Pharmacological actions of the calcium antagonist propyl-methylenedioxyindene in skinned vascular smooth muscle

Previous studies provided strong evidence that propyl-methylenedioxyindene (pr-MDI) interfered with calcium at an intracellular site. To further characterize the mechanism of action of pr-MDI, its pharmacological actions on chemically skinned vascular smooth muscle were examined. Rat caudal artery strips were chemically skinned with saponin (0.15 mg/mL for 1 h). The efficiency of the skinning was evidenced by a loss of contractile response to 74 mM K+. The intactness of the regulatory and contractile proteins was ascertained by the ability of the skinned tissue to contract in response to Ca2+ (free Ca2+ concentration of 10(-4) or 10(-6)M). Caffeine (25 mM) induced contraction was used as an index of the functional integrity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the skinned preparations. Contraction of the skinned artery with a free Ca2+ concentration of 10(-6)M was significantly obtunded by 1 X 10(-4)M trifluoperazine (a calmodulin antagonist) but not by 1 X 10(-4)M pr-MDI. Contraction of the skinned artery evoked by 25 mM caffeine in the absence of extracellular calcium was significantly obtunded by 1 X 10(-4)M pr-MDI but not by 1 X 10(-6)M nifedipine (a calcium channel blocker). The results indicate that pr-MDI acts intracellular to block calcium mobilization from the sarcoplasmic reticulum without directly interfering with the regulatory and contractile proteins.     

Calcium accumulation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum in two populations of chemically skinned human muscle fibers. Effects of calcium and cyclic AMP

In previous efforts to characterize sarcoplasmic reticulum function in human muscles, it has not been possible to distinguish the relative contributions of fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers. In this study, we have used light scattering and 45Ca to monitor Ca accumulation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum of isolated, chemically skinned human muscle fibers in the presence and absence of oxalate. Oxalate (5 mM) increased the capacity for Ca accumulation by a factor of 35 and made it possible to assess both rate of Ca uptake and relative sarcoplasmic reticulum volume in individual fibers. At a fixed ionized Ca concentration, the rate and maximal capacity (an index of sarcoplasmic reticulum volume) both varied over a wide range, but fibers fell into two distinct groups (fast and slow). Between the two groups, there was a 2- to 2.5-fold difference in oxalate-supported Ca uptake rates, but no difference in average sarcoplasmic reticulum volumes. Intrinsic differences in sarcoplasmic reticulum function (Vmax, K0.5, and n) were sought to account for the distinction between fast and slow groups. In both groups, rate of Ca accumulation increased sigmoidally as [Ca++] was increased from 0.1 to 1 microM. Apparent affinities for Ca++ (K0.5) were similar in the two groups, but slow fibers had a lower Vmax and larger n values. Slow fibers also differed from fast fibers in responding with enhanced Ca uptake upon addition of cyclic AMP (10(-6) M, alone or with protein kinase). Acceleration by cyclic AMP was adequate to account for adrenaline-induced increases in relaxation rates previously observed in human muscles containing mixtures in fast- twitch and slow-twitch fibers.     

Effects of ryanodine in skinned cardiac cells

Ryanodine (1 X 10(-5) M) did not affect the Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilaments of skinned (sarcolemma removed by microdissection) cardiac cells from the rat ventricle. Ryanodine (1 X 10(-5) M) inhibited three types of Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), which have different mechanisms: 1) Ca2+-induced release of Ca2+ triggered by a rapid and transient increase of [free Ca2+] at the outer surface of the SR; 2) caffeine-induced release of Ca2+; 3) spontaneous cyclic release of Ca2+ occurring in the continuous presence of a [free Ca2+] sufficient to overload the SR. These results suggest that the three types of Ca2+ release are through the same channel across the SR membrane, although the gating mechanisms are different for the three types. Ryanodine also diminished the rate of Ca2+ accumulation into the SR. Even in the presence of 1 X 10(-5) M ryanodine the SR accumulated Ca2+ that could be released when the SR was sufficiently overloaded with Ca2+. Thus, ryanodine pretreatment did not permit the direct activation of the myofilaments by externally applied Ca2+. The approximately 1000-fold difference in the effective concentrations of ryanodine in intact vs. skinned cardiac cells suggests that low concentrations of ryanodine act in the intact cardiac tissues through processes or on structures that are destroyed by the skinning procedure. No significant differences were observed in the effects of ryanodine in skinned cardiac cells from different adult mammalian species.     

