Extracellular ATP stimulates inositol phospholipid turnover and calcium influx in C6 glioma cells.

Extracellular ATP caused a dose-dependent accumulation of inositol phosphates and a rise in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in C6 glioma cells with an EC50 of 60 +/- 4 and 10 +/- 5 microM, respectively. The threshold concentration of ATP (3 microM) for increasing [Ca2+]i was approximately 10-fold less than that for stimulating phosphoinositide (PI) turnover. The PI response showed a preference for ATP; ADP was about 3-fold less potent than ATP but had a comparable maximal stimulation (11-fold of the control). AMP and adenosine were without effect at concentrations up to 1 mM. ATP-stimulated PI metabolism was found to be partially dependent on extracellular Ca2+ and Na+ but was resistant to tetrodotoxin, saxitoxin, amiloride, ouabain, and inorganic blockers of Ca2+ channels (Co2+, Mn2+, La3+, or Cd2+). In Ca(2+)-free medium, ATP caused only a transient increase in [Ca2+]i as opposed to a sustained [Ca2+]i increase in normal medium. The ATP-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i was resistant to Na+ depletion and treatment with saxitoxin, verapamil and nisoldipine, but was attenuated by La3+. The differences in the characteristics of ATP-caused P1 hydrolysis and [Ca2+]i rise suggest that ATP receptors are independently coupled to phospholipase C and receptor-gated Ca2+ channels. Because of the robust effect of ATP in stimulating PI turnover and the apparent absence of P1-purinergic receptors, the C6 glioma cell line provides a useful model for investigating the transmembrane signalling pathway induced by extracellular ATP. The mechanisms underlying the unexpected finding of [Na+]o dependency for ATP-induced PI turnover require further investigation.