in a selective stimulation of phosphatidate (PhA) and phosphatidylinositol (PhI) labeling from ³²Pⁱ and [³H]glycerol that can be inhibited by the inclusion of atropine, but not d -tubocurarine. In contrast, increased catecholamine secretion is observed on the addition of carbachol or nicotinic agonists and is inhibited by d -tubocurarine but not by atropine. Added calcium is essential for catecholamine secretion but not for stimulated phospholipid labeling. Chelation of endogenous Ca²⁺ with EGTA does, however, inhibit the stimulated phospholipid labeling. These results suggest that stimulated phospholipid labeling in the bovine chromaffin cell and catecholamine secretion are separate and distinct processes.