ryanodine and iberiotoxin

Activation of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway reduces bladder contractility. However, the role of phosphodiesterase (PDE) families in regulating this function is poorly understood. Here, we compared the contractile function of the cAMP hydrolyzing PDEs in neonatal rat bladder smooth myocytes. RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis revealed that several isoforms of PDE1-4 were expressed in neonatal rat bladder. While 8-methoxymethyl-3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (a PDE1 inhibitor) and BAY-60-7550 (a PDE2 inhibitor) had no effect on the carbachol-enhanced phasic contractions of bladder strips, cilostamide (Cil, a PDE3 inhibitor) and Ro-20-1724 (Ro, a PDE4 inhibitor) significantly reduced these contractions. This inhibitory effect of Ro was blunted by the PKA inhibitor H-89, while the inhibitory effect of Cil was strongly attenuated by the PKG inhibitor KT 5823. Application of Ro in single bladder smooth myocytes resulted in an increase in Ca(2+) spark frequency but a decrease both in Ca(2+) transients and in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) content. In contrast, Cil had no effect on these events. Furthermore, Ro-induced inhibition of the phasic contractions was significantly blocked by ryanodine and iberiotoxin. Taken together, PDE3 and PDE4 are the main PDE isoforms in maintaining the phasic contractions of bladder smooth myocytes, with PDE4 being functionally more active than PDE3. However, their roles are mediated through different mechanisms.

Topics: Animals; Calcium; Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 3; Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 4; Female; Ions; Male; Muscle Cells; Muscle Contraction; Peptides; Phosphodiesterase 3 Inhibitors; Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors; Protein Isoforms; Quinolones; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Ryanodine; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum; Signal Transduction; Urinary Bladder

We used the perforated patch-clamp technique at 37°C to investigate the mechanisms underlying the activation of a transient large-conductance K(+) (tBK) current in rabbit urethral smooth muscle cells. The tBK current required an elevation of intracellular Ca(2+), resulting from ryanodine receptor (RyR) activation via Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release, triggered by Ca(2+) influx through L-type Ca(2+) (CaV) channels. Carbachol inhibited tBK current by reducing Ca(2+) influx and Ca(2+) release and altered the shape of spike complexes recorded under current-clamp conditions. The tBK currents were blocked by iberiotoxin and penitrem A (300 and 100 nM, respectively) and were also inhibited when external Ca(2+) was removed or the CaV channel inhibitors nifedipine (10 μM) and Cd(2+) (100 μM) were applied. The tBK current was inhibited by caffeine (10 mM), ryanodine (30 μM), and tetracaine (100 μM), suggesting that RyR-mediated Ca(2+) release contributed to the activation of the tBK current. When IP3 receptors (IP3Rs) were blocked with 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB, 100 μM), the amplitude of the tBK current was not reduced. However, when Ca(2+) release via IP3Rs was evoked with phenylephrine (1 μM) or carbachol (1 μM), the tBK current was inhibited. The effect of carbachol was abolished when IP3Rs were blocked with 2-APB or by inhibition of muscarinic receptors with the M3 receptor antagonist 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (1 μM). Under current-clamp conditions, bursts of action potentials could be evoked with depolarizing current injection. Carbachol reduced the number and amplitude of spikes in each burst, and these effects were reduced in the presence of 2-APB. In the presence of ryanodine, the number and amplitude of spikes were also reduced, and carbachol was without further effect. These data suggest that IP3-generating agonists can modulate the electrical activity of rabbit urethral smooth muscle cells and may contribute to the effects of neurotransmitters on urethral tone.

Topics: Action Potentials; Animals; Boron Compounds; Caffeine; Calcium; Calcium Channels, L-Type; Carbachol; Female; Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors; Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; Male; Muscle, Smooth; Mycotoxins; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle; Peptides; Potassium; Rabbits; Receptor, Muscarinic M3; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Tetracaine; Urethra

Pharmacological disinhibition of L-type Ca(2+) channels by two ways (with agonist S(-) BAY K 8644 and iberiotoxin, a Ca(2+)-activated BK-type K(+)-channel blocker) increases quantal content of evoked end-plate potentials, which was completely prevented by ryanodine (2 microM) blockade of ryanodine receptors. We conclude that increased quantal secretion of the transmitter induced by L-type Ca(2+) channel functioning requires activation of ryanodine receptors and calcium release from depots in motor terminals in mice.