Rapid calcium release from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles is dependent on Ca2+ and is modulated by Mg2+, adenine nucleotide, and calmodulin

A subpopulation of canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles has been found to contain a "Ca2+ release channel" which mediates the release of intravesicular Ca2+ stores with rates sufficiently rapid to contribute to excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle. 45Ca2+ release behavior of passively and actively loaded vesicles was determined by Millipore filtration and with the use of a rapid quench apparatus using the two Ca2+ channel inhibitors, Mg2+ and ruthenium red. At pH 7.0 and 5-20 microM external Ca2+, cardiac vesicles released half of their 45Ca2+ stores within 20 ms. Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release was inhibited by raising and lowering external Ca2+ concentration, by the addition of Mg2+, and by decreasing the pH. Calmodulin reduced the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release rate 3-6-fold in a reaction that did not appear to involve a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Under various experimental conditions, ATP or the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-methylene)triphosphate (AMP-PCP), and caffeine stimulated 45Ca2+ release 2-500-fold. Maximal release rates (t1/2 = 10 ms) were observed in media containing 10 microM Ca2+ and 5 mM AMP-PCP or 10 mM caffeine. An increased external Ca2+ concentration (greater than or equal to 1 mM) was required to optimize the 45Ca2+ efflux rate in the presence of 8 mM Mg2+ and 5 mM AMP-PCP. These results suggest that cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum contains a ligand-gated Ca2+ channel which is activated by Ca2+, adenine nucleotide, and caffeine, and inhibited by Mg2+, H+, and calmodulin.     

Ca2+ compartments in saponin-skinned cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

A method for saponin skinning of primary cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells was established. The saponin-treated cells could be stained with trypan blue and incorporated more 45Ca2+ than the nontreated cells under the same conditions. At low free Ca2+ concentration, greater than 85% of 45Ca2+ uptake into the skinned cells was dependent on the extracellularly supplied MgATP. In the intact cells, both caffeine and norepinephrine increased 45Ca2+ efflux. In the skinned cells, caffeine increased 45Ca2+ efflux, whereas norepinephrine did not. The caffeine-releasable 45Ca2+ uptake fraction in the skinned cells appeared at 3 X 10(-7) M Ca2+, increased gradually with the increase in free Ca2+ concentration, and reached a plateau at 1 X 10(-5) M Ca2+. The 45Ca2+ uptake fraction, which was significantly suppressed by sodium azide, appeared at 1 X 10(-5) M Ca2+ and increased monotonically with increasing free Ca2+ concentration. The results suggest that the caffeine-sensitive Ca2+ store, presumably the sarcoplasmic reticulum, plays a physiological role by releasing Ca2+ in response to norepinephrine or caffeine and by buffering excessive Ca2+. The 45Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria appears too insensitive to be important under physiological conditions.     

Cyclic AMP modulation of adrenoreceptor-mediated arterial smooth muscle contraction

We examined the effects of cyclic AMP (cAMP) on the intracellular Ca2+ release in both the intact and skinned arterial smooth muscle. The amount of Ca2+ in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was estimated indirectly by caffeine-induced contraction of the skinned preparation and directly by caffeine-stimulated 45Ca efflux from the previously labeled skinned preparation. The norepinephrine-induced release contraction was markedly enhanced by dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) and reduced by propranolol. The stimulatory effect of dbcAMP was best observed when the muscle was exposed to 10(-5) M dbcAMP and 2 X 10(-6) M norepinephrine was used to induce the release contraction. 10(-5) M cAMP had no effect on the Ca2+-induced contraction or on the pCa-tension relationship in the skinned preparation. This concentration of cAMP increased Ca2+ uptake into the SR of the skinned preparation when the Ca2+ in the SR was first depleted. 10(-5) M cAMP stimulated Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release from the SR after optimal Ca2+ accumulation by the SR. The results indicate that the stimulatory effect of cAMP on the norepinephrine-induced release contraction could be due to enhancement of the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release from the SR in arterial smooth muscle.     

