La3+ uptake was measured in fura 2-loaded Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the bovine cardiac Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1.1). La3+ was taken up by the cells after an initial lag phase of 50-60 s and achieved a steady state within 5-6 min. Neonatal cardiac myocytes accumulated La3+ in a similar manner. La3+ uptake was due to the activity of the exchanger, because no uptake was seen in nontran...

The effects of La3+ on the unfolded protein response signaling pathways were investigated in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells. Our data showed that La3+ could induce unfolded protein response in HepG2 cells, including a significant increase of BiP/GRP78 level, which is an important ER residential chaperone and an ER stress hallmark, in a concentration and time-dependent manner, UPR transducer I...

Noncanonical secretagogues such as hypertonicity or alpha-latrotoxin have been extremely informative in studying neurotransmission. Lanthanum and lanthanides can also trigger neurotransmitter release through an unknown mechanism. Here, we studied the effect of lanthanides on neurotransmission in hippocampal cultures. Application of 2 mM La3+ caused rapid and robust neurotransmitter release with...

A single suction microelectrode voltage-clamp technique was used to study the actions of lanthanum ions (La3+) on ionic currents in single cells isolated from bullfrog right atrium. La3+, added as LaCl3, blocked the "slow" inward Ca2+ current (ICa) in a dose-dependent fashion; 10(-5) M produced complete inhibition. This effect was best fitted by a dose-response curve that was calculated assumin...

Although divalent cations and lanthides are well-known inhibitors of voltage-dependent Ca2+ currents (ICa), their ability to selectively inhibit a voltage-gated K+ current is less widely documented. We report that La3+ inhibits the transient K+ current (IA) of crab (Cardisoma carnifex) neurosecretory cells at ED50 approximately 5 microM, similar to that blocking ICa, without effecting the delay...

Lanthanum (La3+), a known inhibitor of Ca2+ binding proteins, was applied to the extracellular space of fly retina. Shot noise analysis indicated that a combination of intense light and La3+ caused a large (down to zero) reduction in the rate of occurrence of the quantal responses to single photons (quantum bumps) which sum to produce the photoreceptor potential. Light in the presence of La3+ a...

Enzymatically isolated myocytes from adult rats were used to measure 45Ca-uptake from salt media of reduced Ca2(+)-content (0.1 mM) with normal (4 mM) or elevated (20 mM) potassium concentrations. Ca2(+)-uptake was interrupted by filtration followed by rapid chasing the filter with salt solutions containing no Ca2+, 2 mM Ca2+ or 2 mM La3+. Rate and extent of 45Ca-uptake of resting cells were fo...

The thermoelectric properties from 300–1275 K of calcium-doped La3 xTe4 are reported. La3 xTe4 is a high temperature n-type thermoelectric material with a previously reported zTmax B 1.1 at 1273 K and x = 0.23. Computational modeling suggests the La atoms define the density of states of the conduction band for La3 xTe4. Doping with Ca 2+ on the La site is explored as a means of modifying the de...

The calcium release-activated channel (CRAC) opened in Jurkat cells activated either with CD3 monoclonal antibody or the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2(+)-ATPase blocker, thapsigargin, is blocked by La3+ with an IC50 of 20 nM. Similarly, the entry of Mn2+, used as a surrogate for Ca2+, is also blocked by submicromolar La3+ concentrations. La3+ seems to play its role simply by plugging the CRAC becau...

Evidence for a two-metal ion mechanism for cleavage of the HH16 hammerhead ribozyme is provided by monitoring the rate of cleavage of the RNA substrate as a function of La3+ concentration in the presence of a constant concentration of Mg2+. We show that a bell-shaped curve of cleavage activation is obtained as La3+ is added in micromolar concentrations in the presence of 8 mM Mg2+, with a maxim...