Control of enzyme secretion by non-cholinergic, non-adrenergic nerves in guinea pig pancreas

Depolarization of pancreatic cells by exposure to high potassium solutions is associated with release of amylase. In the guinea pig, but not the mouse or cat, this Ca-dependent amylase secretion is resistant to atropine blockade 1–4 , thus Scheele and Haymovits 3,4 concluded that the enzyme secretio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1981-03, Vol.290 (5803), p.259-261
Main Authors: Pearson, G.T, Davison, J.S, Collins, R.C, Petersen, O.H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetylcholine - pharmacology
Amylases - metabolism
animal physiology
Animals
Atropine - pharmacology
Calcium - metabolism
Ceruletide - pharmacology
Electric Stimulation
Guinea Pigs
Humanities and Social Sciences
letter
Membrane Potentials
multidisciplinary
Neurons - physiology
Pancreas - enzymology
Pancreas - innervation
Potassium - pharmacology
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Tetrodotoxin - pharmacology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Depolarization of pancreatic cells by exposure to high potassium solutions is associated with release of amylase. In the guinea pig, but not the mouse or cat, this Ca-dependent amylase secretion is resistant to atropine blockade 1–4 , thus Scheele and Haymovits 3,4 concluded that the enzyme secretion evoked by K depolarization does not involve release of transmitter from intrapancreatic nerves but is a consequence of Ca uptake into acinar cells mediated by the membrane depolarization. This hypothesis is inconsistent with current concepts of stimulus–secretion coupling in electrically non-excitable cells 5 . The observation of Scheele and Haymovits could, however, also be explained by the release of a non-cholinergic, secretomotor transmitter as a consequence of the depolarization of intrapancreatic nerves. By adapting the technique of electrical field stimulation of isolated pancreatic segments 6,7 to our studies of amylase secretion, we have now been able to demonstrate both cholinergic and non-cholinergic, non-adrenergic secretomotor nerves in the guinea pig pancreas. Excitation of the non-cholinergic nerves stimulates amylase secretion by a different intracellular coupling mechanism from that activated by cholinergic nerves or by peptides belonging to the cholecystokinin, gastrin or bombesin families 8 .
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/290259a0