Sinusoidal oscillations in intracellular calcium requiring negative feedback by protein kinase C.

Stimulation of mouse lacrimal acinar cells with submaximal concentrations of the muscarinic agonist, methacholine, resulted in an increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i), which took the form of sinusoidal oscillations. These oscillations were relatively constant (approximately 4-5/min) regardless of the methacholine concentration, suggesting that the oscillations arise from an oscillating negative feedback in the signal transduction pathway. This negative feedback appears to involve oscillations in protein kinase C activity because the oscillations were prevented by activation, inhibition, or down-regulation of protein C. Activation of protein kinase C with phorbol esters inhibited the methacholine-induced [Ca2+]i signal and formation of the Ca2+ mobilizing messenger, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. [Ca2+]i signals elicited by intracellular introduction of inositol phosphates did not oscillate and were not affected by activators or inhibitors of protein kinase C. Thus, the constant frequency [Ca2+]i oscillations appear to result from a negative feedback loop involving inhibition of inositol trisphosphate production by protein kinase C.