Single channel and 45Ca2+ flux measurements of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium channel.

Purified canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles were passively loaded with 45CaCl2 and assayed for Ca2+ releasing activity according to a rapid quench protocol. Ca2+ release from a subpopulation of vesicles was found to be activated by micromolar Ca2+ and millimolar adenine nucleotides, and inhibited by millimolar Mg2+ and micromolar ruthenium red. 45Ca2+ release in the presence of 10 microM free Ca2+ gave a half-time for efflux of 20 ms. Addition of 5 mM ATP to 10 microM free Ca2+ increased efflux twofold (t1/2 = 10 ms). A high-conductance calcium-conducting channel was incorporated into planar lipid bilayers from the purified cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum fractions. The channel displayed a unitary conductance of 75 +/- 3 pS in 53 mM trans Ca2+ and was selective for Ca2+ vs. Tris+ by a ratio of 8.74. The channel was dependent on cis Ca2+ for activity and was also stimulated by millimolar ATP. Micromolar ruthenium red and millimolar Mg2+ were inhibitory, and reduced open probability in single-channel recordings. These studies suggest that cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum contains a high-conductance Ca2+ channel that releases Ca2+ with rates significant to excitation-contraction coupling.     

The role of free calcium ion in calcium release in skinned muscle fibers

Major questions in excitation--contraction coupling of fast skeletal muscle concern the mechanism of signal transmission between sarcolemma and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), the mechanism of SR Ca release, and operation of the SR active transport system during excitation. Intracellular Ca movement can be studied in skinned muscle fibers with more direct control, analysis of 45Ca flux, and simultaneous isometric force measurements. Ca release can be stimulated by bath Ca2+ itself, ionic "depolarization," Mg2+ reduction, or caffeine. The effectiveness of bath Ca2+ has suggested a possible role for Ca2+ in physiological release, but this response is difficult to analyze and evaluate. Related evidence emerged from analysis of other responses: with all agents studied, stimulation of 45Ca efflux is highly Ca2+-dependent. The presence of a Ca chelator prevents detectable stimulation by ionic "depolarization" or Mg2+ reduction and inhibits the potent caffeine stimulus; inhibition is graded with chelator concentration and caffeine concentration, and is synergistic with inhibition by increased Mg2+. The results indicate that a Ca2+-dependent pathway mediates most or all of stimulated 45Ca efflux in skinned fibers, and has properties compatible with a function in physiological Ca release.     

Activation of the Ca2+ release channel of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum by caffeine and related compounds

The caffeine-sensitive Ca2+ release pathway in skeletal muscle was identified and characterized by studying the release of 45Ca2+ from heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles and by incorporating the vesicles or the purified Ca2+ release channel protein complex into planar lipid bilayers. First-order rate constants for 45Ca2+ efflux of 1 s-1 were obtained in the presence of 1-10 microM free Ca2+ or 2 X 10(-9) M free Ca2+ plus 20 mM caffeine. Caffeine- and Ca2+-induced 45Ca2+ release were potentiated by ATP and Mg.ATP, and were both inhibited by Mg2+. Dimethylxanthines were similarly (3,9-dimethylxanthine) or more (1,7-, 1,3-, and 3,7-dimethylxanthine) effective than caffeine in increasing the 45Ca2+ efflux rate. 1,9-Dimethylxanthine and 1,3-dimethyluracil (which lacks the imidazole ring) did not appreciably stimulate 45Ca2+ efflux. Recordings of calcium ion currents through single channels showed that the Ca2+- and ATP-gated SR Ca2+ release channel is activated by addition of caffeine to the cis (cytoplasmic) and not the trans (lumenal) side of the channel in the bilayer. The single channel measurements further revealed that caffeine activated Ca2+ release by increasing the number and duration of open channel events without a change of unit conductance (107 pS in 50 mM Ca2+ trans). These results suggest that caffeine exerts its Ca2+ releasing effects in muscle by activating the high-conductance, ligand-gated Ca2+ release channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum.     

