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Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide 2'-phosphate (NAADP) is a naturally occurring nucleotide that has been shown to be involved in the release of Ca 2+ from intracellular stores in a wide variety of cell types, tissues and organisms. Current evidence suggests that NAADP may function as a trigger to initiate a Ca 2+ signal that is then amplified by other Ca 2+ release mechanisms. A fundamental question that remains unanswered is the identity of the NAADP receptor. Our recent studies have identified HN1L/JPT2 as a high affinity NAADP binding protein that is essential for the modulation of Ca 2+ channels., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Walseth and Guse.)

NAADP-evoked Ca 2+ release through type 1 ryanodine receptors (RYR1) is a major mechanism underlying the earliest signals in T cell activation, which are the formation of Ca 2+ microdomains. In our characterization of the molecular machinery underlying NAADP action, we identified an NAADP-binding protein, called hematological and neurological expressed 1-like protein (HN1L) [also known as Jupiter microtubule-associated homolog 2 (JPT2)]. Gene deletion of Hn1l/Jpt2 in human Jurkat and primary rat T cells resulted in decreased numbers of initial Ca 2+ microdomains and delayed the onset and decreased the amplitude of global Ca 2+ signaling. Photoaffinity labeling demonstrated direct binding of NAADP to recombinant HN1L/JPT2. T cell receptor/CD3-dependent coprecipitation of HN1L/JPT2 with RYRs and colocalization of these proteins suggest that HN1L/JPT2 connects NAADP formation with the activation of RYR channels within the first seconds of T cell activation. Thus, HN1L/JPT2 enables NAADP to activate Ca 2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum through RYR., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is a potent Ca 2+ mobilizing second messenger which triggers Ca 2+ release in both sea urchin egg homogenates and in mammalian cells. The NAADP binding protein has not been identified and the regulation of NAADP mediated Ca 2+ release remains controversial. To address this issue, we have synthesized an NAADP analog in which 3-azido-5-azidomethylbenzoic acid is attached to the amino group of 5-(3-aminopropyl)-NAADP to produce an NAADP analog which is both a photoaffinity label and clickable. This 'all-in-one-clickable' NAADP (AIOC-NAADP) elicited Ca 2+ release when microinjected into cultured human SKBR3 cells at low concentrations. In contrast, it displayed little activity in sea urchin egg homogenates where very high concentrations were required to elicit Ca 2+ release. In mammalian cell homogenates, incubation with low concentrations of [ 32 P]AIOC-NAADP followed by irradiation with UV light resulted in labeling 23 kDa protein(s). Competition between [ 32 P]AIOC-NAADP and increasing concentrations of NAADP demonstrated that the labeling was selective. We show that this label recognizes and selectively photodervatizes the 23 kDa NAADP binding protein(s) in cultured human cells identified in previous studies using [ 32 P]5-N 3 -NAADP., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The second messenger NAADP triggers Ca(2+) release from endo-lysosomes. Although two-pore channels (TPCs) have been proposed to be regulated by NAADP, recent studies have challenged this. By generating the first mouse line with demonstrable absence of both Tpcn1 and Tpcn2 expression (Tpcn1/2(-/-)), we show that the loss of endogenous TPCs abolished NAADP-dependent Ca(2+) responses as assessed by single-cell Ca(2+) imaging or patch-clamp of single endo-lysosomes. In contrast, currents stimulated by PI(3,5)P2 were only partially dependent on TPCs. In Tpcn1/2(-/-) cells, NAADP sensitivity was restored by re-expressing wild-type TPCs, but not by mutant versions with impaired Ca(2+)-permeability, nor by TRPML1. Another mouse line formerly reported as TPC-null likely expresses truncated TPCs, but we now show that these truncated proteins still support NAADP-induced Ca(2+) release. High-affinity [(32)P]NAADP binding still occurs in Tpcn1/2(-/-) tissue, suggesting that NAADP regulation is conferred by an accessory protein. Altogether, our data establish TPCs as Ca(2+)-permeable channels indispensable for NAADP signalling., (© 2015 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.)

