Effects of ethanol on calmodulin levels in mouse striatum and cerebral cortex

Chronic ethanol administration has previously been shown to produce alterations in cAMP metabolism in neural tissue. The current study investigated the role of calmodulin (CM) in mediating these effects of ethanol. The levels and subcellular distribution of CM in mouse cerebral cortex were not altered at 0, 8 or 24 hr following withdrawal of mice from chronic ethanol administration. It was also shown that 24 hr following withdrawal from chronic ethanol administration, cytosolic and membrane-bound CM levels were not altered in mouse striatal tissue. Administration of a single 3.5 g/kg dose of ethanol to mice similarly did not alter CM levels or the subcellular distribution of CM in striatum. Ethanol (in concentrations up to 750 mM) in vitro did not affect the concentration-dependent activation of striatal adenylate cyclase by calcium and CM. Our results suggest that alterations in cAMP metabolism that are produced by ethanol treatment are probably not due to modifications in cellular CM levels, nor does ethanol appear to alter the interaction of calcium and CM with adenylate cyclase in vitro.