Topics: 3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester; Acetylcholine; Animals; Calcium Channel Agonists; Calcium Channel Blockers; Calcium Channels, L-Type; In Vitro Techniques; Mice; Motor Neurons; Peptides; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Synapses; Verapamil

1. The functional effects of NS1608 ((N-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-N'-(2-hydroxy-5-chlorophenyl)urea), an opener of the large conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK(Ca)) channel, on the contractility of guinea-pig urinary bladder muscle are described. 2. NS1608 (0.3-30 microM) had no significant effect on the integrated myogenic activity (tension integral) or the electrically evoked twitches of detrusor muscle strips. Possible mechanisms for the discrepancy between the lack of functional effects of NS1608 per se on detrusor contractility and this drug's agonistic effect on BK(Ca) currents in isolated bladder myocytes are discussed. 3. 4-Aminopyridine (1 mM), a blocker of voltage-gated K+ (K(V)) channels, increased the tension integral 2.7-fold, on average. NS1608 (30 microM) counteracted this effect. 4. Apamin (100 nM), a selective blocker of the small conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (SK(Ca)) channel, increased the tension integral 1.7-fold, on average. This effect was reversed by NS1608 (30 microM). 5. Ryanodine (10 microM), a modulator of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-release channel, increased the tension integral 1.9-fold, on average. This effect was reversed by NS1608 (30 microM). 6. Iberiotoxin (IbTX, 50 nM), a selective blocker of the BK(Ca) channel, caused additional increases in the tension integral of detrusor strips pretreated with apamin or ryanodine and prevented the inhibitory effects of NS1608 (30 microM) in detrusor contractility. 7. The present study shows that blockade of repolarizing currents carried by, respectively apamin- and 4-aminopyridine-sensitive K+ channels unmasks an activation of BK(Ca) in guinea-pig urinary bladder smooth muscle strips.

Topics: 4-Aminopyridine; Animals; Apamin; Guinea Pigs; In Vitro Techniques; Muscle Contraction; Muscle, Smooth; Peptides; Phenylurea Compounds; Potassium Channel Blockers; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; Ryanodine; Urinary Bladder

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are known to contribute to the regulation of free cytosolic calcium concentration. This family of intracellular calcium channels plays a significant role in calcium-induced-calcium-release (CICR), and have been implicated in calcium-dependent processes requiring exquisite spatio-temporal regulation. In order to characterize the importance of these intracellular calcium channels in cochlear physiology, we perfused the guinea pig cochlea with antagonistic concentrations of ryanodine. The distortion products of the cochlear microphonic and the compound action potential of the auditory nerve were reversibly inhibited by ryanodine (IC(50)=27.3 microm, Hill coefficient=1.9), indicating an action at the cochlear amplifier. Single auditory nerve fibre recordings showed that ryanodine slightly increased spontaneous firing rates by 22%, suggesting an excitatory effect of ryanodine. This paradoxical effect could be explained by an inhibitory action of ryanodine on presynaptic BK channels of inner hair cells (IHC). Indeed, perfusing iberiotoxin also increased the spontaneous firing activity of the auditory nerve fibres. Furthermore, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that ryanodine inhibits BK currents at the IHC level. Conversely, immunohistochemistry demonstrated a strong expression of RyR in IHCs and, more particularly, below the cuticular plate where membranous BK channels are highly expressed. Overall, the study demonstrated a key role for RyR and CICR in signal transduction at the IHCs. We therefore propose that coupled RyR--BK channels act to suppress the fast neurotransmission in IHCs.

Topics: Action Potentials; Animals; Blotting, Western; Cochlea; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Drug Interactions; Electric Stimulation; Evoked Potentials, Auditory; Guinea Pigs; Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner; Immunohistochemistry; Membrane Potentials; Models, Neurological; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Peptides; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Synaptic Transmission

In artery smooth muscle, adenylyl cyclase-coupled receptors such as beta-adrenoceptors evoke Ca(2+) signals, which open Ca(2+)-activated potassium (BK(Ca)) channels in the plasma membrane. Thus, blood pressure may be lowered, in part, through vasodilation due to membrane hyperpolarization. The Ca(2+) signal is evoked via ryanodine receptors (RyRs) in sarcoplasmic reticulum proximal to the plasma membrane. We show here that cyclic adenosine diphosphate-ribose (cADPR), by activating RyRs, mediates, in part, hyperpolarization and vasodilation by beta-adrenoceptors. Thus, intracellular dialysis of cADPR increased the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration proximal to the plasma membrane in isolated arterial smooth muscle cells and induced a concomitant membrane hyperpolarization. Smooth muscle hyperpolarization mediated by cADPR, by beta-adrenoceptors, and by cAMP, respectively, was abolished by chelating intracellular Ca(2+) and by blocking RyRs, cADPR, and BK(Ca) channels with ryanodine, 8-amino-cADPR, and iberiotoxin, respectively. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase A antagonist N-(2-[p-bromocinnamylamino]ethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide hydrochloride (H89) blocked hyperpolarization by isoprenaline and cAMP, respectively, but not hyperpolarization by cADPR. Thus, cADPR acts as a downstream element in this signaling cascade. Importantly, antagonists of cADPR and BK(Ca) channels, respectively, inhibited beta-adrenoreceptor-induced artery dilation. We conclude, therefore, that relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by adenylyl cyclase-coupled receptors results, in part, from a cAMP-dependent and protein kinase A-dependent increase in cADPR synthesis, and subsequent activation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release via RyRs, which leads to activation of BK(Ca) channels and membrane hyperpolarization.

