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Muscarinic signalling affects intracellular calcium concentration during the first cell cycle of sea urchin embryos

Lookup NU author(s): Patrick Harrison, Emeritus Professor Michael Whitaker

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Abstract

The existence of a response to acetylcholine (ACh) and cholinomimetic drugs in sea urchin eggs and zygotes was investigated in two sea urchin species: Paracentrotus lividus and Lytechinus pictus. The calcium sensitive fluorescent probe, Fura-2 dextran, was employed to investigate the regulation of cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) by cholinomimetic drugs in unfertilised and fertilised eggs of both the sea urchin species. Exposure to cholinomimetic agonists/antagonists, either extracellularly or intracellularly, had no effect either on resting [Ca2+]i levels in the unfertilised sea urchin egg, or on the transient [Ca2+]i increase at fertilisation. However, following fertilisation, extracellular application of ACh receptors agonists, such as ACh and carbachol, predominantly muscarinic agonist, but not nicotine, induced a significant increase in [Ca2+]i, which was partially inhibited by atropine. As a consequence of exposure after fertilisation to the agonists of ACh receptors, chromatin structure was transiently affected. The hypothesis is proposed that muscarinic receptors may be involved in the (presumably Ca2+ -dependent) modulation of the nuclear status during the first cell cycles. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Harrison PK, Falugi C, Angelini C, Whitaker MJ

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Cell Calcium

Year: 2002

Volume: 31

Issue: 6

Pages: 289-297

ISSN (print): 0143-4160

ISSN (electronic): 1532-1991

Publisher: Churchill Livingstone

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0143-4160(02)00057-X

DOI: 10.1016/S0143-4160(02)00057-X

PubMed id: 12098218

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