Behavior of intracellular cyclic nucleotide and calcium in pentylenetetrazole-induced bursting activity in snail neurons.

To elucidate the intracellular mechanism of the bursting activity which is characteristic of seizure discharge, the behavior of the intracellular cyclic nucleotide and the intracellular calcium during pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced bursting activity in snail neurons was investigated. Cyclic AMP was increased about 3-fold by the incubation of ganglia with PTZ. The effect of PTZ on phosphodiesterase activity measured using either cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP as substrate showed a slight increase in cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity. The release of calcium from the lysosome fraction was increased by the incubation of ganglia with dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Protein kinase activity was stimulated by the incubation of ganglia with PTZ. Adenylate cyclase activity was stimulated by the incubation of ganglia with PTZ. These findings suggest that PTZ-induced bursting activity in snail neurons is initiated by an intracellular increase of cyclic AMP, which promotes calcium release from lysosomes and induces protein kinase activation.