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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 100/2/1147    most recent 01204.2007v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Guo, J. Articles by Ikeda, S. R. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Guo, J. Articles by Ikeda, S. R.

N-Arachidonoyl L-Serine, a Putative Endocannabinoid, Alters the Activation of N-Type Ca²⁺ Channels in Sympathetic Neurons

Laboratory of Molecular Physiology; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland

Submitted 29 October 2007; accepted in final form 25 January 2008

The effect of N-arachidonoyl L-serine (ARA-S), a recently discovered lipoamino acid found in the CNS, on N-type Ca²⁺ channels of rat sympathetic ganglion neurons was determined using whole cell patch clamp. Application of ARA-S produced a rapid and reversible augmentation of Ca²⁺ current that was voltage dependent and resulted from a hyperpolarizing shift in the activation curve. ARA-S did not influence G protein modulation of Ca²⁺ channels and appeared to act independently of G-protein-coupled receptors. These findings provide a foundation for investigating possible roles for ARA-S in nervous system function.