Topics: Animals; Arteries; Calcium; Cell Membrane; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic ADP-Ribose; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Electrophysiology; Enzyme Inhibitors; Isoproterenol; Isoquinolines; Peptides; Potassium Channels; Rats; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum; Sulfonamides; Time Factors; Vasodilator Agents

1. Neurokinins contribute to the neural regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) smooth muscles. We studied responses of murine colonic smooth muscle cells to substance P (SP) and NK(1) and NK(2) agonists using confocal microscopy and the patch clamp technique. 2. Colonic myocytes generated localized Ca(2+) transients that were coupled to spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs). SP (10(-10) M) increased Ca(2+) transients and STOCs. Higher concentrations of SP (10(-6) M) increased basal Ca(2+) and inhibited Ca(2+) transients and STOCs. 3. Effects of SP were due to increased Ca(2+) entry via L-type Ca(2+) channels, and were mediated by protein kinase C (PKC). Nifedipine (10(-6) M) and the PKC inhibitor, GF 109203X (10(-6) M) reduced L-type Ca(2+) current and blocked the effects of SP. 4. SP responses depended upon parallel stimulation of NK(1) and NK(2) receptors. NK(1) agonist ([Sar(9),Met(O(2))(11)]-substance P; SSP) and NK(2) agonists (neurokinin A (NKA) or GR-64349) did not mimic the effects of SP alone, but NK(1) and NK(2) agonists were effective when added in combination (10(-10)-10(-6) M). Consistent with this, either an NK(1)-specific antagonist (GR-82334; 10(-7) M) or an NK(2)-specific antagonist (MEN 10,627; 10(-7) M) blocked responses to SP (10(-6) M). 5. Ryanodine (10(-5) M) blocked the increase in Ca(2+) transients and STOCs in response to SP (10(-10) M). 6. Our findings show that low concentrations of SP, via PKC-dependent enhancement of L-type Ca(2+) current and recruitment of ryanodine receptors, stimulate Ca(2+) transients. At higher concentrations of SP (10(-6) M), basal Ca(2+) increases and spontaneous Ca(2+) transients and STOCs are inhibited.

Topics: Animals; Calcium Signaling; Colon; Electric Conductivity; Imidazoles; Indoles; Male; Maleimides; Membrane Potentials; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microscopy, Confocal; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle; Neurokinin A; Nicardipine; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Peptide Fragments; Peptides; Physalaemin; Receptors, Tachykinin; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Second Messenger Systems; Substance P

To test the hypothesis that chronic intrauterine pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) compromises pulmonary artery (PA) smooth muscle cell (SMC) O2 sensing, fluorescence microscopy was used to study the effect of an acute increase in Po2 on the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) of chronically hypoxic subconfluent monolayers of PA SMC in primary culture. PA SMCs were derived from fetal lambs with PHTN due to intrauterine ligation of the ductus arteriosus. Acute normoxia decreased [Ca2+]i in control but not PHTN PA SMC. In control PA SMC, [Ca2+]i increased after Ca2+-sensitive (KCa) and voltage-sensitive (Kv) K+ channel blockade and decreased after diltiazem treatment. In PHTN PA SMC, KCa blockade had no effect, whereas Kv blockade and diltiazem increased [Ca2+]i. Inhibition of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase activity caused a greater increase in [Ca2+]i in controls compared with PHTN PA SMC. Conversely, ryanodine caused a greater increase of [Ca2+]i in PHTN compared with control PA SMC. KCa channel mRNA is decreased and Kv channel mRNA is unchanged in PHTN PA SMC compared with controls. We conclude that PHTN compromises PA SMC O2 sensing, alters intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, and changes the predominant ion channel that determines basal [Ca2+]i from KCa to Kv.

