Cytosolic free-calcium concentrations in normal pancreatic islet cells. Effect of secretagogues and somatostatin.

We have assessed the effect of somatostatin on glucose-, potassium-, forskolin-, and dibutyryl cAMP-induced changes in cytosolic free [Ca2+] in normal rat pancreatic islet cells with the new Ca2+ indicator fura 2. The cytosolic free [Ca2+] in islet cells incubated with nonstimulatory concentrations of glucose (30 mg/dl) ranged from 54 to 64 nM. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+ (1 mM), glucose (300 mg/dl) rapidly increased the cytosolic free [Ca2+] to a level of 90-110 nM. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, glucose failed to increase the cytosolic free [Ca2+], which remained at a level of 55-60 nM. Somatostatin inhibited glucose-induced increases in cytosolic free [Ca2+] in a dose-dependent manner (maximal inhibition was 34%). Half-maximal inhibition was observed at 10(-9) M somatostatin, which correlated well with somatostatin binding to islet cells (Kd = 2.6 X 10(-10) M). Potassium (50 mM) rapidly increased the cytosolic free [Ca2+] to 110-120 nM, and its effect was not influenced by the presence of somatostatin. Forskolin (20 microM) and dibutyryl cAMP (1 mM) rapidly increased cytosolic free Ca2+ both in the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+. More than 80% of the overall increase in cytosolic free-Ca2+ levels could be accounted for by the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ stores. Somatostatin effectively blocked the forskolin effect (32% inhibition) but not the dibutyryl cAMP-induced effect. Somatostatin appears to inhibit secretagogue-induced increases in cytosolic free [Ca2+] by interfering with cAMP production and probably with Ca2+ transport across the cell membrane.