Maturation of intracellular calcium homeostasis in sheep pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells

Cytosolic Ca(2+) signaling dynamics are important to pulmonary arterial reactivity, and alterations are implicated in pulmonary vascular disorders. Yet, adaptations in cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and receptor-mediated Ca(2+) signaling with maturation from fetal to adult life in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) are not known. The present study tested the hypothesis that cytosolic Ca(2+) homeostasis and receptor-generated Ca(2+) signaling adapt with maturation in sheep PASMCs. Digitalized fluorescence microscopy was performed using isolated PASMCs from fetal and adult sheep that were loaded with the Ca(2+) indicator fura 2. The results show that basal cytosolic and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) levels are attained before birth. Similarly, Ca(2+) efflux pathways from the cytosol and basal as well as capacitative Ca(2+) entry (CCE) are also developed before birth. However, receptor-mediated Ca(2+) signaling adapts with maturation. Prominently, serotonin stimulation elicited Ca(2+) elevations in very few fetal compared with adult PASMCs; in contrast, phenylephrine elevated Ca(2+) in a similar percentage of fetal and adult PASMCs. Serotonin and phenylephrine elicited Ca(2+) increases of a similar magnitude in reactive cells of fetus and adult, supporting the assertion that inositol trisphosphate signaling is intact. Caffeine and ATP elevated Ca(2+) in equivalent numbers of fetal and adult PASMCs. However, the caffeine-induced cytosolic Ca(2+) increase was significantly greater in fetal PASMCs, whereas the ATP-elicited increase was greater in adult cells. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate selective adaptations in receptor-mediated Ca(2+) signaling, but not in cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis.     

Effects of salbutamol on intracellular calcium oscillations in porcine airway smooth muscle

Prakash, Y. S., H. F. M. van der Heijden, M. S. Kannan, andG. C. Sieck. Effects of salbutamol on intracellular calcium oscillations in porcine airway smooth muscle. J. Appl.Physiol. 82(6): 1836-1843, 1997.Relaxation ofairway smooth muscle (ASM) by -adrenoceptor agonists involvesreduction of intracellular Ca²⁺concentration([Ca²⁺]_i).In porcine ASM cells, acetylcholine induces[Ca²⁺]_ioscillations that display frequency modulation by agonist concentration and basal[Ca²⁺]_i.We used real-time confocal microscopy to examine the effect ofsalbutamol (1 nM to 1 µM), a₂-adrenoceptor agonist, on[Ca²⁺]_ioscillations in freshly dissociated porcine ASM cells. Salbutamol decreased the frequency of[Ca²⁺]_ioscillations in a concentration-dependent fashion, completely inhibiting the oscillations at 1 µM. These effects were mimicked by acell-permeant analog of adenosine 3,5-cyclicmonophosphate. The inhibitory effect of salbutamol was partiallyreversed by BAY K 8644. Salbutamol reduced[Ca²⁺]_ieven when sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)Ca²⁺ reuptake andCa²⁺ influx were blocked.Lanthanum blockade of Ca²⁺ effluxattenuated the inhibitory effect of salbutamol on[Ca²⁺]_i.The[Ca²⁺]_iresponse to caffeine was unaffected by salbutamol. On the basis ofthese results, we conclude that₂-adrenoceptor agonists have little effect on SR Ca²⁺ releasein ASM cells but reduce[Ca²⁺]_iby inhibiting Ca²⁺ influx throughvoltage-gated channels and by enhancingCa²⁺ efflux.

     

Effects of quinine on the isometric tension and intracellular calcium movements in single giant muscle fibres

The effects of the alkaloid quinine on the tension response and intracellular calcium movements of giant muscle fibres are reported. Under voltage clamp conditions, the isometric tension showed an early transient increase (approx. 1.6 fold), and a subsequent decline to negligible values in response to a constant step depolarization. At rest and under voltage clamp condition, fibres injected with the Ca-indicator aequorine showed a 40% increase in aequorine light output, while no change was observed in tension response. We interpret these results as due to the calcium releasing action of quinine both on the SR membrane, and at the diadic level where calcium ions are crucial for the E-C coupling process.     

普罗托品对大鼠胸主动脉血管平滑肌细胞内游离钙浓度和蛋白激酶C活性的影响

本实验室先前的研究已证实,普罗托品(protopine,Pro)舒张家兔主动脉的作用,可能与其增加血管平滑肌细胞内cAMP和cGMP水平有关.为了深入探讨Pro的扩血管作用机制,实验采用等张收缩记录大鼠离体血管条张力,利用Fura-2/AM负载的大鼠胸主动脉培养细胞直接测定细胞内游离Ca2+浓度([Ca2+]i),并应用同位素γ-32p-ATP催化活性法测定蛋白激酶C(PKC)活性等方法,分别观察了Pro的相关效应.结果表明,Pro(30和100 μmol/L)明显降低去甲肾上腺素(NA)和高钾所致的动脉条收缩幅度,使二者的量效曲线呈非平行右移,最大反应压低;pD2'值分别为3.7±0.25和3.97±0.15;Pro(50和100μmol/L)对静息状态下[Ca2+]i没有任何影响,但对NA和高钾引起的[Ca2+]i升高均有明显抑制作用;Pro(30和100 μmol/L)对未经NA处理血管条的胞浆和胞膜PKC活性均无明显影响;但在NA预处理的血管条,Pro使NA所升高的胞浆内PKC的活性趋于降低,而明显升高胞膜PKC的活性,对PKC的总活性无明显影响.结果提示,在有NA存在的情况下,Pro似能促使PKC从胞浆向细胞膜转移,其扩血管效应似为其降Ca2+作用、升高cAMP和cGMP的作用及其对PKC影响等几方面的综合结果.     

小檗碱对豚鼠结肠平滑肌细胞内游离钙浓度的影响

采用Ca2 荧光示踪剂Fura 2 AM和双波长荧光分光光度法 ,观察小檗碱 (berberine ,Ber)对酶法分离的豚鼠结肠平滑肌细胞内游离钙 ([Ca2 ]i)的影响并探讨其机制。在含 1 5mmol/LCaCl2 的HEPES Ringer缓冲液中 ,豚鼠结肠平滑肌细胞 [Ca2 ]i为 10 8± 9 4nmol/L (n =7) ,Ber对静息 [Ca2 ]i 无明显影响 ,Ber呈浓度依赖性抑制 ,6 0mmol/LKCl引起的 [Ca2 ]i 增高 ,IC50 值为 34 0 9μmol/L。在含 1 5mmol/LCa2 和无Ca2 的缓冲液中 ,30、10 0μmol/LBer均显著抑制 10 μmol/LACh所诱发的 [Ca2 ]i 的增高 ,且有浓度依赖性 ;同样Ber对环匹阿尼酸 (CPA)所致的 [Ca2 ]i 增高也有浓度依赖性抑制作用 ,有钙和无钙条件下IC50 分别为 37 97μmol/L和 49 70 μmol/L。结果提示 ,Ber对结肠平滑肌细胞外Ca2 内流和细胞内钙释放均有抑制作用。     

Caveolins and intracellular calcium regulation in human airway smooth muscle

Regulation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) is a key factor in airway smooth muscle (ASM) tone. In vascular smooth muscle, specialized membrane microdomains (caveolae) expressing the scaffolding protein caveolin-1 are thought to facilitate cellular signal transduction. In human ASM cells, we tested the hypothesis that caveolae mediate Ca(2+) responses to agonist stimulation. Fluorescence immunocytochemistry with confocal microscopy, as well as Western blot analysis, was used to determine that agonist receptors (M(3) muscarinic, bradykinin, and histamine) and store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE)-regulatory mechanisms colocalize with caveolin-1. Although caveolin-2 coexpressed with caveolin-1, caveolin-3 was absent. In fura 2-loaded ASM cells, [Ca(2+)](i) responses to 1 microM ACh, 10 microM histamine, and 10 nM bradykinin, as well as SOCE, were attenuated (each to a different extent) after disruption of caveolae by the cholesterol-chelating drug methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. Transfection of ASM cells with 50 nM caveolin-1 small interfering RNA significantly weakened caveolin-1 expression and blunted [Ca(2+)](i) responses to bradykinin and histamine, as well as SOCE, but the response to ACh was less intense. These results indicate that caveolae are present in ASM and that caveolin-1 contributes to regulation of [Ca(2+)](i) responses to agonist.     

An ultrasensitive isometric force transducer for single smooth muscle cell mechanics.

