The phosphorylation of troponin I from cardiac muscle.

1. Troponin I isolated from fresh cardiac muscle by affinity chromatography contains about 1.9 mol of covalently bound phosphate/mol. Similar preparations of white-skeletal-muscle troponin I contain about 0.5 mol of phosphate/mol. 2. A 3':5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and a protein phosphatase are associated with troponin isolated from cardiac muscle. 3. Bovine cardiac 3':5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase catalyses the phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I 30 times faster than white-skeletal-muscle troponin I. 4. Troponin I is the only component of cardiac troponin phosphorylated at a significant rate by the endogenous or a bovine cardiac 3':5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. 5. Phosphorylase kinase catalyses the phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I at similar or slightly faster rates than white-skeletal-muscle troponin I. 6. Troponin C inhibits the phosphorylation of cardiac and skeletal troponin I catalysed by phosphorylase kinase and the phosphorylation of white skeletal troponin I catalysed by 3':5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase; the phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I catalysed by the latter enzyme is not inhibited.     

Effects of forskolin on contractile responses and protein phosphorylation in the isolated perfused rat heart.

Continuous perfusion of rat hearts with concentrations of forskolin between 0.1 and 12 microM resulted in transient increases in tension after 45 s, followed by a return to the control value after 5 min. In contrast, the content of cyclic AMP increased linearly with time over this period, reaching values up to 35 times control after 5 min. Increases in contractile force, intracellular cyclic AMP concentration and the proportion of phosphorylase in the a form were dependent on the concentration of forskolin when measured 45 s and 120 s after initiation of perfusion. In hearts perfused for 45 s with various concentrations of forskolin, the measured cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratio and phosphorylase a content for a given measured intracellular cyclic AMP concentration were both much less than the corresponding values in hearts perfused for 30 s with various concentrations of isoprenaline. The phosphorylation of the contractile proteins troponin-I and C-protein also showed a concentration-dependent increase in hearts perfused with forskolin. There was a strong correlation between the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratios and the phosphorylation of the contractile proteins under all perfusion conditions. These results suggest that cyclic AMP is compartmented in perfused rat heart, and that much of the cyclic AMP produced in response to forskolin is unavailable to activate cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Phosphorylation and functional modifications of sarcoplasmic reticulum and myofibrils in isolated rabbit hearts stimulated with isoprenaline.

Isoprenaline stimulation of perfused rabbit hearts was associated with simultaneous phosphorylation of proteins in the myofilaments and phospholamban in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Hearts were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer containing [32P]Pi, freeze-clamped in a control condition or at the peak of the inotropic response to isoprenaline, and myofibrils and SR were prepared from the same hearts. Stimulation of 32P incorporation in troponin I (TnI) and C-protein by isoprenaline was associated with a decrease in Ca2+-sensitivity of the myofibrillar Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity. Stimulation of 32P incorporation in SR by isoprenaline was associated with an increase in the initial rates of oxalate-facilitated Ca2+ transport, assayed with SR vesicles in either microsomal fractions or homogenates from the perfused hearts. These findings provide evidence that phosphorylation of TnI, C-protein and phospholamban in the intact cell is associated with functional alterations of the myofibrils and SR which may be responsible in part for the effects of catecholamines on the mammalian myocardium.     

Phosphorylation of the inhibitory subunit of troponin in perfused hearts of mice deficient in phosphorylase kinase. Evidence for the phosphorylation of troponin by adenosine 3'':5''-phosphate-dependent protein kinase in vivo.

When hearts from control and phosphorylase kinase-deficient (I strain) mice were perfused with 0.1 micrometer-DL-isoprenaline, there was a parallel increase in contraction, cyclic AMP concentration and troponin I phosphorylation. However, there was no increase in phosphorylase a in the I-strain hearts, whereas the control hearts showed a large increase. Assays of I-strain heart extracts showed a normal cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity but no phosphorylase kinase activity. It is concluded that troponin I is phosphorylated in intact hearts by protein kinase and not phosphorylase kinase.     

