Chromaffin cell calcium channel kinetics measured isotopically through fast calcium, strontium, and barium fluxes.

Fast Ca2+ uptake into K+-depolarized cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells has been isotopically measured in a time scale of 1-10 s. Depolarized cells retained as much as 80-fold 45Ca2+ taken up by resting cells; Ca2+ was not taken up by fibroblasts or endothelial-like cells. Because Ca2+ entry was inhibited by inorganic (La3+, Co2+, Mg2+) and organic (nifedipine) Ca2+ channel antagonists and enhanced by the Ca2+ channel activator Bay-K-8644, it seems clear that Ca2+ gains access to the chromaffin cell cytosol mainly through specific voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Ca2+ uptake evoked by 59 mM K+ was linear during the first 5 s of stimulation and continued to rise at a much slower rate up to 60 s. The rate of Ca2+ entry became steeper as the external [Ca2+] increased; initial rates of Ca2+ uptake varied from 0.06 fmol/cells . s at 0.125 mM Ca2+ to 2.85 fmol/cell . s at 7.5 mM Ca2+. The early 90Sr2+ uptake was linear but faster than Ca2+ uptake and later on was also saturated; 133Ba2+ was taken up still at a much faster rate and was linear for the entire depolarization period (2-60 s). Increased [K+] gradually depolarized chromaffin cells; Ca2+ and Sr2+ uptakes were not apparent below 30 mM K+ but were linear for 30 to 60 mM K+. In contrast, substantial Ba2+ uptake was seen even in K+-free solutions; and in 5.9 mM K+, Ba2+ uptake was as high as Ca2+ uptake obtained in 60 mM K+. Five to ten-second pulses of 45Ca2+, 90Sr2+, or 133Ba2+ given at different times after pre-depolarization of chromaffin cells served to analyze the kinetics of inactivation of the rates of entry of each divalent cation. Inactivation of Ca2+ uptake was faster than Sr2+, and Ba2+ uptake inactivated very little. Neither voltage changes nor Ca2+ ions passing through the channels seems to cause their inactivation; however, experiments aimed to manipulate the levels of internal Ca2+ using the cell-permeable chelator Quin-2 or the ionophore A23187 strongly suggest that intracellular Ca2+ levels determine the rates of inactivation of these channels.