Neuropharmacological Characterization of Voltage-Sensitive Calcium Channels: Possible Existence of Neomycin-Sensitive, ω-Conotoxin GVIA- and Dihydropyridines-Resistant Calcium Channels in the Rat Brain

We attempted to characterize the functional roles of subtypes of voltage-sensitive calcium channels in the brain. The maximal number of [125I]omega-conotoxin GVIA (omega-CTX) binding sites in rat brain associated with N-type calcium channels (N-channels) was approximately 10 times more than that of [3H]-PN200-110 associated with L-type calcium channels (L-channels). [125I]omega-CTX binding was inhibited by aminoglycoside antibiotics, neomycin and dynorphin A(1-13), but not by various classes of L-channel antagonists. A 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesion of the striatum resulted in a marked reduction of both [125I]-omega-CTX and [3H]PN200-110 binding. Kainic acid-induced lesion of the striatum reduced [3H]PN200-110 binding by 57%, but did not reduce [125I]omega-CTX binding. Omega-CTX produced a small (18%) but significant reduction of potassium-stimulated Ca2+ influx into rat brain synaptosomes, although it produced a concentration-dependent inhibition in chick brain synaptosomes. Neomycin inhibited Ca2+ influx in both preparations in a concentration-dependent manner. Both omega-CTX and neomycin inhibited potassium-stimulated [3H]dopamine (DA) release from rat striatal slices. The L-channel antagonists had no effect on either Ca2+ influx or [3H]DA release. These results suggest that DA release in the striatum is regulated by Ca2+ influx through N-channels located in presynaptic nerve terminals, and that the most of the Ca2+ influx in rat brain appears to be governed by neomycin-sensitive, omega-CTX- and DHP-resistant calcium channels.