The cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit selectively enhances calcium currents in rat nodose neurones.

1. The whole-cell variation of the patch clamp technique was used to study the effect of the purified catalytic subunit of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (A kinase catalytic subunit: AK-C) on the calcium current components of acutely dissociated rat nodose ganglion neurones. 2. The transient low-threshold calcium current component (T) was stable during whole-cell recording. In contrast, currents containing the transient high-threshold (N) and slowly inactivating high-threshold (L) current components declined steadily after stabilization of the currents during the first 5-7 min of recording. When AK-C was included in the recording pipette at physiological concentrations (50 micrograms/ml, approximately 1 microM), currents containing the N- and L-components increased in magnitude beginning 7-9 min after patch rupture, but there was no effect on the isolated T-current. The current-voltage relation of the T-current component was similar to controls, but the current-voltage relation for the N- and L-current components was shifted slightly to more depolarized clamp potentials (Vc), approximately 10 mV. 3. The effect of AK-C on currents containing the N- and L-currents was concentration dependent. There was no effect of 0.1 microgram/ml AK-C, the lowest concentration tested. Currents evoked from holding potentials (Vh) = -80 mV increased 5-10% during a 20 min recording in the presence of 1 microgram/ml AK-C and 30-35% in the presence of 50 micrograms/ml AK-C. In contrast, currents evoked from Vh = -40 mV increased 5-10% in the presence of either 1 or 50 micrograms/ml AK-C. The increase in current magnitude was associated with an increased rate of current inactivation and was evident particularly in currents evoked from Vh = -80 mV. 4. These effects were blocked by prior incubation of AK-C (1 microgram/ml) with a specific peptide inhibitor (protein kinase inhibitor peptide, PKIP; 0.2 mg/ml). 5. We evoked calcium currents using very long (1 s) voltage commands and modelled the traces using a multiexponential function in order to determine the effects of AK-C on the N- and L-current components. The (curve-fitted) N- and L-current components each declined approximately 50% during a 20 min recording in control neurones.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)