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1 Queen's University
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: magoski{at}post.queensu.ca.
Intracellular Ca2+ is influenced by both Ca2+ influx and release. We examined intracellular Ca2+ following action potential firing in the bag cell neurons of Aplysia californica. Following brief synaptic input, these neuroendocrine cells undergo an afterdischarge, resulting in elevated Ca2+ and the secretion of neuropeptides to initiate reproduction. Cultured bag cell neurons were injected with the Ca2+ indicator, fura-PE3, and subjected to simultaneous imaging and electrophysiology. Delivery of a 5 Hz, 1 min train of action potentials (mimicking the fast phase of the afterdischarge) produced a Ca2+ rise that markedly outlasted the initial influx, consistent with Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR). This response was attenuated by about half with ryanodine or depletion of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by cyclopiazonic acid. However, depletion of the mitochondria, with carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone, essentially eliminated CICR. Dual depletion of the ER and mitochondria did not reduce CICR further than depletion of the mitochondria alone. Moreover, tetraphenylphosphonium, a blocker of mitochondrial Ca2+ release, largely prevented CICR. The Ca2+ elevation during and subsequent to a stimulus mimicking the full afterdischarge was prominent and enhanced by PKC activation. Traditionally, the ER is seen as the primary Ca2+ source for CICR. However, bag cell neuron CICR represents a departure from this view, in that it relies on store interaction, where Ca2+ released from the mitochondria may inturn liberate Ca2+ from the ER. This unique form of CICR may be used by both the bag cell neurons, and other neurons, to initiate secretion, activate channels, or induce gene expression.
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