Calcium Dependence of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide‐Stimulated Cyclic AMP Accumulation in Rat Hippocampal Slices

: Previous work has shown that incubation of hippocampal slices in medium without added calcium markedly attenuates the capacity of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) to elevate cyclic AMP levels. The present studies examined the mechanism that confers calcium dependence on VIP stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation in hippocampal slices. Calcium dependence was apparent immediately on slice preparation and was reversible only if calcium ions were added back very early during slice incubation (within 5 min). The cyclic AMP response to VIP was not abolished by preincubating slices in 100 μM adenosine, suggesting that calcium‐dependent, VIP‐induced release of adenosine does not mediate VIP elevation of cyclic AMP. VIP‐stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation was not decreased by agents that block calcium influx (verapamil, nifedipine, magnesium ions), or by calmodulin antagonists (trifluoperazine, calmidozolium). In fact both verapamil (100 μM) and magnesium (14 mM) augmented VIP stimulation of cyclic AMP generation. Incubation of slices with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 1‐methyl‐3‐isobutylxanthine (MIX) did not affect VIP activation of cyclic AMP accumulation if slices were incubated without added calcium, but MIX did enhance VIP elevation of cyclic AMP content in slices incubated with calcium. Thus calcium dependence of the cyclic AMP response to VIP in hippocampal slices is unlikely to result from VIP‐dependent calcium influx, from interactions with calmodulin, or from calcium‐inhibited phosphodiester‐ase(s). The accumulation of cyclic AMP induced by two other agonists, norepinephrine (NE) and forskolin, was also dependent on the presence of calcium ions in the bathing medium. The data are also consistent with the hypothesis that VIP, NE, and forskolin stimulate cyclic AMP accumulation in hippocampal slices by interacting with the calcium‐dependent adenylate cyclase.