Topics: Animals; Blood Proteins; Calcium; Calcium-Transporting ATPases; Cells, Cultured; Cytoplasm; Enzyme Inhibitors; Female; Fetal Diseases; Fetus; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Hypoxia; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Oxygen; Peptides; Potassium; Potassium Channels; Pregnancy; Pulmonary Artery; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Ryanodine; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; Sheep; Thapsigargin

We sought to elucidate the regulation of gallbladder smooth muscle (GBSM) excitability by localized Ca(2+) release events (sparks) and large-conductance Ca(2+)-dependent (BK) channels by determining whether sparks exist in GBSM and, if so, whether they activate BK channels. Sparks were identified in isolated GBSM loaded with fluo 4. Each spark was associated with a transient outward current, suggesting communication of ryanodine receptor (RyR) channels with BK channels. This was confirmed by the inhibition of outward currents with iberiotoxin (100 nM), thapsigargin (200 nM), and ryanodine (10 microM). In current clamp mode, the transient BK currents were associated with brief membrane hyperpolarizations (10.9 +/- 1.3 mV). Because transient BK currents could dampen GBSM excitability, we tested whether CCK attenuates these events. CCK (10 nM) reduced the amplitude and frequency of transient BK currents, and subsequent caffeine application restored transient BK current activity. These results support the concept that RyRs and BK channels contribute to the regulation of GBSM excitability and that CCK can act in part by inhibiting this pathway.

Topics: Aniline Compounds; Animals; Boron Compounds; Caffeine; Calcium; Calcium Channel Blockers; Calcium Channels, L-Type; Calcium Signaling; Cholecystokinin; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fluorescent Dyes; Gallbladder; Guinea Pigs; Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; Membrane Potentials; Muscle, Smooth; Nifedipine; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Peptides; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Potassium; Potassium Channels; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum; Thapsigargin; Xanthenes

Localized release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) toward the plasmalemma, sometimes visualized as Ca2+ sparks, can activate Ca2+-activated K+ (KCa) channels. We have already reported that the addition of charybdotoxin (ChTX), a blocker of KCa channels, to the resting state of arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) caused a powerful contraction, suggesting that KCa channels were active in the resting state. This study aimed to determine whether the Ca2+ responsible for activity of KCa channels was derived from SR.. Possible mechanisms underlying the ChTX-induced contractions were examined in endothelium-denuded strips of femoral, mesenteric, small mesenteric and carotid arteries from 13-week-old SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats by using selective inhibitors of the Ca2+ spark process.. ChTX (100 nmol/l) induced a contraction in the SHR arteries. The ChTX-induced contractions were increased by a moderate membrane depolarization by 15.9 mmol/l K+ and were abolished by nifedipine (100 nmol/l). When SR Ca2+ was depleted by treatment of the strips with ryanodine (10 mumol/l) plus caffeine (20 mmol/l) or with thapsigargin (100 nmol/l), the ChTX-induced contraction was decreased in femoral, mesenteric and small mesenteric arteries and was almost abolished in the carotid artery. A similar phenomenon can be observed in arteries from WKY rats after a moderate membrane depolarization. In both SHR and WKY rats, SR Ca2+-dependent ChTX-induced contraction always represents 20-30% of the maximal K+-induced contraction.. We conclude that activation of KCa channels depended upon influx of Ca2+ through L-type Ca2+ channels and release of Ca2+ from the SR, suggesting that recycling of entering Ca2+ from the superficial SR toward the plasmalemma sufficiently elevated Ca2+ near these channels to activate them.

Topics: Animals; Arteries; Calcium; Carotid Arteries; Charybdotoxin; Hypertension; In Vitro Techniques; Mesenteric Arteries; Peptides; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Reference Values; Rest; Ryanodine; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum; Thapsigargin; Vasoconstriction

A subtype of retinal amacrine cells displayed a distinctive array of K(+) currents. Spontaneous miniature outward currents (SMOCs) were observed in the narrow voltage range of -60 to -40 mV. Depolarizations above approximately -40 mV were associated with the disappearance of SMOCs and the appearance of transient (I(to)) and sustained (I(so)) outward K(+) currents. I(to) appeared at about -40 mV and its apparent magnitude was biphasic with voltage, whereas I(so) appeared near -30 mV and increased linearly. SMOCs, I(to), and a component of I(so) were Ca(2+) dependent. SMOCs were spike shaped, occurred randomly, and had decay times appreciably longer than the time to peak. In the presence of cadmium or cobalt, SMOCs with pharmacologic properties identical to those seen in normal Ringer's could be generated at voltages of -20 mV and above. Their mean amplitude was Nernstian with respect to [K(+)](ext) and they were blocked by tetraethylammonium. SMOCs were inhibited by iberiotoxin, were insensitive to apamin, and eliminated by nominally Ca(2+)-free solutions, indicative of BK-type Ca(2+)-activated K(+) currents. Dihydropyridine Ca(2+) channel antagonists and agonists decreased and increased SMOC frequencies, respectively. Ca(2+) permeation through the kainic acid receptor had no effect. Blockade of organelle Ca(2+) channels by ryanodine, or intracellular Ca(2+) store depletion with caffeine, eradicated SMOCs. Internal Ca(2+) chelation with 10 mM BAPTA eliminated SMOCs, whereas 10 mM EGTA had no effect. These results suggest a mechanism whereby Ca(2+) influx through L-type Ca(2+) channels and its subsequent amplification by Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release via the ryanodine receptor leads to a localized elevation of internal Ca(2+). This amplified Ca(2+) signal in turn activates BK channels in a discontinuous fashion, resulting in randomly occurring SMOCs.

