Modulation of ion channels by somatostatin and acetylcholine

Somatostatin and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are similar as far as modulation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and anomalously rectifying K+ channels are concerned. Activation of either type of receptors induces inhibition of Ca2+ channels and activation of anomalous K+ channels without depending on intracellular cAMP. Somatostatin appears to act on the same receptor subtype for these two actions since somatostatin receptors are homogenous in pituitary cells (Srikant and Patel, 1982; Tran et al., 1985) where the peptide produces these two effects as well as an inhibition of adenylate cyclase. In the case of muscarinic receptors, however, it remains unclear whether the same subtype of receptors is involved in both inhibition of Ca2+ channels and activation of K+ channels. Activation of muscarinic receptors in hippocampal neurones evidently produces a cAMP-independent suppression of Ca2+ channel. In cardiac cells, however, muscarinic stimulation does not cause a cAMP-independent suppression of Ca2+ channels but does activate an anomalous rectifier. These findings do not necessarily mean that the muscarinic receptor involved in the inhibition of Ca2+ channels in hippocampal neurones is not of m2 type which is assumed to mediate the activation of anomalous K+ channels in cardiac cells. There is no evidence that cardiac Ca2+ channels are identical to hippocampal Ca2+ channels susceptible to muscarinic inhibition. In addition, a similar argument could be applied to G proteins coupling muscarinic receptors to Ca2+ channels in neurones and cardiac myocytes. In this regard, it should be noted that activation of GABAB receptors or mu and delta opiate receptors, an event known to inhibit adenylate cyclase activity through a PTX-sensitive Gi protein, also produces both inhibition of Ca2+ channels and activation of anomalous K channels in a cAMP-independent manner. This close correlation between inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity and cAMP-independent modulation of Ca2+ and K+ channels suggests the possible involvement of m2 subtype in the inhibition of Ca2+ channels in hippocampal neurones. Circumstantial evidence indicates that anomalous K+ channels are directly activated by alpha subunits of Gi, but not Go, proteins. The alpha subunit of Go protein seems to mediate inhibition of the Ca2+ channel, probably in a direct manner. The most striking difference between somatostatin and muscarinic receptors would be their opposite actions on the M channel. All the inhibitory receptors on the M channel, including m1 and m3 receptors, are known to stimulate PI hydrolysis via a PTX-insensitive G protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)