The effect of ATP, GTP and cAMP on the cGMP-dependent conductance of the fragments from frog rod plasma membrane.

Using a 'patch-clamp' method in the 'inside-out' configuration, ATP, ADP, AMP-PCP and AMP-PNP have been shown to increase the cGMP-dependent component of the rod plasma membrane conductance 2-4-fold and GTP, GDP but not GMP or nonhydrolyzable GTP analogs GMP-PNP and GTP-gamma-S to abolish the ATP action. The ATP and GTP effects were observed at [EDTA] = 1 mM when magnesium and calcium ions were absent. In about half of the experiments the cGMP-dependent conductance was shown to be increased by cAMP in the micromolar concentration range by 10-50%, the cAMP action did not depend on the presence of nucleoside triphosphates. In vivo ATP, GTP and cAMP are assumed to modulate the sensitivity of the photoreceptor plasma membrane to cGMP.