Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 9, 1683-1692, Copyright © 1989 by Society for Neuroscience
Opiate and peptide inhibition of transmitter release in parasympathetic nerve terminals
DB Gray, GR Pilar and MJ Ford
Department of Physiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06268.
Somatostatin, morphine, and opioids inhibit transmitter release at intact
neuromuscular junctions between ciliary ganglion neurons and the choroidal
smooth muscle of the chick eye. Somatostatin and morphine, however, have no
effect on release from terminals on the striated muscle target of the
ciliary ganglion, the iris. In neuronal terminals of both the choroid and
the iris, a high-affinity Na+-dependent choline uptake-mediated ACh
synthesis is present at hatching. Both tissues exhibit a basal release of
3H-ACh which is potentiated severalfold during a 5 minute incubation in 55
mM K+ Tyrodes. Fifty percent of the basal release and 100% of the
stimulated release are Ca2+ dependent and probably mediated through N-like
voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Co- incubation of the choroid with 10
microM morphine sulfate blocks approximately 90% of the stimulated release.
The same effect is seen with 100 nM somatostatin, 10 microM dynorphin, and
100 microM met- enkephalin arginine phenylalanine. Preincubation of the
excised choroid with pertussis toxin (200 ng/ml) reverses the inhibitory
effects of both morphine and somatostatin. In contrast, 3H-ACh release from
terminals in the striated iris is not affected by either morphine or
somatostatin at micromolar levels. These results suggest that both opiate
and somatostatin receptors are present in the choroid target and that they
may act through a final common pathway to modulate ACh release via G
proteins. Second messengers such as cyclic AMP or diacylglycerol do not
appear to mediate these effects; neither increasing cAMP levels in
terminals nor activation of protein kinase C affects evoked release or its
inhibition by morphine or other neuromodulators. It is unclear whether
endogenous neuromodulation occurs in this system, although
somatostatin-like immunoreactivity can be demonstrated in terminals of
choroid neurons.