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is a Ca(2+) releasing intracellular second messenger in both mammals and echinoderms. We report that large functionalized substituents introduced at the nicotinic acid 5-position are recognized by the sea urchin receptor, albeit with a 20-500-fold loss in agonist potency. 5-(3-Azidopropyl)-NAADP was shown to release Ca(2+) with an EC50 of 31 μM and to compete with NAADP for receptor binding with an IC50 of 56 nM. Attachment of charged groups to the nicotinic acid of NAADP is associated with loss of activity, suggesting that the nicotinate riboside moiety is recognized as a neutral zwitterion. Substituents (Br- and N3-) can be introduced at the 8-adenosyl position of NAADP while preserving high potency and agonist efficacy and an NAADP derivative substituted at both the 5-position of the nicotinic acid and at the 8-adenosyl position was also recognized although the agonist potency was significantly reduced.

Analogues of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) with substitution at either the 4- or the 5-position position of the nicotinic acid moiety have been synthesized from NADP enzymatically using Aplysia californica ADP-ribosyl cyclase or mammalian NAD glycohydrolase. Substitution at the 4-position of the nicotinic acid resulted in the loss of agonist potency for release of Ca(2+)-ions from sea urchin egg homogenates and in potency for competition ligand binding assays using [(32)P]NAADP. In contrast, several 5-substituted NAADP derivatives showed high potency for binding and full agonist activity for Ca(2+) release. 5-Azido-NAADP was shown to release calcium from sea urchin egg homogenates at low concentration and to compete with [(32)P]NAADP in a competition ligand binding assay with an IC(50) of 18 nM, indicating that this compound might be a potential photoprobe useful for specific labeling and identification of the NAADP receptor.

CD38 is a membrane-bound protein involved in the synthesis and degradation of cyclic-ADP-ribose (cADPR). cADPR mobilizes calcium from intracellular stores in airway smooth muscle cells. To determine the role of CD38/cADPR signaling in calcium regulation in human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells, we downregulated CD38 expression using a recombinant replication-defective adenovirus with anti-sense human CD38 (Ad-asCD38). CD38 expression was determined by RT-PCR and real-time quantitative PCR, and ADP-ribosyl cyclase (cyclase) activity was determined by competitive binding assay. In HASM cells infected with Ad-asCD38, TNF-alpha-induced, augmented-CD38 expression and cyclase activity were significantly lower than in TNF-alpha-treated cells. The net intracellular calcium responses to 10 nmol/L bradykinin were measured in HASM cells by fluorescence imaging. In cells infected with Ad-asCD38 in the presence of TNF-alpha, the net intracellular Ca2+ responses were significantly lower than in cells treated with TNF-alpha in the presence of the control vector (p < 0.001). These results provide evidence for the feasibility of using adenoviral vectors for gene transfer to down regulate gene expression, and confirm the role of CD38 in calcium homeostatis in ASM cells.

Analogues of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) incorporating a methylenebisphosphonate linkage in the place of the pyrophosphate have been synthesized from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide analogues enzymatically using Aplysia californica ADP-ribosyl cyclase. Methylenebisphosphonate cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR[CH(2)]) and methylenebisphosphonate cyclic 3-deaza-ADP-ribose (3-deaza-cADPR[CH(2)]) showed full agonist activity for release of Ca(2+) ions from sea urchin egg homogenates. The EC(50) for cADPR[CH(2)] was 856 nM and that for 3-deaza-cADPR[CH(2)] was 300 nM, about 15- and 5-fold less potent than cADPR, respectively.