The sites of phosphorylation of rabbit cardiac troponin I by adenosine 3'':5''-cyclic monophosphate-dependent protein kinase. Effect of interaction with troponin C.

1. Troponin I prepared from rabbit hearts contains 1.0-1.5 mol of P/mol when isolated by affinity chromatography. Most of the covalently bound phosphate is located in residues 1-48 of the molecule. 2. 3':5'-Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase catalyses phosphorylation at serine-20 and serine-146. Serine-20 is more rapidly phosphorylated than serine-146. 3. In troponin I prepared from frozen hearts by affinity chromatography about 0.3-0.5 mol of P/mol is associated with serine-20 and 0.8-1.0 mol of P/mol with other site(s) in residues 1-48 of the molecule. 4. Phosphorylation at serine-20 and servine-146 is not significantly inhibited by troponin C. 5. The mechansim of the interaction of troponin C with cardiac troponin I is discussed in the light of these results.     

Phosphorylation of phospholipids in isolated guinea pig hearts stimulated with isoprenaline.

Phosphorylation of phospholipids was studied in Langendorff perfused guinea pig hearts subjected to beta-adrenergic stimulation. Hearts were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer containing [32P]Pi and freeze-clamped in a control condition or at the peak of the inotropic response to isoprenaline. 32P incorporation into total phospholipids, individual phospholipids and polyphosphoinositides was analysed in whole tissue homogenates and membranes, enriched in sarcoplasmic reticulum, prepared from the same hearts. Isoprenaline stimulation of the hearts did not result in any significant changes in the levels of phosphate incorporation in the total phospholipid present in cardiac homogenates (11.6 +/- 0.4 nmol of 32P/g for control hearts and 12.4 +/- 0.5 nmol of 32P/g for isoprenaline-treated hearts; n = 6), although there was a significant increase in the degree of phospholipid phosphorylation in sarcoplasmic reticulum (3.5 +/- 0.3 nmol of 32P/mg for control hearts and 6.7 +/- 0.2 nmol of 32P/mg for isoprenaline-treated hearts; n = 6). Analysis of 32P incorporation into individual phospholipids and polyphosphoinositides revealed that isoprenaline stimulation of the hearts was associated with a 2-3-fold increase in the degree of phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol monophosphate and bisphosphate as well as phosphatidic acid in both cardiac homogenates and sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. In addition, there was increased phosphate incorporation into phosphatidylinositol in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. Thus, perfusion of guinea pig hearts with isoprenaline is associated with increased formation of polyphosphoinositides and these phospholipids may be involved, at least in part, in mediating the effects of beta-adrenergic agents in the mammalian heart.     

The influence on platelet aggregation of drugs that affect the accumulation of adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate in platelets

1. The involvement of intracellular 3':5'-cyclic AMP in the inhibition of platelet aggregation by prostaglandin E(1), isoprenaline and adenosine has been examined by a radiochemical technique. Platelet-rich plasma was incubated with radioactive adenine to incorporate (14)C radioactivity into platelet nucleotides. Pairs of identically treated samples were taken, one for the photometric measurement of platelet aggregation induced by ADP, the other for estimation of the radioactivity of 3':5'-cyclic AMP. 2. Theophylline, papaverine, dipyridamole and 2,6-bis-(diethanolamino)-4-piperidinopyrimido[5,4d]pyrimidine (compound RA233) were found to inhibit 3':5'-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase from platelets. At concentrations of 3':5'-cyclic AMP greater than 50mum the most active inhibitor was dipyridamole; at 3':5'-cyclic AMP concentrations less than 19mum, papaverine and compound RA233 were more active than dipyridamole. 3. In the presence of compound RA233 (50mum), the effectiveness of prostaglandin E(1) as an inhibitor of platelet aggregation was increased tenfold. Compound RA233 also increased the stimulation by prostaglandin E(1) of the incorporation of radioactivity into 3':5'-cyclic AMP. 4. Compound RA233 (50mum) increased the effectiveness of both adenosine and 2-chloroadenosine as inhibitors of aggregation by 70-100-fold, and in the presence of compound RA233 both adenosine and 2-chloroadenosine stimulated the incorporation of radioactivity into 3':5'-cyclic AMP; the extent of the stimulation was proportional to the logarithm of the nucleoside concentration. 5. Compound RA233 (100-500mum) inhibited platelet aggregation by itself and caused small increases in the radioactivity of 3':5'-cyclic AMP. Partial positive correlations were found between the radioactivity of 3':5'-cyclic AMP in platelets measured at the time of addition of the aggregating agent (ADP) and the extent to which the aggregation was inhibited. 6. The results are interpreted as indicating that adenosine, 2-chloroadenosine, isoprenaline, prostaglandin E(1) and drugs that inhibit platelet 3':5'-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase all inhibit aggregation by a common mechanism involving intracellular 3':5'-cyclic AMP.     