The Ca2+ permeability of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. II. Ca2+ efflux in the energized state of the calcium pump

Cyclic nucleotide modulation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump has been recognized for some time. Little is known, however, of cyclic nucleotide effects on the sarcolemmal Ca2+-pump. In sarcolemmal vesicles prepared from ventricular muscle by a recent technique (Jones, L.R., Maddock, S.W. and Besch, H.R. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 9971-9980) we have demonstrated via Millipore filtration that 10(-8) M and 10(-9) M cyclic GMP depressed the rate of ATP- and Mg2+-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake by 34% and 52%, respectively. Only at millimolar levels did cyclic AMP have any effect and the respective 5'-nucleotides had no effect at all. Parallel measurement of the associated (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase in the presence of either cyclic or 5'-nucleotides, however, revealed no concomitant depression in ATP hydrolysis. In another series of experiments, the cyclic GMP effect on 45Ca2+ uptake was associated with a significant decrease in the pump Vmax, and at the most effective concentration of cyclic GMP increased the apparent Km for Ca2+. These results suggest that cyclic GMP may depress ventricular Ca2+ efflux by decreasing the enzyme turnover and to a limited extent, decreasing pump affinity for Ca2+. This supports a hypothesis whereby cyclic GMP might modulate both local biochemical and electrophysiological events by an effect on a discrete, regional pool of intracellular Ca2+.     

Redox regulation of calcium release in skeletal and cardiac muscle

In skeletal and cardiac muscle cells, specific isoforms of the Ryanodine receptor channels mediate Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. These channels are highly susceptible to redox modifications, which regulate channel activity. In this work, we studied the effects of Ca2+ (endogenous agonist) and Mg2+ (endogenous inhibitor) on the kinetics of Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles isolated from skeletal or cardiac mammalian muscle. Native skeletal vesicles exhibited maximal stimulation of release kinetics by 10-20 microM [Ca2+], whereas in native cardiac vesicles, maximal stimulation of release required only 1 microM [Ca2+]. In 10 microM [Ca2+], free [Mg2+] < 0.1 mM produced marked inhibition of release from skeletal vesicles but free [Mg2+] < or = 0.8 mM did not affect release from cardiac vesicles. Incubation of skeletal or cardiac vesicles with the oxidant thimerosal increased their susceptibility to stimulation by Ca2+ and decreased the inhibitory effect of Mg2+ in skeletal vesicles. Sulfhydryl-reducing agents fully reversed the effects of thimerosal. The endogenous redox species, glutathione disulfide and S-nitrosoglutathione, also stimulated release from skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. In 10 microM [Ca2+], 35S-nitrosoglutathione labeled a protein fraction enriched in release channels through S-glutathiolation. Free [Mg2+] 1 mM or decreasing free [Ca2+] to the nM range prevented this reaction. Possible physiological and pathological consequences of redox modification of release channels on Ca2+ signaling in heart and muscle cells are discussed.     

