Adenosine effects upon the spontaneous quantal transmitter release at the frog neuromuscular junction in the presence of protein kinase C-blocking and -activating agents

Abstract

This paper gives experimental evidence involving protein kinase C (PKC) in the inhibitory effects of adenosine (ADO) upon the spontaneous transmitter release at the frog neuromuscular junction. In the presence of two PKC inhibitors--polymyxin B (5 x 10(-6) mol/l) and H-7 (10(-5) mol/l), both adenosine (5 x 10(-5) mol/l) and its stable analogue 1-PIA (5 x 10(-8) mol/l), significantly increased the rate of the spontaneous release of acetylcholine quanta. Even when PKC was activated with OAG (5 x 10(-6) mol/l) or TPA (162 x 10(-9) mol/l) and quantal release was increased greatly, ADO still inhibited release. ADO deaminase increased the PKC-induced activation of the transmitter release significantly.