Relationship between 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-ribotide and AMP-activated protein kinase activity in the perfused mouse heart

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a cellular energy sensor whose activity responds to AMP concentration ([AMP]). An agent that activates AMPK in cells is 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-riboside (AICA-riboside). Phosphorylated AICA-riboside or AICA-ribotide (ZMP) is an AMP analog. It is generally assumed that ZMP accumulation does not alter [AMP]. Additionally, the effect of AICA-riboside on AMPK activity of the heart is uncertain. Two hypotheses were tested in the isolated mouse heart: 1) sufficient ZMP concentration ([ZMP]) forms to increase AMPK activity, and 2) [ZMP] accumulation increases [AMP]. Perfusion of isolated mouse hearts with Krebs-Henseleit buffer containing 0.15-2 mM AICA-riboside concentration resulted in [ZMP] of 2-8 mM. ZMP accumulation reduced phosphocreatine concentration, which increased cytosolic [AMP]. In hearts with [ZMP] less than approximately 3 mM, in vivo AMPK allosteric activity effects of ZMP were observed; AMPK phosphorylation and [AMP] were not increased. With [ZMP] between 3 and 5 mM, in vitro AMPK activity and phosphorylation increased with unchanged [AMP]. This occurred in hearts perfused with 0.25 mM AICA-riboside for 48 min and 0.5 mM AICA-riboside for 24 min. The [ZMP] resulting in 50% AMPK activity (covalent phosphorylation of AMPK) was 4.1 +/- 0.6 mM. Hearts with [ZMP] >5 mM displayed increased [AMP] and AMPK activity that was not different from hearts with similar [AMP] with no [ZMP]; the half-maximal activity of AMP was 5.6 +/- 1.6 microM. Thus, in mouse hearts, AICA-riboside was metabolized to [ZMP] adequately to increase AMPK activity. Higher [ZMP] also increased cytosolic [AMP], which affects AMPK activity.     

Cardiac effects of prostaglandins E1 and F1 alpha

The effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and prostaglandin F1 alpha (PGF1 alpha) were studied on perfused rat hearts and isolated rat atria. Both PGE1 and PGF1 alpha produced dose-dependent increases in right atrial rate but had no effect on left atrial tension development. PGE1 (10(-4) M) increased right atrial cyclic AMP content without changing phosphorylase a activity. PGF1 alpha (10(-4) M) did not change right atrial cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP content. Both prostaglandins had no effect on left atrial cyclic nucleotide content. When infused at a rate of 1 microgram/min, PGE1 produced a time-dependent increase in cyclic AMP content in the Langendorff perfused hearts but did not alter contractile force development or phosphorylase a activity. An infusion of PGF1 alpha produced a dose-dependent increase in tension development which was secondary to a negative chronotropic effect. PGF1 alpha (1 microgram/min) did not produce any changes in cyclic nucleotide levels or phosphorylase a activity in the Langendorff perfused hearts. These results show that PGE1 can selectively increase myocardial cyclic AMP content without altering contractile force or phosphorylase activity and that PGF1 alpha does not increase rat cardiac AMP levels.     

