Voltage-activated Ca2+ channel currents were recorded from cultured rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones using the whole-cell clamp technique with Ba2+ as the charge carrier. 2. Inclusion of the GTP analogue guanosine 5'-O-3-thiotriphosphate (GTP-gamma-S, 500 microM) or guanylylimidodiphosphate (GMP-PNP, 500 microM) or GTP itself (1 mM) in the patch pipette solution resulted in a smaller, slowly activating Ca2+ channel current which did not inactivate during a 100 ms voltage step. This current was inhibited by CdCl2 (10-100 microM) and omega-conotoxin (1 microM). 3. Nifedipine (5 microM), (-)-(R)-201-791 (5 microM), D600 (10 microM), and diltiazem (30 microM) inhibited Ca2+ channel currents recorded from control neurones, although in some cells a biphasic response was observed, with an initial increase preceding the inhibition of the currents. In the presence of internal GTP-gamma-S, at a holding potential (VH) of -80 mV, only potentiation of the Ca2+ channel current was observed in the presence of all three Ca2+ channel ligands. Internal GMP-PNP, while less effective than GTP-gamma-S, also resulted in D600 showing an agonist response. Similarly, in the presence of internal GTP (1 mM), (-)-(R)-202-791 gave a prolonged agonist response. 4. Nifedipine, whether acting as an antagonist in control cells or as an agonist in GTP-gamma-S-containing cells, induced a shift to more hyperpolarized potentials of the steady-state inactivation curves. 5. Potentiation of Ca2+ channel currents induced by D600 in GTP-gamma-S-containing cells, was not observed when the neurones were pre-treated with pertussis toxin. The presence of internal GDP-beta-S (500 microM) did not significantly alter the maximum inhibitory action of D600 compared with controls. However, 1 mM-GDP-beta-S increased the rate of onset of inhibition by (-)-(R)-202-791. 6. Depolarizing VH to -30 mV accelerated the onset of inhibition induced by the Ca2+ channel ligands in control cells. In the presence of internal GTP-gamma-S at VH -30 mV, biphasic responses were produced by all the Ca2+ channel antagonist ligands with initial stimulation for 1-2 min being followed by inhibition of the Ca2+ channel currents. 7. The agonist actions of (+)-(S)-202-791 were potentiated by the presence of internal GTP-gamma-S. 8. The expression of an agonist response to (-)-(R)-202-791 induced by internal GTP-gamma-S was also present in sympathetic neurones cultured from adult rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
