Reconstituted slow muscarinic inhibition of neuronal (CaV1.2c) L-type Ca2+ channels

Ca2+ influx through L-type channels is critical for numerous physiological functions. Relatively little is known about modulation of neuronal L-type Ca2+ channels. We studied modulation of neuronal Ca(v)1.2c channels heterologously expressed in HEK293 cells with each of the known muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes. Galphaq/11-coupled M1, M3, and M5 receptors each produced robust inhibition of Ca(v)1.2c, whereas Galphai/o-coupled M2 and M4 receptors were ineffective. Channel inhibition through M1 receptors was studied in detail and was found to be kinetically slow, voltage-independent, and pertussis toxin-insensitive. Slow inhibition of Cav1.2c was blocked by coexpressing RGS2 or RGS3T or by intracellular dialysis with antibodies directed against Galphaq/11. In contrast, inhibition was not reduced by coexpressing betaARK1ct or Galphat. These results indicate that slow inhibition required signaling by Galphaq/11, but not Gbetagamma, subunits. Slow inhibition did not require Ca2+ transients or Ca2+ influx through Ca(v)1.2c channels. Additionally, slow inhibition was insensitive to pharmacological inhibitors of phospholipases, protein kinases, and protein phosphatases. Intracellular BAPTA prevented slow inhibition via a mechanism other than Ca2+ chelation. The cardiac splice-variant of Ca(v)1.2 (Ca(v)1.2a) and a splice-variant of the neuronal/neuroendocrine Ca(v)1.3 channel also appeared to undergo slow muscarinic inhibition. Thus, slow muscarinic inhibition may be a general characteristic of L-type channels having widespread physiological significance.