Endogenous cyclic AMP-stimulated phosphorylation of a Wolfgram protein component in rabbit central-nervous-system myelin.

Cyclic AMP-stimulated phosphorylation of membrane proteins in central-nervous-system myelin was investigated, with rabbit brain myelin. Subfractionation of a myelin membrane preparation by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation produced a rapidly sedimenting population of membrane vesicles containing 5'-nucleotidase and acetylcholinesterase, a light membrane fraction containing myelin basic protein and 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase, and an intermediate membrane fraction containing the highest specific activity of 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase and a small proportion of myelin basic protein. Cyclic AMP stimulation of protein phosphorylation was confined to a protein of Mr 49 700, which co-electrophoresed with the upper component of the Wolfgram protein doublet. Cyclic AMP did not affect the phosphorylation of myelin basic protein. Cyclic AMP-stimulated phosphorylation of this protein followed 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase activity on subcellular fractionation and was correspondingly high in the intermediate or 'myelin-like' fraction on sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation.     

Phosphorylation of C-protein, troponin I and phospholamban in isolated rabbit hearts.

Phosphorylation of myofibrillar and sacroplasmic-reticulum (SR) proteins was studied in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts subjected to various inotropic interventions. Stimulation of hearts with isoprenaline resulted in the phosphorylation of both troponin I (TnI) and C-protein in myofibrils and phospholamban in SR. Phosphorylation of phospholamban could be reversed by a 15 min perfusion with drug-free buffer, after a 1 minute pulse perfusion with isoprenaline, at which time the mechanical effects of isoprenaline stimulation had also been reversed. However, both TnI and C-protein remained phosphorylated at this time. Moreover, the inhibition of Ca2+ activation of the Mg2+-dependent ATPase (Mg-ATPase) activity associated with myofibrillar phosphorylation persisted in myofibrils prepared from hearts frozen after 15 min of washout of isoprenaline. To assess the contribution of C-protein phosphorylation in the decrease of Ca2+ activation of the myofibrillar Mg-ATPase activity, we reconstituted a regulated actomyosin system in which only C-protein was phosphorylated. In this system, C-protein phosphorylation did not contribute to the decrease in Ca2+ activation of Mg-ATPase activity, indicating that TnI phosphorylation is responsible for the diminished sensitivity of the myofibrils to Ca2+. These observations support the hypothesis that phospholamban phosphorylation plays a more dominant role than TnI or C-protein phosphorylation in the mechanical response of the mammalian heart to beta-adrenergic stimulation.     

Coordination of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum and myofibrillar function by protein phosphorylation

Adrenergic stimulation alters functional dynamics of the heart by mechanisms most likely involving cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein phosphorylation. In vitro studies indicate that the myofibrils and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) may act as effectors of the adrenergic stimulation. cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of troponin I (TnI), one of the regulatory proteins of cardiac myofibrils, results in a decreased steady-state affinity of troponin C (TnC) for calcium, an increase in the off-rate for Ca2+ exchange with TnC, and a rightward shift of the relation between free Ca2+ and myofibrillar force or ATPase. Phosphorylation of phospholamban, a regulatory protein of cardiac SR, results in an increased velocity of Ca2+ transport by SR vesicles, an increased affinity of the transport protein for Ca2+, and an increased turnover of elementary steps of the ATPase reaction. These in vitro findings support the hypothesis that the inotropic response of the heart to catecholamine stimulation involves phosphorylation of TnI and phospholamban. Our in vivo studies with perfused rabbit hearts show that during the peak of the inotropic response to isoproterenol there is a simultaneous phosphorylation of TnI and an 11,000-dalton protein in the SR, most likely the monomeric form of phospholamban.     

