Nuclear calcium signaling by inositol trisphosphate in GH3 pituitary cells

It has been proposed that nuclear and cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]N and [Ca2+]C) may be regulated independently. We address here the issue of whether inositol trisphosphate (IP3) can, bypassing changes of [Ca2+]C, produce direct release of Ca2+ into the nucleoplasm. We have used targeted aequorins to selectively measure and compare the changes in [Ca2+]C and [Ca2+]N induced by IP3 in GH3 pituitary cells. Heparin, an IP3 inhibitor that does not permeate the nuclear pores, abolished the [Ca2+]C peaks but inhibited only partly the [Ca2+]N peaks. The permeant inhibitor 2-aminoethoxy-diphenyl-borate (2-APB) blocked both responses. Removal of ATP also inhibited more strongly the [Ca2+]C than [Ca2+]N pe…