Cyclic ADP-ribose modulates Ca2+ release channels for activation by physiological Ca2+ entry in bullfrog sympathetic neurons.

Although Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) via ryanodine receptors has been found to occur in intact neurons, little is known about the physiological processes that regulate it. We studied the effects of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) on CICR in cultured bullfrog sympathetic neurons by fura-2 fluorescence recording and patch-clamp techniques. cADPR applied through a patch pipette augmented action potential- or depolarizing pulse-induced rises in intracellular Ca2+ without a change in Ca2+ entry initiating the responses, but not in the presence of ryanodine. Likewise, cADPR enhanced a single or oscillatory rise(s) in intracellular Ca2+ induced by caffeine. These results strongly suggest that cADPR can be an endogenous modulator of ryanodine receptors in neurons.