Effect of phosphorylation of porcine cardiac troponin I by 3':5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase on the actomyosin ATPase activity

1. Porcine cardiac native tropomyosin was phosphorylated by bovine cardiac 3':5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Most of the phosphate incorporation was observed in troponin I, the maximum of which was 0.7 mol of Pi per mol of troponin I. 2. In the presence of phosphorylated native tropomyosin, actomyosin ATPase activity was 15-40% lower than that in the presence of the unphosphorylated preparation at all calcium ion concentrations (1.5 x 10(-8) M-2.4 x 10(-5) M). Half-maximum activation of ATPase was obtained with a concentration of 7 x 10(-7) M Ca2+ (unphosphorylated) and 1.3 x 10(-6) M Ca2+ (phosphorylated), respectively. Maximum ATPase activity was reached with 3 x 10(-6) M Ca2+ (unphosphorylated) and 1.0 x 10(-5) M Ca2+ (phosphorylated). 3. Porcine cardiac troponin I isolated by affinity chromatography inhibited ATPase activity of desensitized actomyosin in the presence of tropomyosin. There was little difference between phosphorylated troponin I and a control preparation with regard to the inhibitory effect of ATPase activity. 4. Troponin C from rabbit skeletal muscle neutralized the inhibitory effect of troponin I. The minimum amount of troponin C required for complete neutralization was approximately equimolar to troponin I. The inhibitory effect of phosphorylated troponin I was neutralized by troponin C less effectively than that of unphosphorylated preparation.     

Effect of prostaglandin E1 alone and in combination with theophylline or aspirin on collagen-induced platelet aggregation and on platelet nucleotides including adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate

1. Human platelet nucleotides were labelled by incubating platelet-rich plasma with [U-(14)C]adenine. With such platelets, the effects of prostaglandin E1, theophylline and aspirin were determined on collagen-induced platelet aggregation and release of platelet ATP and ADP. Intracellular changes of platelet radioactive nucleotides, particularly 3':5'-cyclic AMP, were also determined both with and without collagen treatment. 2. Prostaglandin E1, theophylline and aspirin inhibited collagen-induced aggregation of platelets in a dose-dependent manner. Collagen-induced release of ATP and ADP and breakdown of radioactive ATP were also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. 3. Prostaglandin E1 stimulated the formation of platelet radioactive 3':5'-cyclic AMP in a dose-dependent manner. With a given dose of prostaglandin E1, maximum formation of radioactive 3':5'-cyclic AMP occurred by 10-30s and thereafter the concentrations declined. The degree of inhibition of aggregation produced by prostaglandin E1, however, increased with its time of incubation in platelet-rich plasma before addition of collagen, so that there was an inverse relationship between the radioactive 3':5'-cyclic AMP concentration measured at the time of collagen addition and the subsequent degree of inhibition of aggregation obtained. 4. Neither theophylline nor aspirin at a concentration in platelet-rich plasma of 1.7mm altered platelet radioactive 3':5'-cyclic AMP contents. In the presence of prostaglandin E1, theophylline increased the concentration of radioactive 3':5'-cyclic AMP over that noted with prostaglandin E1 alone, but aspirin did not. 5. Mixtures of prostaglandin E1 and theophylline had a synergistic effect on inhibition of platelet aggregation. The same was true to a lesser extent with mixtures of prostaglandin E1 and aspirin. Such mixtures also inhibited collagen-induced release of platelet ATP and ADP and breakdown of platelet radioactive ATP. 6. Certain concentrations of either theophylline or aspirin and mixtures of small concentrations of prostaglandin E1 with either theophylline or aspirin caused little or no increase of radioactive 3':5'-cyclic AMP at the time of collagen addition, but inhibited aggregation to a marked degree, whereas higher concentrations of prostaglandin E1 alone caused a much greater increase of radioactive 3':5'-cyclic AMP at the time of collagen addition but inhibited aggregation to a lesser extent. With these compounds there does not appear to be a correlation between these parameters.     