The contractility of airway smooth muscle cells is dependent on dynamic changes in the concentration of intracellular calcium. Signaling molecules such as inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and cyclic ADP-ribose play pivotal roles in the control of intracellular calcium concentration. Alterations in the processes involved in the regulation of intracellular calcium concentration contribute to the pathogenesis of airway diseases such as asthma. Recent studies have identified cyclic ADP-ribose as a calcium-mobilizing second messenger in airway smooth muscle cells, and modulation of the pathway involved in its metabolism results in altered calcium homeostasis and may contribute to airway hyperresponsiveness. In this review, we describe the basic mechanisms underlying the dynamics of calcium regulation and the role of CD38/cADPR, a novel pathway, in the context of airway smooth muscle function and its contribution to airway diseases such as asthma.

cADP ribose (cADPR)-induced intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) responses were assessed in acutely dissociated adult rat ventricular myocytes using real-time confocal microscopy. In quiescent single myocytes, injection of cADPR (0.1-10 microM) induced sustained, concentration-dependent [Ca(2+)](i) responses ranging from 50 to 500 nM, which were completely inhibited by 20 microM 8-amino-cADPR, a specific blocker of the cADPR receptor. In myocytes displaying spontaneous [Ca(2+)](i) waves, increasing concentrations of cADPR increased wave frequency up to approximately 250% of control. In electrically paced myocytes (0.5 Hz, 5-ms duration), cADPR increased the amplitude of [Ca(2+)](i) transients in a concentration-dependent fashion, up to 150% of control. Administration of 8-amino-cADPR inhibited both spontaneous waves as well as [Ca(2+)](i) responses to electrical stimulation, even in the absence of exogenous cADPR. However, subsequent [Ca(2+)](i) responses to 5 mM caffeine were only partially inhibited by 8-amino-cADPR. In contrast, even under conditions where ryanodine receptor (RyR) channels were blocked with ryanodine, high cADPR concentrations still induced an [Ca(2+)](i) response. These results indicate that in cardiac myocytes, cADPR induces Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum through both RyR channels and via mechanisms independent of RyR channels.

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) is a universal second messenger that regulates many calcium-related cellular events by releasing calcium from intracellular stores. Since these events include enhanced cell proliferation and since the bone marrow harbors both ectoenzymes that generate cADPR from NAD(+) (CD38 and BST-1), we investigated the effects of extracellular cADPR on human hemopoietic progenitors (HP). Exposure of HP to 100 microM cADPR for 24 h induced a significant increase in colony output (P<0.01) and colony size (P<0.003). A horizontal expansion of HP, as demonstrated by a markedly increased replating efficiency in semisolid medium (up to 700 times compared to controls), was also observed, indicating that cADPR priming can affect cell growth for multiple generations over several weeks after exposure. Influx of extracellular cADPR into the cells was demonstrated, and a causal relationship between the functional effects and the increase of intracellular free calcium concentration induced by cADPR on HP was established through the use of specific antagonists. Similar effects on HP were produced by nanomolar concentrations of the nonhydrolyzable cADPR analog 3-deaza-cADPR. These data demonstrate that extracellular cADPR behaves as a cytokine enhancing the proliferation of human HP, a finding that may have biomedical applications for the ex vivo expansion of hemopoietic cells.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) acts as a second messenger for Ca2+ release through ryanodine receptor (RyR) channels in tracheal smooth muscle (TSM). Freshly dissociated porcine TSM cells were permeabilized with beta-escin, and real-time confocal microscopy was used to examine changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). cADPR (10 nM-10 microM) induced a dose-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i, which was blocked by the cADPR receptor antagonist 8-amino-cADPR (20 microM) and by the RyR blockers ruthenium red (10 microM) and ryanodine (10 microM), but not by the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor blocker heparin (0.5 mg/ml). During steady-state [Ca2+]i oscillations induced by acetylcholine (ACh), addition of 100 nM and 1 microM cADPR increased oscillation frequency and decreased peak-to-trough amplitude. ACh-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations were blocked by 8-amino-cADPR; however, 8-amino-cADPR did not block the [Ca2+]i response to a subsequent exposure to caffeine. These results indicate that cADPR acts as a second messenger for Ca2+ release through RyR channels in TSM cells and may be necessary for initiating ACh-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations.

