Regulation of synthesis of the neurosecretory egg-laying hormone of Aplysia: antagonistic roles of calcium and cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate.

The potential role of cyclic nucleotides and calcium as regulators of neuropeptide biosynthesis was examined in the bag cell neurons of Aplysia, which produce and secrete a peptide egg-laying hormone (ELH). Elevated external potassium, which stimulates ELH biosynthesis, increased bag cell cAMP levels when assayed in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Dopamine and serotonin, which increase bag cell cAMP levels, both stimulated ELH synthesis, as did the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine, the specific adenylate cyclase activator forskolin, and the phosphodiesterase-resistant cAMP analogue 8-benzylthio-cAMP. The stimulatory effect on peptide biosynthesis appears to be specific for cAMP, as bag cell cGMP levels were not altered significantly by high potassium or forskolin, and 8-bromo-cGMP did not stimulate ELH synthesis. In contrast to cAMP, intracellular calcium inhibits ELH production: biosynthesis of the peptide was elevated in a 0 Ca2+/EGTA medium and reduced in the presence of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. Synthesis was also elevated in the presence of the calmodulin inhibitor calmidazolium. Treatment of intact bag cells with 0 Ca2+/EGTA or A23187 did not alter cAMP levels significantly, suggesting that calcium exerts its effect on peptide synthesis independently of cAMP. The antagonistic effects of cAMP and calcium on ELH synthesis parallel their effects on bag cell excitability, suggesting that, in these cells, neuropeptide synthesis and secretion are co-regulated by the same intracellular messengers.