Metformin and phenformin activate AMP-activated protein kinase in the heart by increasing cytosolic AMP concentration

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acts as a cellular energy sensor: it responds to an increase in AMP concentration ([AMP]) or the AMP-to-ATP ratio (AMP/ATP). Metformin and phenformin, which are biguanides, have been reported to increase AMPK activity without increasing AMP/ATP. This study tests the hypothesis that these biguanides increase AMPK activity in the heart by increasing cytosolic [AMP]. Groups of isolated rat hearts (n = 5-7 each) were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer with or without 0.2 mM phenformin or 10 mM metformin, and (31)P-NMR-measured phosphocreatine, ATP, and intracellular pH were used to calculate cytosolic [AMP]. At various times, hearts were freeze-clamped and assayed for AMPK activity, phosphorylation of Thr(172) on AMPK-alpha, and phosphorylation of Ser(79) on acetyl-CoA carboxylase, an AMPK target. In hearts treated with phenformin for 18 min and then perfused for 20 min with Krebs-Henseleit buffer, [AMP] began to increase at 26 min and AMPK activity was elevated at 36 min. In hearts treated with metformin, [AMP] was increased at 50 min and AMPK activity, phosphorylated AMPK, and phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase were elevated at 61 min. In metformin-treated hearts, HPLC-measured total AMP content and total AMP/ATP did not increase. In summary, phenformin and metformin increase AMPK activity and phosphorylation in the isolated heart. The increase in AMPK activity was always preceded by and correlated with increased cytosolic [AMP]. Total AMP content and total AMP/ATP did not change. Cytosolic [AMP] reported metabolically active AMP, which triggered increased AMPK activity, but measures of total AMP did not.     

Treatment of type 2 diabetic db/db mice with a novel PPARgamma agonist improves cardiac metabolism but not contractile function

Hearts from insulin-resistant type 2 diabetic db/db mice exhibit features of a diabetic cardiomyopathy with altered metabolism of exogenous substrates and reduced contractile performance. Therefore, the effect of chronic oral administration of 2-(2-(4-phenoxy-2-propylphenoxy)ethyl)indole-5-acetic acid (COOH), a novel ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma that produces insulin sensitization, to db/db mice (30 mg/kg for 6 wk) on cardiac function was assessed. COOH treatment reduced blood glucose from 27 mM in untreated db/db mice to a normal level of 10 mM. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was enhanced in cardiomyocytes from COOH-treated db/db hearts. Working perfused hearts from COOH-treated db/db mice demonstrated metabolic changes with enhanced glucose oxidation and decreased palmitate oxidation. However, COOH treatment did not improve contractile performance assessed with ex vivo perfused hearts and in vivo by echocardiography. The reduced outward K+ currents in diabetic cardiomyocytes were still attenuated after COOH. Metabolic changes in COOH-treated db/db hearts are most likely indirect, secondary to changes in supply of exogenous substrates in vivo and insulin sensitization.     

The site of phosphorylation of troponin I in the perfused rabbit heart. The effect of adrenaline.

1. On treatment of the perfused rabbit heart with adrenaline, the total covalently bound phosphate of troponin I increased from 1.14 mol of phosphate/mol to 1.86 mol of phosphate/mol. 2. Covalently bound phosphate could be identified only in the region of the molecule of cardiac troponin I consisting of residues 1--48. 3. When 32P-labelled orthophosphate was present in the perfusion medium the phosphate at serine-20 became radioactively labelled. This residue was the only significant site of phosphorylation that could be identified. 4. The addition of adrenaline caused a 4--5-fold increase in covalently bound [32P]phosphate. Virtually all of the 32P was located at serine-20. 5. It was concluded from these studies that the extent of phosphorylation of serine-20 of cardiac troponin I increased from 30--40% in the control perfused heart to about 100% in the presence of adrenaline.     

Characterization of a region of the primary sequence of troponin C involved in calcium ion-dependent interaction with troponin I.

