Oleamide is a sleep-inducing lipid originally isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of sleep-deprived cats. Oleamide was found to potently and selectively inactivate gap junction–mediated communication between rat glial cells. In contrast, oleamide had no effect on mechanically stimulated calcium wave transmission in this same cell type. Other chemical compounds traditionally used as inhibitors of gap junctional communication, like heptanol and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, blocked not only gap junctional communication but also intercellular calcium signaling. Given the central role for intercellular small molecule and electrical signaling in central nervous system function, oleamide- induced inactivation of glial cell gap junction channels may serve to regulate communication between brain cells, and in doing so, may influence higher order neuronal events like sleep induction.
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29 December 1997
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December 29 1997
The Sleep-inducing Lipid Oleamide Deconvolutes Gap Junction Communication and Calcium Wave Transmission in Glial Cells
Xiaojun Guan,
Xiaojun Guan
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
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Benjamin F. Cravatt,
Benjamin F. Cravatt
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
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George R. Ehring,
George R. Ehring
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
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James E. Hall,
James E. Hall
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
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Dale L. Boger,
Dale L. Boger
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
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Richard A. Lerner,
Richard A. Lerner
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
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Norton B. Gilula
Norton B. Gilula
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
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Xiaojun Guan
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
Benjamin F. Cravatt
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
George R. Ehring
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
James E. Hall
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
Dale L. Boger
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
Richard A. Lerner
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
Norton B. Gilula
*Department of Cell Biology, ‡Department of Chemistry, §The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037; and ‖Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
1. Abbreviation used in this paper: 18β-GA, 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid.
B.F. Cravatt was supported by a Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust.
Address all correspondence to Norton B. Gilula, Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037. Tel.: (619) 784-9770. Fax: (619) 784-2345. E-mail: [email protected]
Received:
September 25 1997
Revision Received:
October 29 1997
Online ISSN: 1540-8140
Print ISSN: 0021-9525
1997
J Cell Biol (1997) 139 (7): 1785–1792.
Article history
Received:
September 25 1997
Revision Received:
October 29 1997
Citation
Xiaojun Guan, Benjamin F. Cravatt, George R. Ehring, James E. Hall, Dale L. Boger, Richard A. Lerner, Norton B. Gilula; The Sleep-inducing Lipid Oleamide Deconvolutes Gap Junction Communication and Calcium Wave Transmission in Glial Cells . J Cell Biol 29 December 1997; 139 (7): 1785–1792. doi: https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.139.7.1785
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