J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 6, 2668-2674, Feb, 1986
Stimulus-secretion coupling in bovine parathyroid cells. Dissociation between secretion and net changes in cytosolic Ca2+
EF Nemeth, J Wallace and A Scarpa
The relationship between the concentration of cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i)
and secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) was investigated in isolated
bovine parathyroid cells using the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, quin 2.
Increasing the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ from 0.5 to 2.0 mM
caused a 3-fold increase in [Ca2+]i (from 183 +/- 4 to 568 +/- 21 nM) which
was associated with a 2-4-fold decrease in secretion of PTH. Decreasing
extracellular Ca2+ to about 1 microM caused a corresponding fall in [Ca2+]i
to 60-90 nM. Extracellular Ca2+- induced changes in [Ca2+]i were not
affected by omission of extracellular Na+. Depolarizing concentrations of
K+ (30 mM) depressed [Ca2+]i at all concentrations of extracellular Ca
examined, and this was associated with increased secretion of PTH.
Ionomycin (0.1 or 1 microM) increased [Ca2+]i at extracellular Ca2+
concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mM, but inhibited secretion of PTH only
at Ca concentrations near the "Ca2+ set point" (1.25 microM). In contrast,
dopamine, norepinephrine (10 microM each), and Li+ (20 mM) potentiated
secretion of PTH without causing any detectable change in [Ca2+]i. The
results obtained with these latter secretagogues provide evidence for a
mechanism of secretion which is independent of net changes in [Ca2+]i. The
phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) did not alter
[Ca2+]i or secretion of PTH at low (0.5 mM) extracellular Ca2+
concentrations. At 2.0 mM extracellular Ca2+, however, TPA (20 nM or 1
microM) depressed [Ca2+]i and potentiated secretion of PTH. The addition of
TPA prior to raising the extracellular Ca2+ concentration reduced the
subsequent increase in [Ca2+]i. The results show that the effects of TPA on
secretion in the parathyroid cell are not readily dissociated from changes
in [Ca2+]i and suggest that some TPA-sensitive process, perhaps involving
protein kinase C, may be involved in those mechanisms that regulate [Ca2+]i
in response to changes in extracellular Ca2+.