Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Intracellular signalling

Receptor-specific messenger oscillations

Nature volume 413, pages 381–382 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

The cytosolic molecule inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) acts as a messenger to link receptors at the cell surface with alterations in calcium concentration inside the cell1, but it is not clear how production of InsP3 is related to the often-complex calcium response2. Here we use a fluorescent biosensor to visualize InsP3 synthesis in individual cells in real time and show that this is periodically switched on and off in a receptor-specific manner. Our findings are consistent with intracellular calcium oscillations being generated by either fluctuating or sustained concentrations of InsP3, which may allow diversity of signalling through the same signal-transduction pathway.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Single-cell imaging of intracellular InsP3 and [Ca2+]i in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing mGlu5a or M3-muscarinic receptors.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Berridge, M. J., Lipp, P. & Bootman, M. D. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 1, 11–21 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Taylor, C. W. & Thorn, P. Curr. Biol. 11, R352–R355 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. De Koninck, P. & Schulman, H. Science 279, 227–230 (1998).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Dolmetsch, R. E., Xu, K. & Lewis, R. S. Nature 392, 933–936 (1998).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Harootunian, A. T., Kao, J. P., Paranjape, S. & Tsien, R. Y. Science 251, 75–78 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bird, G. S., Rossier, M. F., Obie, J. F. & Putney, J. W. Jr. J. Biol. Chem. 268, 8425–8428 (1993).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Thomas, A. P., Bird, G. S., Hajnóczky, G., Robb-Gaspers, L. D. & Putney, J. W. FASEB J. 10, 1505–1517 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hirose, K., Kadowaki, S., Tanabe, M., Takeshima, H. & Iino, M. Science 284, 1527–1530 (1999).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Nash, M. S., Young, K. W., Willars, G. B., Challiss, R. A. & Nahorski, S. R. Biochem. J. 356, 137–142 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. van Der Wal, J., Habets, R., Varnai, P., Balla, T. & Jalink, K. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 15337–15344 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kawabata, S. et al. Nature 383, 89–92 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Petersen, O. H. & Cancela, J. M. Trends Neurosci. 22, 488–494 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Sciences Building, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK

    Mark S. Nash, Kenneth W. Young, R. A. John Challiss & Stefan R. Nahorski

Authors
  1. Mark S. Nash
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kenneth W. Young
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. A. John Challiss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Stefan R. Nahorski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan R. Nahorski.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nash, M., Young, K., John Challiss, R. et al. Receptor-specific messenger oscillations. Nature 413, 381–382 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35096643

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35096643

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing