Effects of vasopressin and La3+ on plasma-membrane Ca2+ inflow and Ca2+ disposition in isolated hepatocytes. Evidence that vasopressin inhibits Ca2+ disposition.

Vasopressin caused a 40% inhibition of 45Ca uptake after the addition of 0.1 mM-45Ca2+ to Ca2+-deprived hepatocytes. At 1.3 mM-45Ca2+, vasopressin and ionophore A23187 each caused a 10% inhibition of 45Ca2+ uptake, whereas La3+ increased the rate of 45Ca2+ uptake by Ca2+-deprived cells. Under steady-state conditions at 1.3 mM extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o), vasopressin and La3+ each increased the rate of 45Ca2+ exchange. The concentrations of vasopressin that gave half-maximal stimulation of 45Ca2+ exchange and glycogen phosphorylase activity were similar. At 0.1 mM-Ca2+o, La3+ increased, but vasopressin did not alter, the rate of 45Ca2+ exchange. The results of experiments performed with EGTA or A23187 or by subcellular fractionation indicate that the Ca2+ taken up by hepatocytes in the presence of La3+ is located within the cell. The addition of 1.3 mM-Ca2+o to Ca2+-deprived cells caused increases of approx. 50% in the concentration of free Ca2+ in the cytoplasm [( Ca2+]i) and in glycogen phosphorylase activity. Much larger increases in these parameters were observed in the presence of vasopressin or ionophore A23187. In contrast with vasopressin, La3+ did not cause a detectable increase in glycogen phosphorylase activity or in [Ca2+]i. It is concluded that an increase in plasma membrane Ca2+ inflow does not by itself increase [Ca2+]i, and hence that the ability of vasopressin to maintain increased [Ca2+]i over a period of time is dependent on inhibition of the intracellular removal of Ca2+.     

Glucagon and vasopressin interactions on Ca2+ movements in isolated hepatocytes.

The effects of glucagon and vasopressin, singly or together, on cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]i) and on the 45Ca2+ efflux were studied in isolated rat liver cells. In the presence of 1 mM external Ca2+, glucagon and vasopressin added singly induced sustained increases in [Ca2+]i. The rate of the initial fast phase of the [Ca2+]i increase and the magnitude of the final plateau were dependent on the concentrations (50 pm-0.1 microM) of glucagon and vasopressin. Preincubating the cells with a low concentration of glucagon (0.1 nM) for 2 min markedly accelerated the fast phase and elevated the plateau of the [Ca2+]i increase caused by vasopressin. In the absence of external free Ca2+, glucagon and vasopressin transiently increased [Ca2+]i and stimulated the 45Ca2+ efflux from the cells, indicating mobilization of Ca2+ from internal store(s). Preincubating the cells with 0.1 nM-glucagon accelerated the rate of the fast phase of the [Ca2+]i rise caused by the subsequent addition of vasopressin. However, unlike what was observed in the presence of 1 mM-Ca2+, glucagon no longer enhanced the maximal [Ca2+]i response to vasopressin. In the absence of external free Ca2+, higher concentrations (1 nM-0.1 microM) of glucagon, which initiated larger increases in [Ca2+]i, drastically decreased the subsequent Ca2+ response to vasopressin (10 nM). At these concentrations, glucagon also decreased the vasopressin-stimulated 45Ca2+ efflux from the cells. It is suggested that, in the liver, glucagon accelerates the fast phase and elevates the plateau of the vasopressin-mediated [Ca2+]i increase respectively by releasing Ca2+ from the same internal store as that permeabilized by vasopressin, probably the endoplasmic reticulum, and potentiating the influx of extracellular Ca2+ caused by this hormone.     

Evidence that Ca2+ fluxes and respiratory, glycogenolytic and vasoconstrictive effects induced by the action of platelet-activating factor and L-alpha-lysophosphatidylcholine in the perfused rat liver are mediated by products of the cyclo-oxygenase pathway.

