Inhibition of the Aplysia sensory neuron calcium current with dopamine and serotonin

The inhibition of Aplysia pleural mechanosensory neuron synapses by dopamine and serotonin through activation of endogenous dopaminergic and expressed 5-HT1Apl(a)/b receptors, respectively, involves a reduction in action potential-associated calcium influx. We show that the inhibition of synaptic efficacy is downstream of the readily releasable pool, suggesting that inhibition is at the level of calcium secretion coupling, likely a result of the changes in the calcium current. Indeed, the inhibitory responses directly reduce a Ca(V)2-like calcium current in isolated sensory neurons. The inhibition of the calcium current is voltage independent as it is not affected by a strong depolarizing prepulse, consistent with other invertebrate Ca(V)2 calcium currents. Similar to voltage-independent inhibition of vertebrate nociceptors, inhibition was blocked with Src tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The data suggest a conserved mechanism by which G protein-coupled receptor activation can inhibit the Ca(V)2 calcium current in nociceptive neurons.