1. The sea urchin egg homogenate is an ideal model to characterize Ca2+-release mechanisms because of its reliability and high signal-to-noise-ratio. Apart from the InsP3- and ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+-release mechanisms, it has been recently demonstrated that this model is responsive to a third independent mechanism, that has the pyridine nucleotide, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), as an endogenous agonist. 2. The sea urchin egg homogenate was used to characterize the pharmacological and biochemical characteristics of the novel Ca2+-releasing agent, NAADP, compared to inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) and cyclic ADP ribose (cyclic ADPR), an endogenous activator of ryanodine receptors. 3. NAADP-induced Ca2+-release was blocked by L-type Ca2+-channel blockers and by Bay K 8644, while InsP3- and cyclic ADPR-induced Ca2+-release were insensitive to these agents. L-type Ca2+-channel blockers did not displace [32P]-NAADP binding, suggesting that their binding site was different. Moreover, stopped-flow kinetic studies revealed that these agents blocked NAADP in a all-or-none fashion. 4. Similarly, a number of K+-channel antagonists blocked NAADP-induced Ca2+-release selectively over InsP3- and cyclic ADPR-induced Ca2+-release. Radioligand studies showed that these agents were not competitive antagonists. 5. As has been shown for InsP3 and ryanodine receptors, NAADP receptors were sensitive to calmodulin antagonists, suggesting that this protein could be a common regulatory feature of intracellular Ca2+-release mechanisms. 6. The presence of K+ was not essential for NAADP-induced Ca2+-release, since substitution of K+ with other monovalent cations in the experimental media did not significantly alter Ca2+ release by NAADP. On the contrary, cyclic ADPR and InsP3-sensitive mechanisms were affected profoundly, although to a different extent depending on the monovalent cation which substituted for K+. Similarly, modifications of the pH in the experimental media from 7.2 to 6.7 or 8.0 only slightly affected NAADP-induced Ca2+-release. While the alkaline condition permitted InsP3 and cyclic ADPR-induced Ca2+-release, the acidic condition completely hampered both Ca2+-release mechanisms. 7. The present results characterize pharmacologically and biochemically the novel Ca2+-release mechanism sensitive to NAADP. Such characterization will help future research aimed at understanding the role of NAADP in mammalian systems.

Mobilization of internal Ca+2 is an important signaling mechanism in cells. In addition to the inositol trisphosphate pathway, cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NAADP) have been shown to mobilize Ca+2 via independent mechanisms. Although the structures of cADPR and NAADP are totally distinct, both nucleotides can be synthesized by ADP-ribosyl cyclase or CD38, a lymphocyte antigen. Both enzymes cyclize NAD to cADPR. In the presence of nicotinic acid the two enzymes catalyze a base exchange reaction resulting in the synthesis of NAADP from NADP. The switch between these two modes of catalysis is regulated by pH. Furthermore, both enzymes can also cyclize nicotinamide guanine dinucleotide (NGD) to produce a fluorescent product, cyclic GDP-ribose (cGDPR), which has a site of cyclization different from cADPR. A model is proposed to account for the multi-functionality of these enzymes. In order to be able to verify the model, a soluble ADP-ribosyl cyclase has been crystallized and X-ray diffraction shows that it is a dimer. Solution of the crystal structure of the cyclase should provide valuable insight into the structural features necessary for its multiple catalytic functions.

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP+) is a recently identified metabolite of NADP+ that is as potent as inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) in mobilizing intracellular Ca2+ in sea urchin eggs and microsomes (Clapper, D. L., Walseth, T. F., Dargie, P. J., and Lee, H. C. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 9561-9568; Lee, H. C., and Aarhus, R. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 2152-2157). The mechanism of Ca2+ release activated by NAADP+ and the Ca2+ stores it acts on are different from those of IP3 and cADPR. In this study we show that photolyzing caged NAADP+ in intact sea urchin eggs elicits long term Ca2+ oscillations. On the other hand, uncaging threshold amounts of NAADP+ produces desensitization. In microsomes, this self-inactivation mechanism exhibits concentration and time dependence. Binding studies show that the NAADP+ receptor is distinct from that of cADPR, and at subthreshold concentrations, NAADP+ can fully inactivate subsequent binding to the receptor in a time-dependent manner. Thus, the NAADP+-sensitive Ca2+ release process has novel regulatory characteristics, which are distinguishable from Ca2+ release mediated by either IP3 or cADPR. This battery of release mechanisms may provide the necessary versatility for cells to respond to diverse signals that lead to Ca2+ mobilization.

Cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR) is a potent endogenous calcium-mobilizing agent synthesized from beta-NAD+ by ADP-ribosyl cyclases in sea urchin eggs and in several mammalian cells (Galione, A., and White, A. (1994) Trends Cell Biol. 4, 431 436). Pharmacological studies suggest that cADPR is an endogenous modulator of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release mediated by ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ release channels. An unresolved question is whether cADPR can act as a Ca2+-mobilizing intracellular messenger. We show that exogenous application of nitric oxide (NO) mobilizes Ca2+ from intracellular stores in intact sea urchin eggs and that it releases Ca2+ and elevates cADPR levels in egg homogenates. 8-Amino-cADPR, a selective competitive antagonist of cADPR-mediated Ca2+ release, and nicotinamide, an inhibitor of ADP-ribosyl cyclase, inhibit the Ca2+-mobilizing actions of NO, while, heparin, a competitive antagonist of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor, did not affect NO-induced Ca2+ release. Since the Ca2+-mobilizing effects of NO can be mimicked by cGMP, are inhibited by the cGMP-dependent-protein kinase inhibitor, Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS, and in egg homogenates show a requirement for the guanylyl cyclase substrate, GTP, we suggest a novel action of NO in mobilizing intracellular calcium from microsomal stores via a signaling pathway involving cGMP and cADPR. These results suggest that cADPR has the capacity to act as a Ca2+-mobilizing intracellular messenger.

ADP-ribosyl cyclase catalyzes the cyclization of NAD+ to produce cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), which is emerging as an endogenous regulator of the Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release mechanism in cells. CD38 is a lymphocyte differentiation antigen which has recently been shown to be a bifunctional enzyme that can synthesize cADPR from NAD+ as well as hydrolyze cADPR to ADP-ribose. In this study, we show that both the cyclase and CD38 can also catalyze the exchange of the nicotinamide group of NADP+ with nicotine acid (NA). The product is nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP+), a metabolite we have previously shown to be potent in Ca2+ mobilization (Lee, H. C., and Aarhus, R. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 2152-2157). The switch of the catalysis to the exchange reaction requires acidic pH and NA. The half-maximal effective concentration of NA is about 5 mM for both the cyclase and CD38. In the absence of NA or at neutral pH, the cyclase converts NADP+ to another metabolite, which is identified as cyclic ADP-ribose 2'-phosphate. Under the same conditions, CD38 converts NADP+ to ADP-ribose 2'-phosphate instead, which is the hydrolysis product of cyclic ADP-ribose 2'-phosphate. That two different products of ADP-ribosyl cyclase and CD38, cADPR and NAADP+, are both involved in Ca2+ mobilization suggests a crucial role of these enzymes in Ca2+ signaling.

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) is a naturally-occurring metabolite of NAD+ that is as effective as inositol trisphosphate in mobilizing intracellular Ca2+. A series of analogs modified at the 8-position of the adenine group were synthesized for the investigation of the relationship between the structure of the metabolite and its Ca(2+)-mobilizing activity. Substitution with an amino group at the 8-position of the adenine ring produced an antagonist. The 1H-NMR spectrum of 8-amino-cADPR showed characteristics of that of cADPR and confirmed the replacement of the 8-proton. By itself, 8-amino-cADPR (150 nM) did not induce Ca2+ release from sea-urchin-egg homogenates but totally blocked cADPR (135 nM) from doing so. The effect was reversible, since high concentrations of cADPR could overcome the inhibition. Addition of 8-amino-cADPR to egg homogenates during the cADPR-induced Ca2+ release blocked the release immediately, demonstrating the effectiveness of the antagonist. Measurements of [32P]cADPR binding to its microsomal binding site showed that 8-amino-cADPR was as effective as cADPR itself in competing for the binding site. In addition to blocking cADPR from releasing Ca2+, 8-amino-cADPR also inhibited cADPR from potentiating Ca(2+)-release induced by either divalent cations or by caffeine. Two other 8-substituted analogs were also synthesized. Both 8-Br- and 8-azido-cADPR were also antagonists, although with less potency than 8-amino-cADPR. These results show that alterations at the 8-position of the adenine group do not inhibit cADPR from binding to its receptor but do eliminate the ability of the metabolite to activate the Ca(2+)-release mechanism.

