Adrenomedullin facilitates calcium channel currents in osteoblasts.

Osteoblasts play a major role in bone formation. Osteoblasts employ intracellular Ca(2+) as a second messenger to modulate hormonal responses and a cofactor for bone mineralization. Adrenomedullin (ADM) promotes osteoblast growth and proliferation, inducing an increase in bone mass. Voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels (VDCCs) mediate the influx of Ca(2+) in response to membrane depolarization. Voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels serve as crucial mediators of many Ca(2+)-dependent functions, including growth of bone and regulation of proliferation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ADM on VDCC currents in osteoblasts using a patch-clamp recording method. To our knowledge, the data presented here demonstrate for the first time that ADM facilitates VDCCs in osteoblasts.