The luminal Ca2+ chelator, TPEN, inhibits NAADP-induced Ca2+ release

The regulation of Ca2+ release by luminal Ca2+ has been well studied for the ryanodine and IP3 receptors but has been less clear for the NAADP-regulated channel. In view of conflicting reports, we have re-examined the issue by manipulating luminal Ca2+ with the membrane-permeant, low affinity Ca2+ buffer, TPEN, and monitoring NAADP-induced Ca2+ release in sea urchin egg homogenate. NAADP-induced Ca2+ release was almost entirely blocked by TPEN (IC50 17-25 μM) which suppressed the maximal extent of Ca2+ release without altering NAADP sensitivity. In contrast, Ca2+ release via IP3 receptors was 3- to 30-fold less sensitive to TPEN whereas that evoked by ionomycin was essentially unaffected. The effect of TPEN on NAADP-induced Ca2+ release was not due to an increase in the luminal pH or chelation of trace metals since it could not be mimicked by NH4Cl or phenanthroline. The fact that TPEN had no effect upon ionophore-induced Ca2+ release also argued against a substantial reduction in the driving force for Ca2+ efflux. We propose that, in the sea urchin egg, luminal Ca2+ is important for gating native NAADP-regulated two-pore channels.