Adenine nucleotide stimulation of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in sarcoplasmic reticulum

Rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum was fractionated into a "Ca2+-release" and "control" fraction by differential and sucrose gradient centrifugation. External Ca2+ (2-20 microM) caused the release of 40 nmol of 45Ca2+/mg of protein/s from Ca2+-release vesicles passively loaded at pH 6.8 with an internal half-saturation Ca2+ concentration of 10-20 mM. Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release had an approximate pK value of 6.6 and was half-maximally inhibited at an external Ca2+ concentration of 2 X 10(-4) M and Mg2+ concentration of 7 X 10(-5) M. 45Ca2+ efflux from control vesicles was slightly inhibited at external Ca2+ concentrations that stimulated the rapid release of Ca2+ from Ca2+-release vesicles. Adenine, adenosine, and derived nucleotides caused stimulation of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in media containing a "physiological" free Mg2+ concentration of 0.6 mM. At a concentration of 1 mM, the order of effectiveness was AMP-PCP greater than cAMP approximately AMP approximately ADP greater than adenine greater than adenosine. Other nucleoside triphosphates and caffeine were minimally effective in increasing 45Ca2+ efflux from passively loaded Ca2+-release vesicles. La3+, ruthenium red, and procaine inhibited Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release. Ca2+ flux studies with actively loaded vesicles also indicated that a subpopulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles contains a Ca2+ permeation system that is activated by adenine nucleotides.     

On the mechanism of the reduction by thyroid hormone of beta-adrenergic relaxation rate stimulation in rat heart.

The effects of beta-adrenergic stimulation on the relaxation rate and the Ca2+-transport rate in sarcoplasmic reticulum of hypothyroid, euthyroid and hyperthyroid rat hearts were studied. Administration of isoproterenol (0.1 microM) to perfused, electrically stimulated hearts (5 Hz) caused a decrease in the half-time of relaxation (RT 1/2) the extent of which depended on the thyroid status, i.e. hypothyroid (-24%), euthyroid (-19%) or hyperthyroid (-8%). A similar decreasing effect was found for the stimulation of Ca2+ transport in isolated SR by cyclic AMP and protein kinase, i.e. hypothyroid (75%), euthyroid (37%) and hyperthyroid (20%). These alterations were not due to differences in endogenous protein kinase activity or cyclic AMP production. Estimations of Ca2+-ATPase and phospholamban (PL) content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum were obtained by measurement of the phosphorylated forms of Ca2+-ATPase (E-P) and phospholamban (PL-P) followed by electrophoresis and autoradiography. A 3-fold decrease of PL-P, accompanied by a 2-fold increase of E-P per mg of protein was observed in sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations in the direction hypothyroid----hyperthyroid. Consequently the E-P/PL-P ratio increased from 0.32 (hypothyroid), through 0.81 (euthyroid) to 1.69 (hyperthyroid). In spite of certain limitations inherent to quantification of Ca2+-ATPase and phospholamban by their phosphorylated products, these data provide strong evidence that during thyroid-hormone mediated cardiac hypertrophy, with concomitant proliferation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the relative amount of phospholamban decreases with respect to Ca2+-ATPase. This could provide an explanation for the observed gradual diminishment of the beta-adrenergic effect on the relaxation rate when cardiac tissue is exposed to increasing amounts of thyroid hormone.     

Calcium release from vesicles of heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscles

The release of Ca2+ from vesicles of heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum after its accumulation due to hydrolysis of ATP, GTP, CTP, UTP or ITP has been studied using Antipyrylazo III, a metal-chromic Ca-indicator. All the studied substrates of the Ca-pump provide Ca2+ accumulation inside the heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, the spontaneous Ca2+ outflux rate being different for different nucleoside triphosphates. It is only ATP that provides Ca-(caffeine)-induced Ca2+ release, however AMP, ADP, beta, gamma-methylene-ATP induce Ca2+ ejection in the presence of nonadenylic nucleotides. The ruthenium red (10(-7M) inhibits the induced ejection of Ca2+ from vesicles of the heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum, but does not prevent the spontaneous release of Ca2+ in the same concentrations. A conclusion is drawn that besides Ca-channels sensitive to Ca2+ and caffeine in the presence of ATP (or to AMP, ADP, beta, gamma-methylene-ATP in the presence of nonadenylic nucleotides) and possessing high sensitivity to the ruthenium red there is another pathway for Ca2+ in the heavy reticulum membranes along which its spontaneous release occurs after the substrate exhaustion. It is supposed that this release is provided by the presence of the Ca-ATPase protein.     

Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release from fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum: a comparison with skinned muscle fiber studies

Uptake and release of Ca2+ in heavy and light fractions of fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum (FSR) isolated from frog and rabbit skeletal muscle was studied under conditions similar to those employed in skinned muscle fiber experiments, where ATP and Mg2+ concentrations were considered to be physiological and free Ca2+ concentration was kept constant during the Ca2+ uptake and release. Ca2+ level in FSR monotonously approached a steady state level which depended only on the final experimental conditions. Heavy fractions, but not light fractions, exhibited characteristics similar to those of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release reported in skinned fiber studies: i) the rate and steady state level of Ca2+ uptake increased with increase in free Ca2+ concentration in the reaction medium up to 10(-6) M. With further increase in free Ca2+ concentration, the steady state level of Ca2+ taken up decreased while the Ca2+ uptake rate increased. ii) The steady state Ca2+ level was decreased by caffeine but increased by procaine or ruthenium red. Parallel measurement of Ca2+-ATPase activity clearly showed that these drugs modify the Ca2+ efflux but hardly affect the Ca2+-pump activity. It was concluded that the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release mechanism was in operation at as low as 10(-6) M free Ca2+ concentration. Treatment of FSR with 0.6 M KCl did not have any significant effect.     

A quench-flow kinetic investigation of calcium ion accumulation by isolated cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. Dependence of initial velocity on free calcium ion concentration and influence of preincubation with a protein kinase, MgATP, and cyclic AMP.

Ca2+ accumulation at pH 6.8 by isolated rabbit heart microsomes derived chiefly from sarcoplasmic reticulum was investigated by a quench-flow technique. The reaction was terminated at preset times by addition to the reaction mixture of an equal volume of 10 to 50 mM ethyleneglycol-bis-(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid buffered at pH 6.0. The initial velocity of Ca2+ accumulation by microsomal preparations exhibiting a steady state Ca2+ accumulation of 25.6 nmol Ca2+/mg increased from 3.67 to 33.4 nmol Ca2+/mg - s as the free Ca2+ concentration was raised from 0.2 to 18.9 muM. Preincubation of the cardiac microsomes with a partly purified soluble cardiac cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, MgATP, and cyclic AMP lead to a significant increase in the initial Ca2+ accumulation rate. The amounts of Ca2+ that were found to accumulate in the first 200 ms of the reaction are comparable to the quantities of the ion that according to literature data need to be removed from the myofilaments and the myoplasm for induction of relaxation of the myocardial fibers.     

Rapid ionic modifications during the aequorin-detected calcium transient in a skinned canine cardiac Purkinje cell

A microprocessor-controlled system of microinjections and microaspirations has been developed to change, within approximately 1 ms, the [free Ca2+] at the outer surface of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) wrapped around individual myofibrils (0.3-0.4 micron radius) of a skinned canine cardiac Purkinje cell (2.5-4.5 micron overall radius) at different phases of a Ca2+ transient. Simultaneously monitoring tension and aequorin bioluminescence provided two methods for estimating the peak myoplasmic [free Ca2+] reached during the spontaneous cyclic Ca2+ release from the SR obtained in the continuous presence of a bulk solution [free Ca2+] sufficiently high to overload the SR. These methods gave results in excellent agreement for the spontaneous Ca2+ release under a variety of conditions of pH and [free Mg2+], and of enhancement of Ca2+ release by calmodulin. Disagreement was observed, however, when the Ca2+ transient was modified during its ascending phase. The experiments also permitted quantification of the aequorin binding within the myofibrils and determination of its operational apparent affinity constant for Ca2+ at various [free Mg2+] levels. An increase of [free Ca2+] at the outer surface of the SR during the ascending phase of the Ca2+ transient induced further release of Ca2+. In contrast, an increase of [free Ca2+] during the descending phase of the Ca2+ transient did not cause further Ca2+ release. Varying [free H+], [free Mg2+], or the [Na+]/[K+] ratio had no significant effect on the Ca2+ transient during which the modification was applied, but it altered the subsequent Ca2+ transient. Therefore, Ca2+ appears to be the major, if not the only, ion controlling Ca2+ release from the SR rapidly enough to alter a Ca2+ transient during its course.     