The administration of 'acetylglyceryl ether phosphorylcholine' (AGEPC, also known as platelet-activating factor) and L-alpha-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) to rat livers perfused with media containing 1.3 mM-Ca2+ was followed by a concentration-dependent efflux of Ca2+ from the liver. Near-maximal response was observed at 100 nM-AGEPC and 50 microM-LPC, and resulted in a net efflux of approx. 130 nmol of Ca2+/g of liver. Onset of Ca2+ efflux occurred about 10 s after AGEPC and LPC administration, reached a maximum after about 50 s (the maximum rate of efflux was approx. 180 nmol/min per g) and thereafter decreased rapidly, and was sometimes followed by a much smaller influx of Ca2+. Sequential infusions of AGEPC or LPC, and phenylephrine, indicate that each of these agents mobilizes Ca2+ from the same intracellular source. The efflux of Ca2+ was not observed in the presence of indomethacin or bromophenacyl bromide, or when the liver was perfused with low-Ca2+-containing (25 microM) media. Other physiological responses, such as changes in respiration, glucose output and portal pressure, were also inhibited under these conditions. The results suggest that the Ca2+-flux changes and other responses are mediated by prostaglandins produced and released within the liver, possibly by cell types other than hepatocytes.     

The glucagon-induced activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase in hepatocytes is diminished by 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. A role for cytoplasmic Ca2+ in dehydrogenase regulation.

Phenylephrine, vasopressin and glucagon each increased the amount of active (dephospho) pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) in isolated rat hepatocytes. Treatment with 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) opposed the increase in PDHa caused by both phenylephrine and glucagon, but had no effect on the response to vasopressin: PMA alone had no effect on PDHa. As PMA is known to prevent the phenylephrine-induced increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) and to diminish the increase [Ca2+]c caused by glucagon, while having no effect on the ability of vasopressin to increase [Ca2+]c, these data are consistent with the notion that in intact cells an increase in [Ca2+]c results in an increase in the mitochondrial free Ca2+ concentration, which in turn leads to the activation of PDH. In the presence of 2.5 mM-Ca2+, glucagon caused an increase in NAD(P)H fluorescence in hepatocytes. This increase is taken to reflect an enhanced activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenases. PMA alone had no effect on NAD(P)H fluorescence; it did, however, compromise the increase produced by glucagon. When the extracellular free [Ca2+] was decreased to 0.2 microM, glucagon could still increase NAD(P)H fluorescence. Vasopressin also increased fluorescence under these conditions; however, if vasopressin was added after glucagon, no further increase in fluorescence was observed. Treatment of the cells with PMA resulted in a smaller increase in NAD(P)H fluorescence on addition of glucagon: the subsequent addition of vasopressin now caused a further increase in fluorescence. Changes in [Ca2+]c corresponding to the changes in NAD(P)H fluorescence were observed, again supporting the idea that [Ca2+]c indirectly regulates intramitochondrial dehydrogenase activity in intact cells. PMA alone had no effect on pyruvate kinase activity, and the phorbol ester did not prevent the inactivation caused by glucagon. The latter emphasizes the different mechanisms by which the hormone influences mitochondrial and cytoplasmic metabolism.     

Calcium ion fluxes induced by the action of alpha-adrenergic agonists in perfused rat liver.

Phenylephrine (2.0 microM) induces an alpha 1-receptor-mediated net efflux of Ca2+ from livers of fed rats perfused with medium containing physiological concentrations (1.3 mM) of Ca2+. The onset of efflux (7.1 +/- 0.5 s; n = 16) immediately precedes a stimulation of mitochondrial respiration and glycogenolysis. Maximal rates of efflux are observed between 35 s and 45 s after alpha-agonist administration; thereafter the rate decreases, to be no longer detectable after 3 min. Within seconds of terminating phenylephrine infusion, a net transient uptake of Ca2+ by the liver is observed. Similar effects were observed with vasopressin (1 m-unit/ml) and angiotensin (6 nM). Reducing the perfusate [Ca2+] from 1.3 mM to 10 microM had little effect on alpha-agonist-induced Ca2+ efflux, but abolished the subsequent Ca2+ re-uptake, and hence led to a net loss of 80-120 nmol of Ca2+/g of liver from the tissue. The administration at 5 min intervals of short pulses (90 s) of phenylephrine under these conditions resulted in diminishing amounts of Ca2+ efflux being detected, and these could be correlated with decreased rates of alpha-agonist-induced mitochondrial respiration and glucose output. An examination of the Ca2+ pool mobilized by alpha-adrenergic agonists revealed that a loss of Ca2+ from mitochondria and from a fraction enriched in microsomes accounts for all the Ca2+ efflux detected. It is proposed that the alpha-adrenergic agonists, vasopressin and angiotensin mobilize Ca2+ from the same readily depleted intracellular pool consisting predominantly of mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum, and that the hormone-induced enhanced rate of mitochondrial respiration and glycogenolysis is directly dependent on this mobilization.     