Fertilization is accompanied by a transient increase in the concentration of intracellular Ca2+, which serves as a signal for initiating development. Some of the Ca2+ appears to be released from intracellular stores by the binding of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) to its receptor. However, in sea urchin eggs, other mechanisms appear to participate. Cyclic adenosine diphosphate--ribose (cADPR), a naturally occurring metabolite of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is as potent as IP3 in mobilizing Ca2+ in sea urchin eggs. Experiments with antagonists of the cADPR and IP3 receptors revealed that both Ca2+ mobilizing systems were activated during fertilization. Blockage of either of the systems alone was not sufficient to prevent the sperm-induced Ca2+ transient. This study provides direct evidence for a physiological role of cADPR in the Ca2+ signaling process.

Incubation of NAD+ with extracts from sea urchin eggs resulted in production of a metabolite which could mobilize intracellular Ca2+ stores of the eggs. In this study we present structural evidence indicating that the metabolite is a cyclized ADP-ribose having an N-glycosyl linkage between the anomeric carbon of the terminal ribose unit and the N6-amino group of the adenine moiety. In view of this structure we propose cyclic ADP-ribose as the common name for the metabolite. The purification procedure for the metabolite consisted of deproteinizing the incubated egg extracts and sequentially chromatographing the extracts through three different high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns. The homogeneity of the purified metabolite was further verified by HPLC on a Partisil 5 SAX column. Using radioactive precursor NAD+ with label at various positions it was demonstrated that the metabolite was indeed derived from NAD+ and that the adenine ring as well as the adenylate alpha-phosphate were retained in the metabolite whereas the nicotinamide group was removed. This was confirmed by 1H NMR and two-dimensional COSY experiments, which also allowed the identification of all 12 protons on the two ribosyl units as well as the two protons on the adenine ring. From the chemical shifts of the two anomeric protons it was concluded that the C-1 carbons of both ribosyl units were still bonded to nitrogen. The positive and negative ion fast atom bombardment mass spectra showed (M + Na)+, (M - H + 2Na)+, (M - H)-, and (M - 2H + Na)- peaks at m/z 564, 586, 540, and 562, respectively. Exact mass measurements indicated a molecular weight of 540.0526 for (M - H)-. This together with the constraints imposed by the results from NMR, radioactive labeling, and total phosphate determination uniquely specified a molecular composition of C15H21N5O13P2. Analysis by 1H NMR and mass spectroscopy of the only major breakdown product of the metabolite after prolonged incubation at room temperature established that it was ADP-ribose, thus providing strong support for the cyclic structure.

Inositol trisphosphate (IP3) was previously shown to release Ca2+ from a nonmitochondrial store in sea urchin eggs. In this study, egg homogenates and purified microsomes were monitored with either fura 2 or Ca2+-sensitive minielectrodes to determine whether other stimuli would induce Ca2+ release. Pyridine nucleotides (whose concentrations are known to change at fertilization) were found to release nearly as much Ca2+ as did IP3. Average releases/ml of homogenate were: 0.6 microM IP3, 10.9 nmol of Ca2+; 50 microM NADP, 7.3 nmol of Ca2+; and 100 microM NAD, 6.5 nmol of Ca2+ (n = 6). Specificity was demonstrated by screening a series of other phosphorylated metabolites, and none was found to reproducibly release Ca2+. Calcium release induced by IP3 or NADP was immediate, whereas a lag of 1-4 min occurred with NAD. This lag before NAD-induced Ca2+ release led to the discovery that a soluble egg factor (Mr greater than 100,000) converts NAD into a highly active metabolite that releases Ca2+ without a lag. The NAD metabolite (E-NAD) was purified to homogeneity by high pressure liquid chromatography and produced half-maximal Ca2+ release at about 40 nM. Injection of E-NAD into intact eggs produced both an increase in intracellular Ca2+ (as assayed with indo-1) and a cortical reaction. Following Ca2+ release by each of the active agents (IP3, NAD, and NADP), the homogenates resequestered the released Ca2+ but were desensitized to further addition of the same agent. A series of desensitization experiments showed that homogenates desensitized to any two of these agents still responded to the third, indicating the presence of three independent Ca2+ release mechanisms. This is further supported by experiments using Percoll density gradient centrifugation in which NADP-sensitive microsomes were partially separated from those sensitive to IP3 and NAD.

Excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle is known to be under absolute control of plasmalemma voltage, but the steps from transverse (T)-tubule depolarization to Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum have not been elucidated. The effect of changing T-tubule membrane potential on inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) stimulation of Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum was studied to explore a possible role for InsP3 as a chemical signal in excitation-contraction coupling. InsP3 was microinjected into peeled rabbit skeletal muscle fibers at a pipette concentration of 0.5 microM; Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum was monitored as an isometric tension transient. The response to 0.5 microM InsP3 was significantly larger when T-tubules were in a depolarized state than when they were in a polarized state, and this difference in response was independent of the ionic composition of the bathing solutions or the method for depolarizing the T-tubules. Thus, T-tubule depolarization may sensitize the sarcoplasmic reticulum to a preexisting low concentration of InsP3 and greatly reduce the need for InsP3 production. Plasmalemma voltage control of the stimulatory effects of InsP3 may have relevance for mechanisms in excitable nonmuscle cells.

The effects of inositol phosphates (tris (InsP3), bis (InsP2), mono (InsP)) on rabbit adductor magnus and soleus muscles were determined using mechanically peeled fibers (sarcolemma removed). Isometric force generation of each fiber was continuously monitored and was used along with 45Ca to detect calcium release from internal fiber stores. All experiments were conducted at a physiological Mg2+ concentration (10(-3) M) of the bathing solutions. The inositol phosphates did not directly activate the contractile apparatus. At bath concentrations of 100-300 microM, only InsP3 was capable of stimulating Ca2+ release. In contrast, 1 microM InsP3 maximally and selectively stimulated Ca2+ release when microinjected into the myofilament lattice. Calcium releasing effects of InsP2 and InsP were manifested at 10 microM when they were microinjected. The end-to-end internal Ca2+ release and subsequent fiber force generation stimulated by the locally applied microinjected InsP3 suggests that the InsP3-induced Ca2+ release mechanism may involve propagation, but not via the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release, since procaine did not inhibit this response. These findings support the possibility that InsP3 plays a role in skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling.

The dynamics and compartmental characteristics of cAMP metabolism were examined by 18O labeling of cellular adenine nucleotide alpha phosphoryls in rat parotid gland stimulated to secrete with beta-adrenergic and cholinergic agents. The secretory response occurred in association with a rapidly increased rate of cAMP hydrolysis apparently coordinated with an equivalent increase in the rate of cAMP synthesis, since the cellular concentration of cAMP remained unchanged. The magnitude of this metabolic response was equivalent to the metabolism of 10-75 times the cellular content of cAMP within the first minute of stimulation. This increased metabolic rate occurred only during the early (1-3 min) period of stimulation, in what appeared to be an exclusive cellular compartment distinguished by a unique distribution of 18O among adenine nucleotide alpha phosphoryls. This 18O distribution contrasted with that produced by forskolin, which increased cellular cAMP concentration and elicited only a delayed response missing the early secretory component. The early acceleration of cAMP metabolism appeared linked to a stimulus-induced increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, since the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin produced the same metabolic response in association with secretion. These observations suggest that cAMP metabolism is involved in stimulus-secretion coupling by a Ca2+-linked mechanism different from that in which cAMP plays the role of a second messenger.