Functionally distinct muscarinic receptors on gastric somatostatin cells

The present study was designed to examine the mode of action of muscarinic agonists on somatostatin secretion in intact gastric tissues, i.e., mucosal segments from the fundus and antrum of rat and the isolated luminally perfused mouse stomach. Methacholine caused similar decreases in somatostatin secretion in segments from the fundus (35 +/- 3%; P less than 0.001) and antrum (35 +/- 2%; P less than 0.001) of rat stomach, and in whole mouse stomach (43 +/- 3%; P less than 0.001). The decrease was the net effect of a dominant inhibition and a lesser stimulation of somatostatin secretion. Pretreatment with the permeant derivative of the acetomethoxy ester form of the calcium chelator 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA/AM, 15 microM) caused a further decrease in methacholine-induced somatostatin secretion, implying that a stimulatory component existed that was mediated by intracellular calcium. Pretreatment with pertussis toxin (125 ng/ml) for 60 min converted the decrease in somatostatin secretion to an increase above basal levels. The increase induced by pretreatment with pertussis toxin was abolished by additional pretreatment with BAPTA/AM. Procaine (5 mM), which blocks release of calcium from intracellular stores, produced an effect on somatostatin secretion similar to that of BAPTA/AM. The results indicate that 1) methacholine exerts dual inhibitory and stimulatory effects on somatostatin cells of rat and mouse stomach, 2) the dominant effect is inhibitory and sensitive to pertussis toxin, and 3) a concurrent stimulatory effect, mediated by calcium, is unmasked after blockade of the inhibitory effect with pertussis toxin.