1. The CNBr digest of troponin C from rabbit fast skeletal muscle was shown to possess many of the functional properties of the whole troponin C molecule. 2. A peptide corresponding to residues 83-134 was isolated, which forms a Ca(2+-dependent complex with troponin I and neutralizes the inhibition by troponin I of the Mg(2+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase of desensitized actomyosin. 3. The peptide inhibits the phosphorylation of fast-skeletal-muscle, but not cardiac-muscle, troponin I, by 3' :5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. In this property it was as effective as whole skeletal-muscle troponin C when compared on a molar basis. 4. Biological activity was also present in other fractions obtained from the CNBr digest. 5. By gel filtration and affinity chromatography of the whole CNBr digest of troponin C, two peptides, one of which was identified as representing residues 83-134, were shown to form Ca(2+-dependent complexes with troponin I. 6. The significance of these findings for the mechanism of interaction of troponin C and troponin I is discussed.     

Role of dual-site phospholamban phosphorylation in intermittent hypoxia-induced cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury

Cardioprotection by intermittent high-altitude (IHA) hypoxia against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is associated with Ca(2+) overload reduction. Phospholamban (PLB) phosphorylation relieves cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-pump ATPase, a critical regulator in intracellular Ca(2+) cycling, from inhibition. To test the hypothesis that IHA hypoxia increases PLB phosphorylation and that such an effect plays a role in cardioprotection, we compared the time-dependent changes in the PLB phosphorylation at Ser(16) (PKA site) and Thr(17) (CaMKII site) in perfused normoxic rat hearts with those in IHA hypoxic rat hearts submitted to 30-min ischemia (I30) followed by 30-min reperfusion (R30). IHA hypoxia improved postischemic contractile recovery, reduced the maximum extent of ischemic contracture, and attenuated I/R-induced depression in Ca(2+)-pump ATPase activity. Although the PLB protein levels remained constant during I/R in both groups, Ser(16) phosphorylation increased at I30 and 1 min of reperfusion (R1) but decreased at R30 in normoxic hearts. IHA hypoxia upregulated the increase further at I30 and R1. Thr(17) phosphorylation decreased at I30, R1, and R30 in normoxic hearts, but IHA hypoxia attenuated the depression at R1 and R30. Moreover, PKA inhibitor H89 abolished IHA hypoxia-induced increase in Ser(16) phosphorylation, Ca(2+)-pump ATPase activity, and the recovery of cardiac performance after ischemia. CaMKII inhibitor KN-93 also abolished the beneficial effects of IHA hypoxia on Thr(17) phosphorylation, Ca(2+)-pump ATPase activity, and the postischemic contractile recovery. These findings indicate that IHA hypoxia mitigates I/R-induced depression in SR Ca(2+)-pump ATPase activity by upregulating dual-site PLB phosphorylation, which may consequently contribute to IHA hypoxia-induced cardioprotection against I/R injury.     

Subcellular calcium transport during contractile failure and recovery in heart perfused with Na-free medium

Perfusion of isolated rat hearts with Na-free medium resulted in an immediate increase in contractile force followed by a decline and complete loss of contractile force within 25 s. The recovery of the contractile force upon reperfusion was only partial if the duration of Na-free perfusions was 10 min or longer. Ca binding and uptake activities of mitochondria obtained from hearts perfused with Na-free medium did not change significantly. However, Ca binding and uptake activities of microsomes were depressed after 5 min of perfusion. The critical concentration of Na in the perfusion medium for inducing these changes was found to be less than 35 mM. The microsomal Ca-ATPase activity was decreased after 10 min of Na-free perfusion. Only partial recovery of microsomal Ca uptake was observed upon reperfusion of hearts preperfused with Na-free medium for 20 min or longer whereas Ca-ATPase activity in these hearts did not recover at all. These results suggest that the defect in the microsomal Ca transport may be secondary to the development of contractile failure and may partially be associated with the inability of Na-depleted hearts to recover fully their contractile force.