The effect of polyamines on voltage-activated calcium channels in mouse neuroblastoma cells

1. Putrescine has been implicated in modulating cytoplasmic calcium concentration and is correlated with selective neuronal vulnerability in cerebral ischaemia. In order to determine whether putrescine modulates voltage-activated calcium channels, whole-cell and single channel patch clamp experiments were performed with N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells. 2. L-type calcium channel currents showed a 34 +/- 21% increase (n = 6 cells) during external application of 1 mM putrescine. There was no change in the kinetics of the current and no shift in the current-voltage relationship along the voltage axis. 3. T-type calcium channel currents were not affected by 1 mM putrescine. 4. The effect of putrescine on single L-type calcium channels was studied using the cell-attached configuration of the patch clamp technique. Putrescine (5 mM) applied to the bathing solution, but not present in the pipette, caused an increase in open time of the single channel current without changing the conductance of the channel. In 345 depolarizing steps compiled from three cells, the number of channel openings longer than 3 ms increased from six to seventy-six, and the number of channel openings longer than 9 ms increased from zero to twenty-seven. This single channel study supports the hypothesis that putrescine acts on the L-type channel from the inside of the cell. 5. External application of 1 mM spermine and 1 mM spermidine had no effect on T- and L-type calcium channels. Thus, the effect of putrescine is probably not mediated by the higher polyamines. 6. In order to test whether the effect of putrescine is mediated by a second messenger, specific protein kinase C and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitors, staurosporine and KT5720, respectively, were applied prior to putrescine. When cells were preconditioned with 200 nM staurosporine, the increase of the L-type calcium current by 1 mM putrescine was inhibited. By contrast, 200 nM KT5720 did not inhibit the putrescine effect. Therefore, the increase of L-type channel currents by putrescine may be mediated by protein kinase C but not the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. 7. The putrescine-induced enhancement of the L-type calcium channel activity may play an important role in calcium-induced neurotoxicity.