Spontaneous Ca^2＋ oscillations in subcellular compartments of vascular smooth muscle cells rely on different Ca^2＋ pools

INTRODUCTION In vascular smooth muscle, as in other types of muscle,an increase in intracellular Ca2 is the immediate triggerfor contraction, which ultimately determines vascular toneand peripheral resistance. In the past 12 years, investiga-tors have …

Spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in subcellular compartments of vascular smooth muscle cells rely on different Ca2+ pools

Spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in vascular smooth muscle cells have been modeled using a single Ca2+ pool. This report describes spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations dependent on two separate Ca2+ sources for the nuclear versus cytoplasmic compartments. Changes in free intracellular Ca2+ were monitored with ratiometric Ca2+- fluorophores using confocal microscopy. On average, spontaneous oscillations developed in 79% of rat aortic smooth muscle cells that were synchronous between the cytoplasm and nucleus. Reduction of extracellular Ca2+ (less than 1 microM)decreased the frequency and amplitude of the cytoplasmic oscillations with 48% of the oscillations asynchronous between the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. Similar results were obtained with the Ca2+ channel blockers, nimodipine and diltiazem. Arg-vasopressin (AVP) induced a rapid release of intracellular Ca2+ stores that was greater in the nuclear compartment (4.20 +/- 0.23 ratio units, n = 56) than cytoplasm (2.54 +/- 0.28) in cells that had spontaneously developed prior oscillations. Conversely, cells in the same conditions lacking oscillations had a greater AVP-induced Ca2+ transient in the cytoplasm (4.99 +/- 0.66, n = 17) than in the nucleus (2.67 +/- 0.29). Pre-treatment with Ca2+ channel blockers depressed the AVP responses in both compartments with the cytoplasmic Ca2+ most diminished. Depletion of internal Ca2+ stores prior to AVP exposure blunted the nuclear response, mimicking the response of cells that lacked prior oscillations. Spontaneous oscillating cells had a greater sarcoplasmic reticulum network than cells that did not oscillate. We propose that spontaneous nuclear oscillations rely on perinuclear sarcoplasmic reticulum stores, while the cytoplasmic oscillations rely on Ca2+ influx.