Effects of lithium on basal and modulated activities of the particulate and soluble guanylate cyclases in retinal rod outer segments.

A large amount of information regarding the kinetics of biochemical reactions involved in visual transduction was derived from electrophysiological studies on dark-adapted rod outer segments. Hodgkin et al. [(1985) J. Physiol. 358, 447-468] observed that when Na was replaced with Li in the perfusion solution bathing the rod outer segment, the dark current slowly declined to zero. This decline was thought to result from a rise in intracellular calcium which was hypothesized to inhibit guanylate cyclase activity and reduce the cyclic GMP concentration. Rod outer segments contain membrane and soluble guanylate cyclase activities, and we show here that Li directly inhibits both types of activities very strongly. Both the basal (at high calcium) and the stimulated (at low calcium) activities of the membrane enzyme were inhibited by Li. Half-maximal inhibition of the stimulated enzyme was at 30 mM Li while for the basal activity it was at 100 mM. Over 80% of the activated enzyme was inhibited at 110 mM Li. The soluble guanylate cyclase activity was stimulated by nitroprusside. One hundred millimolar Li inhibited the basal activity by 20-30%, but the inhibition of the nitroprusside-stimulated (soluble) enzyme was much stronger, resembling that of the activated membrane enzyme. Half-maximal inhibition occurred at 30 mM, and about 80% inhibition was found at 100 mM Li. Stimulation of the soluble enzyme by nitroprusside was independent of calcium in the physiological range. The inhibition of the stimulated enzyme by Li was similarly independent of calcium, except at unphysiologically high concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)