Inhibition by Ca2+ of inositol trisphosphate-mediated Ca2+ liberation: a possible mechanism for oscillatory release of Ca2+.

Light-flash photolysis of caged inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) was used to generate reproducible transients of free InsP3 in Xenopus oocytes, and the resulting liberation of Ca2+ from intracellular stores was monitored by recording Ca2+-activated membrane currents and by use of the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fluo-3. InsP3-mediated Ca2+ release was inhibited by elevating the intracellular free Ca2+ level, either by microinjecting Ca2+ into the cell or by applying conditioning light flashes to liberate Ca2+. This inhibition followed a slow time course, being maximal after about 2 s and subsequently declining over several seconds. Negative feedback of Ca2+ ions on InsP3-mediated Ca2+ liberation may explain the oscillatory release of Ca2+ seen during activation of inositol phospholipid signaling in the oocyte, and the time course of the inhibition is consistent with the period of the oscillations.