Stimulation of Ca2+ uptake by cyclic AMP and protein kinase in sarcoplasmic reticulum-rich and sarcolemma-rich microsomal fractions from rabbit heart.

The effect of cyclic AMP on Ca2+ uptake by rabbit heart microsomal vesicular fractions representing mainly fragments of either sarcoplasmic reticulum or sarcolemma was investigated in the presence and absence of soluble cardiac protein kinase and with microsomes prephosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The acceleration of oxalate-promoted Ca2+ uptake by fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum following cyclic AMP-dependent membrane protein phosphorylation, observed by other authors, was confirmed. In addition it was found that the acceleration was greatest at pH 7.2 and almost negligible at pH 6.0 and pH 7.8. A very marked increase in Ca2+ uptake by cyclic AMP-dependent membrane protein phosphorylation was observed in the presence of boric acid, a reversible inhibitor of Ca2+ uptake. In addition to the microsomal fraction thought to represent mainly fragments of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the effect of protein kinase and cyclic AMP on Ca2+ uptake was investigated in a cardiac sarcolemma-enriched membrane fraction. Ca2+ uptake by sarcolemmal vesicles, unlike Ca2+ uptake by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, was inhibited by low doses of digitoxin. The acceleration of oxalate-promoted Ca2+ uptake by cyclic AMP and soluble cardiac protein kinase, however, was quite similar to what was seen in preparations of fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum, which suggests that it may reflect an acceleration of active Ca2+ transport across the myocardial cell surface membrane.     

Phosphorylation of a 100 000 dalton component and its relationship to calcium transport in sarcoplasmic reticulum from rabbit skeletal muscle

Sarcomplasmic reticulum from rabbit fast skeletal muscle contains intrinsic protein kinase activity (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) and a substrate. The protein kinase activity was Mg2+ dependent and could also phosphorylate exogenous protein substrates. Autophosphorylation of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was not stimulated by cyclic AMP, neither was it inhibited by the heat-stable protein kinase inhibitor protein. The phosphorylated membranes had the characteristics of a protein with a phosphoester bond. An average of 73 pmol Pi/mg protein were incorporated in 10 min at 30 degrees C. Addition of exogenous cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase increased the endogenous level of phosphorylation by 25-100%. Sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane phosphorylation, mediated by either endogenous cyclic AMP-independent or exogenous cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, occurred on a 100 000 dalton protein and both enzyme activities resulted in enhanced calcium uptake and Ca2+-dependent ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3), in a manner similar to cardiac microsomal preparations. Regulation of Ca2+ transport in skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum may be mediated by phosphorylation of a 100 000 dalton component of these membranes.     

Reduced Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum at low pH.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of reduced pH on Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Frog semitendinosus fiber bundles (1-3/bundle) were chemically skinned via saponin treatment (50 micrograms/mL, 20 min), which removes the sarcolemma and leaves the SR functional. The SR was first depleted of Ca2+ then loaded for 2 min at pCa (log free Ca2+ concentration) 6.6. CICR was then evoked by exposing the fibers to pCa 5-7 for 5-60 s. CICR was evoked both in the absence of ATP and Mg2+ and in the presence of beta, gamma-methyleneadenosine-5'-triphosphate (AMPPCP, a nonhydrolyzable form of ATP) and Mg2+. Ca2+ remaining in the SR was then assayed via caffeine (25 mM) contracture. In all cases, CICR evoked at pH 6.5 resulted in larger caffeine contractures than that evoked at 7.0, suggesting that more Ca2+ was released during CICR at the higher pH. Accordingly, rate constants for CICR were significantly greater at pH 7.0 than at pH 6.5. These results indicate that reduced pH depresses CICR from skeletal muscle SR.