The Ca2+-mobilizing actions of vasopressin and angiotensin differ from those of the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine in the perfused rat liver.

A Ca2+-sensitive electrode was used to study net Ca2+-flux changes induced by the administration of phenylephrine, vasopressin and angiotensin to the perfused rat liver. The studies reveal that, although the Ca2+ responses induced by vasopressin and angiotensin are similar, they are quite different from the Ca2+ fluxes induced by phenylephrine. The administration of phenylephrine is accompanied by a stimulation of a net amount of Ca2+ efflux (140 nmol/g of liver). A re-uptake of a similar amount of Ca2+ occurs only after the hormone is removed. In contrast, the administration of vasopressin or angiotensin to livers perfused with 1.3 mM-Ca2+ induces the release of a relatively small amount of Ca2+ (approx. 40 nmol/g of liver) during the first 60 s. This is followed by a much larger amount of Ca2+ uptake (70-140 nmol/g of liver) after 1-2.5 min of hormone administration, and a slow efflux or loss of a similar amount of Ca2+ over a period of 6-8 min. At lower concentrations of perfusate Ca2+ (less than 600 microM) these hormones induce only a net efflux of the ion. These results suggest that at physiological concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ the mechanism by which alpha-adrenergic agonists mobilize cellular Ca2+ is different from that involving vasopressin and angiotensin. It seems that the hormones may have quite diverse effects on Ca2+ transport across the plasma membrane and perhaps organellar membranes in liver.     

Calcium stimulates ATP-Mg/Pi carrier activity in rat liver mitochondria

Adenine nucleotide transport over the carboxyatractyloside-insensitive ATP-Mg/Pi carrier was assayed in isolated rat liver mitochondria with the aim of investigating a possible regulatory role for Ca2+ on carrier activity. Net changes in the matrix adenine nucleotide content (ATP + ADP + AMP) occur when ATP-Mg exchanges for Pi over this carrier. The rates of net accumulation and net loss of adenine nucleotides were inhibited when free Ca2+ was chelated with EGTA and stimulated when buffered [Ca2+]free was increased from 1.0 to 4.0 microM. The unidirectional components of net change were similarly dependent on Ca2+; ATP influx and efflux were inhibited by EGTA in a concentration-dependent manner and stimulated by buffered free Ca2+ in the range 0.6-2.0 microM. For ATP influx, increasing the medium [Ca2+]free from 1.0 to 2.0 microM lowered the apparent Km for ATP from 4.44 to 2.44 mM with no effect on the apparent Vmax (3.55 and 3.76 nmol/min/mg with 1.0 and 2.0 microM [Ca2+]free, respectively). Stimulation of influx and efflux by [Ca2+]free was unaffected by either ruthenium red or the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. Calmodulin antagonists inhibited transport activity. In isolated hepatocytes, glucagon or vasopressin promoted an increased mitochondrial adenine nucleotide content. The effect of both hormones was blocked by EGTA, and for vasopressin, the effect was blocked also by neomycin. The results suggest that the increase in mitochondrial adenine nucleotide content that follows hormonal stimulation of hepatocytes is mediated by an increase in cytosolic [Ca2+]free that activates the ATP-Mg/Pi carrier.     

Synergistic stimulation of Ca2+ uptake by glucagon and Ca2+-mobilizing hormones in the perfused rat liver. A role for mitochondria in long-term Ca2+ homoeostasis.

A perfused liver system incorporating a Ca2+-sensitive electrode was used to study the long-term effects of glucagon and cyclic AMP on the mobilization of Ca2+ induced by phenylephrine, vasopressin and angiotensin. At 1.3 mM extracellular Ca2+ the co-administration of glucagon (10 nM) or cyclic AMP (0.2 mM) and a Ca2+-mobilizing hormone led to a synergistic potentiation of Ca2+ uptake by the liver, to a degree which was dependent on the order of hormone administration. A maximum net amount of Ca2+ influx, corresponding to approx. 3800 nmol/g of liver (the maximum rate of influx was 400 nmol/min per g of liver), was induced when cyclic AMP or glucagon was administered about 4 min before vasopressin and angiotensin. These changes are over an order of magnitude greater than those induced by Ca2+-mobilizing hormones alone [Altin & Bygrave (1985) Biochem. J. 232, 911-917]. For a maximal response the influx of Ca2+ was transient and was essentially complete after about 20 min. Removal of the hormones was followed by a gradual efflux of Ca2+ from the liver over a period of 30-50 min; thereafter, a similar response could be obtained by a second administration of hormones. Dose-response measurements indicate that the potentiation of Ca2+ influx by glucagon occurs even at low (physiological) concentrations of the hormone. By comparison with phenylephrine, the stimulation of Ca2+ influx by vasopressin and angiotensin is more sensitive to low concentrations of glucagon and cyclic AMP, and can be correlated with a 20-50-fold increase in the calcium content of mitochondria. The reversible uptake of such large quantities of Ca2+ implicates the mitochondria in long-term cellular Ca2+ regulation.     

Effects of hormones and N6O2''-dibutyryl-adenosine 3'' :5''-cyclic monophosphate, administered in vivo, on phosphate transport and metabolism in isolated rat liver mitochondria.

1. The administration of glucagon or N6O2'-dibutyryl cyclic AMP to fed rats by intraperitoneal injection was associated with a 2-fold increase in the amounts of endogenous Pi and ATP, and an increase in the rate and extent of transport of exogenous Pi (measured in either the presence or the absence of Ca2+) in mitochondria subsequently isolated from the liver. No change was observed in either the maximum rate of transport of exogenous Pi or in the rate of 32Pi exchange. 2. The changes induced by glucagon and dibutyryl cyclic AMP were markedly decreased by the co-administration of cycloheximide. 3. The administration of insulin to rats resulted in an increase of about 1.3-fold in the concentration of endogenous mitochondrial Pi 4. The amounts of endogenous Pi in mitochondrial isolated from the livers of starved rats were 3 times those in mitochondria isolated from fed animals. 5. It is concluded that the liver mitochondrial phosphatetransport system may be an important site of hormone action. 6. In the course of these experiments, it was shown that Ca2+ markedly stimulates mitochondrial phosphate transports.     

Rapid stimulation of calcium uptake into rat liver by L-tri-iodothyronine.

The short-term effect of L-tri-iodothyronine (T3) on hepatic Ca2+ uptake from perfusate was compared with changes induced by T3 on cellular respiration and glucose output in isolated perfused livers from fasted and fed rats. The same parameters were also studied after the addition of glucagon or vasopressin. T3 (1 microM) induced Ca2+ uptake from the perfusate into the liver within minutes, and the time course was similar to that for stimulation of respiration and gluconeogenesis in livers from fasted rats, and for the stimulation of respiration and glucose output in livers from fed rats. The effects were dose-dependent in the range 1 microM-0.1 nM. Similar changes in the same parameters could be observed with glucagon and vasopressin, but with a completely different time course. Also, the influence of the T3 analogues L-thyroxine (L-T4), 3,5-di-iodo-L-thyronine (L-T2) and 3,3',5-tri-iodo-D-thyronine (D-T3) on hepatic energy metabolism was examined. Whereas D-T3 had practically no effect, L-T4 and L-T2 caused changes in Ca2+ uptake, O2 consumption and gluconeogenesis in livers from fasted rats similar to those with T3. It is concluded that changes in mitochondrial and cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations are involved in the stimulation of respiration and glucose metabolism observed with T3, glucagon and vasopressin.     

Regulation of the mitochondrial matrix volume in vivo and in vitro. The role of calcium.

The ability of alpha-adrenergic agonists and vasopressin to increase the mitochondrial volume in hepatocytes is dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Addition of Ca2+ to hormone-treated cells incubated in the absence of Ca2+ initiates mitochondrial swelling. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, A23187 (7.5 microM) induces mitochondrial swelling and stimulates gluconeogenesis from L-lactate. Isolated liver mitochondria incubated in KCl medium in the presence of 2.5 mM-phosphate undergo energy-dependent swelling, which is associated with electrogenic K+ uptake and reaches an equilibrium when the volume has increased to about 1.3-1.5 microliter/mg of protein. This K+-dependent swelling is stimulated by the presence of 0.3-1.0 microM-Ca2+, leading to an increase in matrix volume at equilibrium that is dependent on [Ca2+]. Ca2+-activated K+-dependent swelling requires phosphate and shows a strong preference for K+ over Na+, Li+ or choline. It is not associated with either uncoupling of mitochondria or any non-specific permeability changes and cannot be produced by Ba2+, Mn2+ or Sr2+. Ca2+-activated K+-dependent swelling is not prevented by any known inhibitors of plasma-membrane ion-transport systems, nor by inhibitors of mitochondrial phospholipase A2. Swelling is inhibited by 65% and 35% by 1 mM-ATP and 100 microM-quinine respectively. The effect of Ca2+ is blocked by Ruthenium Red (5 micrograms/ml) at low [Ca2+]. Spermine (0.25 mM) enhanced the swelling seen on addition of Ca2+, correlating with its ability to increase Ca2+ uptake into the mitochondria as measured by using Arsenazo-III. Mitochondria derived from rats treated with glucagon showed less swelling than did control mitochondria. In the presence of Ruthenium Red and higher [Ca2+], the mitochondria from hormone-treated animals showed greater swelling than did control mitochondria. These data imply that an increase in intramitochondrial [Ca2+] can increase the electrogenic flux of K+ into mitochondria by an unknown mechanism and thereby cause swelling. It is proposed that this is the mechanism by which alpha-agonists and vasopressin cause an increase in mitochondrial volume in situ.     

Interaction between glucocorticoids and glucagon in the hormonal modification of calcium retention by isolated rat liver mitochondria.

1. The administration of dexamethasone to intact fed rats by intraperitoneal injection for 3h was associated with a 6-fold increase in the time for which mitochondria subsequently isolated from the liver retain a given load of exogenous Ca2+. This effect was blocked by the co-administration of cycloheximide with dexamethasone, and partially blocked by the co-administration of puromycin. Daily administration of dexamethasone for periods of 4--7 days resulted in liver mitochondria that exhibited a decreased ability to retain exogenous Ca2+. 2. When glucagon was administered to fed adrenalectomized rats, the increase in mitochondrial Ca2+-retention time that results from the action of this hormone was reduced by 50% when compared with its effect on intact animals. The administration of dexamethasone to adrenalectomized rats partially restored the full effect of glucagon. 3. Dexamethasone did not enhance the effect of glucagon on mitochondrial Ca2+-retention time when administered to intact fed rats. 4. It is concluded that these data support the hypothesis that the hormone-induced modification of liver mitochondria, which results in an increase in the time for which exogenous Ca2+ is retained, involves a step in which new protein is synthesized.     

Effect of thyroid hormone on intracellular Ca2+ mobilization by noradrenaline and vasopressin in relation to glycogenolysis in rat liver

The relation between Ca2+ efflux, Ca2+ mobilization from mitochondria and glycogenolysis was studied in perfused euthyroid and hypothyroid rat livers stimulated by Ca2+-mobilizing hormones. Ca2+ efflux, induced by noradrenaline (1 microM) in the absence or presence of DL-propranolol (10 microM) from livers perfused with medium containing a low concentration of Ca2+ (approx. 24 microM), was decreased by more than 50% in hypothyroidism. This correlated with an equal decrease of the fractional mobilization of mitochondrial Ca2+, which could account for 65% of the difference between the net amounts of Ca2+ expelled from the euthyroid and hypothyroid livers. With vasopressin (10 nM) similar results were found, suggesting that hypothyroidism has a general effect on mobilization of internal Ca2+. In normal Ca2+ medium (1300 microM), however, the effect of vasopressin on net Ca2+ fluxes and phosphorylase activation was not impaired in hypothyroidism, indicating that Ca2+ mobilization from the mitochondria in this case plays a minor role in phosphorylase activation. The alpha 1-adrenergic responses of Ca2+ efflux, phosphorylase activation and glucose output, glucose-6-phosphatase activity and oxygen consumption in hypothyroid rat liver were completely restored by in vivo T3 injections (0.5 micrograms per 100 g body weight, daily during 3 days). Perfusion with T3 (100 pM) during 19 min did not influence hypothyroid rat liver oxygen consumption and alpha 1-receptor-mediated Ca2+ efflux. However, this in vitro T3 treatment showed a completely recovered alpha 1-adrenergic response of phosphorylase and a partly restored glucose-6-phosphatase activity and glucose output. The results indicate that thyroid hormones may control alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation of glycogenolysis by at least two mechanisms, i.e., a long-term action on Ca2+ mobilization, and a short-term action on separate stages of the glycogenolytic process.     

The effect of ionophore A23187 on calcium ion fluxes and alpha-adrenergic-agonist action in perfused rat liver.

The effect of ionophore A23187 on cellular Ca2+ fluxes, glycogenolysis and respiration was examined in perfused liver. At low extracellular Ca2+ concentrations (less than 4 microM), A23187 induced the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and stimulated the rate of glycogenolysis and respiration. As the extracellular Ca2+ concentration was elevated, biphasic cellular Ca2+ fluxes were observed, with Ca2+ uptake preceding Ca2+ efflux. Under these conditions, both the glycogenolytic response and the respiratory response also became biphasic, allowing the differentiation between the effects of extracellular and intracellular Ca2+. Under all conditions examined the rate of Ca2+ efflux induced by A23187 was much slower than the rate of phenylephrine-induced Ca2+ efflux, although the net amounts of Ca2+ effluxed were similar for both agents. The effect of A23187 on phenylephrine-induced Ca2+ fluxes, glycogenolysis and respiration is dependent on the extracellular Ca2+ concentration. At concentrations of less than 50 microM-Ca2+, A23187 only partially inhibited alpha-agonist action, whereas at 1.3 mM-Ca2+ almost total inhibition was observed. The action of A23187 at the cellular level is complex, dependent on the experimental conditions used, and shows both differences from and similarities to the hepatic action of alpha-adrenergic agonists.     

Ca2+-dependent activation of the malate-aspartate shuttle by norepinephrine and vasopressin in perfused rat liver

The role of Ca2+ in stimulation of the malate-aspartate shuttle by norepinephrine and vasopressin was studied in perfused rat liver. Shuttle capacity was indexed by measuring the changes in both the rate of production of glucose from sorbitol and the ratio of lactate to pyruvate during the oxidation of ethanol. (T. Sugano et al. (1986) Amer. J. Physiol. 251, E385-E392). Asparagine (0.5 mM), but not alanine (0.5 mM) decreased the ethanol-induced responses. Norepinephrine and vasopressin had no effect on the ethanol-induced responses when the liver was perfused with sorbitol or glycerol. In the presence of 0.25 mM alanine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, and A23187 decreased the ethanol-induced responses that occurred with the increase of flux of Ca2+. In liver perfused with Ca2+-free medium, asparagine also decreased the ethanol-induced responses, but norepinephrine and vasopressin had no effect. Aminooxyacetate inhibited the effects of norepinephrine, A23187, and asparagine. Regardless of the presence or absence of perfusate Ca2+, the combination of glucagon and alanine had no effect on the ethanol-induced responses. Norepinephrine caused a decrease in levels of alpha-ketoglutarate, aspartate, and glutamate in hepatocytes incubated with Ca2+. The present data suggest that the redistribution of cellular Ca2+ may activate the efflux of aspartate from mitochondria in rat liver, resulting in an increase in the capacity of the malate-aspartate shuttle.     

Subcellular calcium and magnesium mobilization in rat liver stimulated in vivo with vasopressin and glucagon

The total Ca2+ content of the endoplasmic reticulum and the total Ca2+ and Mg2+ content of mitochondria were determined by electron probe microanalysis of rat liver rapidly frozen in vivo following brief (5-15 s) stimulation with vasopressin or prolonged (10-12 min) stimulation with vasopressin + glucagon. Brief vasopressin injection into the anterior mesenteric vein released 1.8 +/- 0.3 (S.D.) mmol of Ca2+/kg dry weight, from the rough endoplasmic reticulum (p less than 0.01), reducing Ca2+ content of the endoplasmic reticulum from 4.4 +/- 0.2 (S.E.) (controls) to 2.6 +/- 0.2 mmol of Ca2+/kg dry weight. Following vasopressin injection, endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ was also significantly (p less than 0.025) lower than that in brief sham injected animals (3.5 +/- 0.2 mmol/kg dry weight). Mitochondrial Ca2+ was between 1.0 and 2.3 (+/-0.2) mmol/kg dry weight of mitochondrion, under all conditions studied, and no significant differences were observed. Both hormonal and brief sham injection into the anterior mesenteric vein increased mitochondrial Mg2+ from 42 (+/-0.8) to 49 (+/-1.8) mmol/kg dry weight (p less than 0.05). Hormonal stimulation of Mg2+ uptake was further confirmed by injection of vasopressin + glucagon into the jugular vein (to avoid any stimulation of the liver by the anterior mesenteric vein injection itself); mitochondrial Mg2+ increased from 43 (+/-0.9) (10-min sham) to 57 (+/-1.3) mmol/kg dry weight, with 10-min vasopressin + glucagon injection (p less than 0.01). These results demonstrate that hormones can release Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum and modulate mitochondrial Mg2+ content in vivo without causing detectable changes in mitochondrial Ca2+.     

The influx of Ca2+ induced by the administration of glucagon and Ca2+-mobilizing agents to the perfused rat liver could involve at least two separate pathways.

The Ca2+-mobilizing actions of ADP, ATP and epidermal growth factor (EGF) and their interaction with glucagon were studied in a perfused liver system incorporating a Ca2+-selective electrode. ADP (1-100 microM), ATP (1-100 microM) and EGF (10-50 nM) all induced a net efflux, followed by a net uptake of Ca2+ in the intact liver. The co-administration of glucagon (or of cyclic AMP) with these agents resulted in a synergistic potentiation of the Ca2+ uptake response in a way which resembles the synergism observed when glucagon is administered with phenylephrine, vasopressin or angiotensin [Altin & Bygrave (1986) Biochem J. 238, 653-661]. The inability of diltiazem, verapamil and nifedipine to inhibit the Ca2+-influx response suggests that the stimulation of Ca2+ influx does not occur through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels. By contrast, the synergistic effects of glucagon in the stimulation of Ca2+ influx are inhibited by 10 mM-neomycin, and a lowering of the extracellular pH to 6.8. Simultaneous measurements of perfusate Ca2+ and pH changes suggest that the Ca2+ influx response is not mediated by a Ca2+/H+ exchange. The inability of neomycin and low extracellular pH to inhibit the refilling of the hormone-sensitive pool of Ca2+, after the administration of Ca2+-mobilizing agents alone, provides evidence for the existence in liver of at least two Ca2+-influx pathways, or mechanisms for regulating Ca2+ influx.     

Evidence that a pertussis-toxin-sensitive substrate is involved in the stimulation by epidermal growth factor and vasopressin of plasma-membrane Ca2+ inflow in hepatocytes.