The principles of operation, design, and performance of a differential photooptical transducer of very high sensitivity are described. Useful range is 10-2,000 mugf with sufficiently low drift to allow recordings of contractile responses of isolated single smooth muscle cells. Comparison with several previous designs is presented.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of intracellular calcium in colonic smooth muscle

Summary Intracellular calcium [Ca²⁺] _i measurements in cell suspension of gastrointestinal myocytes have suggested a single [Ca²⁺] _i transient followed by a steady-state increase as the characteristic [Ca²⁺] _i response of these cells. In the present study, we used digital video imaging techniques in freshly dispersed myocytes from the rabbit colon, to characterize the spatiotemporal pattern of the [Ca²⁺] _i signal in single cells. The distribution of [Ca²⁺] _i in resting and stimulated cells was nonhomogeneous, with gradients of high [Ca²⁺] _i present in the subplasmalemmal space and in one cell pole. [Ca²⁺] _i gradients within these regions were not constant but showed temporal changes in the form of [Ca²⁺] _i oscillations and spatial changes in the form of [Ca²⁺] _i waves. [Ca²⁺] _i oscillations in unstimulated cells (n = 60) were independent of extracellular [Ca²⁺] and had a mean frequency of 12.6 +1.1 oscillations per min. The baseline [Ca²⁺], was 171 ± 13 nm and the mean oscillation amplitude was 194 ± 12 nm. Generation of [Ca²⁺] _i waves was also independent of influx of extracellular Ca²⁺. [Ca²⁺] _i waves originated in one cell pole and were visualized as propagation mostly along the subplasmalemmal space or occasionally throughout the cytoplasm. The mean velocity was 23 +3 m per sec (n = 6). Increases of [Ca²⁺] _i induced by different agonists were encoded into changes of baseline [Ca²⁺] _i and the amplitude of oscillations, but not into their frequency. The observed spatiotemporal pattern of [Ca²⁺] _i regulation may be the underlying mechanism for slow wave generation and propagation in this tissue. These findings are consistent with a [Ca²⁺] _i regulation whereby cell regulators modulate the spatiotemporal pattern of intracellularly generated [Ca²⁺] _i oscillations.The authors thank Debbie Anderson for excellent technical assistance with the electron microscopy and Dr. M. Regoli for providing the NK-1 agonist [Sar⁹,Met(O₂)¹¹]-SP. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants DK 40919 and DK 40675 and Veterans Administration Grant SMI.     

Equatorial x-ray intensities and isometric force levels in frog sartorius muscle.

Isometric force levels, ranging between 0 and 100% of maximal force P₀ at 2 to 3 °C, were elicited in frog sartorius muscle by means of rapidly cooling a Ringer solution containing 1·25 to 2·0 mm-caffeine. Equatorial X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained in the resting state and during contraction. The ratio of the intensities $\text{I}{}_{11}\text{I}{}_{10}$ increased with force almost linearly, with a slight upward curvature. The individual intensities for the contracting state were normalized relative to both the intensity of the undiffracted beam and the intensity of each reflection in the resting state. These normalized intensities were found to vary in a reciprocal way: I₁₀ decreased while I₁₁ increased throughout the range of forces studied.The gradual change in $\text{I}{}_{11}\text{I}{}_{10}$ with force level indicates that this ratio is a sensitive measure of the number of cross-bridges in the isometric state. A two-state model in which myosin projections are either in a resting or attached state and in which force is proportional to the fraction of projections in the attached state was applied to the experimental data of the individual reflections. I₁₀ deviates from this model in a way that suggests that formation of the first few cross-bridges may decrease the regularity of the remaining unattached myosin projections.     

Neurotrophin effects on intracellular Ca2+ and force in airway smooth muscle

Neurotrophins [e.g., brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin 4 (NT4)], known to affect neuronal structure and function, are expressed in nonneuronal tissues including the airway. However, their function is unclear. We examined the effect of acute vs. prolonged neurotrophin exposure on regulation of airway smooth muscle (ASM) intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)): sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release and Ca(2+) influx (specifically store-operated Ca(2+) entry, SOCE). Human ASM cells were incubated for 30 min in medium (control) or 1 or 10 nM BDNF, NT3, or NT4 (acute exposure) or overnight in 1 nM BDNF, NT3, or NT4 (prolonged exposure) and imaged after loading with the Ca(2+) indicator fura-2 AM. [Ca(2+)](i) responses to ACh, histamine, bradykinin, and caffeine and SOCE following SR Ca(2+) depletion were compared across cell groups. Force measurements were performed in human bronchial strips exposed to neurotrophins. Basal [Ca(2+)](i), peak responses to all agonists, SOCE, and force responses to ACh and histamine were all significantly enhanced by both acute and prolonged BDNF exposure (smaller effect of NT4) but decreased by NT3. Inhibition of the BDNF/NT4 receptor trkB by K252a prevented enhancement of [Ca(2+)](i) responses. ASM cells showed positive immunostaining for BDNF, NT3, NT4, trkB, and trkC (NT3 receptor). These novel data demonstrate that neurotrophins influence ASM [Ca(2+)](i) and force regulation and suggest a potential role for neurotrophins in airway diseases.