1. In hepatocytes, epidermal growth factor (EFG) (a) increased the rate of 45Ca2+ exchange in cells incubated at 1.3 mM extracellular Ca2+, (b) increased the activity of glycogen phosphorylase a and the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration (measured with quin2) in a process dependent on the concentration of extracellular Ca2+, and (c) enhanced the increase in glycogen phosphorylase activity which follows the addition of Ca2+ to cells previously incubated in the absence of Ca2+. It is concluded that EGF stimulates plasma-membrane Ca2+ inflow. 2. The effects of the combination of EGF and vasopressin on the rate of 45Ca2+ exchange and on the rate of increase in glycogen phosphorylase activity were the same as those of vasopressin alone. 3. The amount of 45Ca2+ released by EGF from internal stores was about 30% of that released by vasopressin. No detectable increase in [3H]inositol mono-, bis- or tris-phosphate was observed after the addition of EGF to cells labelled with myo-[3H]inositol. 4. In hepatocytes isolated from rats treated with pertussis toxin, the effects of EGF and vasopressin on phosphorylase activity (measured at 1.3 mM-Ca2+) and on the rate of Ca2+ inflow (measured with quin2) were markedly decreased compared with those in normal cells. 5. Treatment with pertussis toxin did not impair the ability of vasopressin to release Ca2+ from internal stores, but decreased vasopressin-stimulated [3H]inositol polyphosphate formation by 50%. 6. It is concluded that the mechanism(s) by which vasopressin and EGF stimulate plasma-membrane Ca2+-inflow transporters in hepatocytes involves a GTP-binding regulatory protein sensitive to pertussis toxin, and does not require an increase in the concentration of inositol trisphosphate comparable with that which induces the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Stimulation of glycine catabolism in isolated perfused rat liver by calcium mobilizing hormones and in isolated rat liver mitochondria by submicromolar concentrations of calcium.

Glucagon stimulates flux through the glycine cleavage system (GCS) in isolated rat hepatocytes (Jois, M., Hall, B., Fewer, K., and Brosnan, J. T. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 3347-3351. In the present study, flux through GCS was measured in isolated rat liver perfused with 100 nM glucagon, 1 microM epinephrine, 1 microM norepinephrine, 10 microM phenylephrine, or 100 nM vasopressin. These hormones increased flux through GCS in perfused rat liver by 100-200% above the basal rate. The possibility that the stimulation of flux by adrenergic agonists and vasopressin is mediated by increases in cytoplasmic Ca2+ which in turn could regulate mitochondrial glycine catabolism was examined by measuring flux through GCS in isolated mitochondria in the presence of 0.04-2.88 microM free Ca2+. Flux through GCS in isolated mitochondria was exquisitely sensitive to free Ca2+ in the medium; half-maximal stimulation occurred at about 0.4 microM free Ca2+ and maximal stimulation (7-fold) was reached when the free Ca2+ in the medium was 1 microM. The Vmax (nanomoles/mg protein/min) and Km (millimolar) values for the flux through GCS in intact mitochondria were 0.67 +/- 0.16 and 20.66 +/- 4.82 in the presence of 1 mM [ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid and 3.28 +/- 0.76 and 10.98 +/- 1.91 in presence of 0.5 microM free Ca2+, respectively. The results show that the flux through GCS is sensitive to concentrations of calcium which would be achieved in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes stimulated by calcium-mobilizing hormones.     

Vasopressin decreases total free fatty acids but enhances release of radioactivity from isolated hepatocytes labelled with [3H]arachidonic acid

The short-term effects of vasopressin on free fatty acids and lysophospholipids were investigated in hepatocytes isolated from fed rats. Over the time period 0.25 to 10 min vasopressin decreased the steady-state concentrations of palmitic, stearic and oleic acids measured by gas liquid chromatography in extracts of cells incubated at 0.1 mM extracellular Ca2+. The concentrations of arachidonic and linoleic acids did not change. In hepatocytes labelled with [3H]arachidonic acid and incubated at 1.3 mM extracellular Ca2+ vasopressin or the Ca2+-selective ionophore A23187 increased the rate of accumulation of radioactivity in the incubation medium by 40%. The action of A23187 was dependent on extracellular Ca2+. When hepatocytes labelled with 32Pi were treated with vasopressin, no change in the amounts of [32P]lysophosphatidylethanolamine or [32P]lysophosphatidylcholine was observed. It is concluded that the action of vasopressin on hepatocytes is associated with the release of arachidonic acid or metabolites of arachidonic acid but is not accompanied by a general increase in the steady-state concentrations of free fatty acids and lysophospholipids.