Topics: 3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester; Amacrine Cells; Ambystoma; Animals; Calcium; Calcium Channel Agonists; Calcium Channel Blockers; Calcium Channels, L-Type; Chelating Agents; Cobalt; Egtazic Acid; Electrophysiology; Ion Channel Gating; Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; Membrane Potentials; Nifedipine; Peptides; Potassium; Potassium Channel Blockers; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Tetraethylammonium

Mice with a disrupted beta(1) (BK beta(1))-subunit of the large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK) channel gene develop systemic hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy, which is likely caused by uncoupling of Ca(2+) sparks to BK channels in arterial smooth muscle cells. However, little is known about the physiological levels of global intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and its regulation by Ca(2+) sparks and BK channel subunits. We utilized a BK beta(1) knockout C57BL/6 mouse model and studied the effects of inhibitors of ryanodine receptor and BK channels on the global [Ca(2+)](i) and diameter of small cerebral arteries pressurized to 60 mmHg. Ryanodine (10 microM) or iberiotoxin (100 nM) increased [Ca(2+)](i) by approximately 75 nM and constricted +/+ BK beta(1) wild-type arteries (pressurized to 60 mmHg) with myogenic tone by approximately 10 microm. In contrast, ryanodine (10 microM) or iberiotoxin (100 nM) had no significant effect on [Ca(2+)](i) and diameter of -/- BK beta(1)-pressurized (60 mmHg) arteries. These results are consistent with the idea that Ca(2+) sparks in arterial smooth muscle cells limit myogenic tone through activation of BK channels. The activation of BK channels by Ca(2+) sparks reduces the voltage-dependent Ca(2+) influx and [Ca(2+)](i) through tonic hyperpolarization. Deletion of BK beta(1) disrupts this negative feedback mechanism, leading to increased arterial tone through an increase in global [Ca(2+)](i).

Topics: Animals; Calcium; Cardiomegaly; Cerebral Arteries; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Hypertension; Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Peptides; Potassium Channels; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; Ryanodine; Vasoconstriction

Superficial sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) regulates smooth muscle force development directly by Ca(2+) release and removal to and from the cytoplasm (Somlyo and Somlyo. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 8, Suppl 8: S42-S47, 1986) by buffering Ca(2+) influx and contributing to Ca(2+) extrusion (Mueller and van Breemen. Nature 281: 682-683, 1979) and indirectly by releasing Ca(2+) near Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (K(Ca)) to hyperpolarize the plasma membrane (Bolton and Imaizumi. Cell Calcium 20: 141-152, 1996 and Nelson et al. Science 270: 633-637, 1995). In the rabbit basilar artery, relative contributions of direct effects and those mediated through activation of K(Ca) were evaluated by measuring force and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in response to the SR-depleting agents thapsigargin and ryanodine and the large conductance K(Ca) (BK(Ca)) blockers iberiotoxin (IbTX) and tetraethylammonium ion (TEA). A large contraction was observed in response to K(Ca) blockade with either 3 mM TEA or 100 nM IbTX and also after addition of 10 microM ryanodine or 2 microM thapsigargin. When K(Ca) was blocked first with TEA or IbTX, subsequent addition of thapsigargin or ryanodine also increased force. Measurements of fura 2 fluorescence showed parallel increases in [Ca(2+)](i) in response to sequential blockade of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase and K(Ca) regardless of the order of application. It appears that a significant fraction of K(Ca) remains activated in the absence of SR function and that SR contributes to relaxation after blockade of K(Ca). We found that depletion of SR before stimulating Ca(2+) influx through voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels markedly reduced force development rate and that thapsigargin abolished this effect. We conclude that the SR of rabbit cerebral arteries modulates constriction by direct and indirect mechanisms.

Topics: Animals; Basilar Artery; Buffers; Calcium; Calcium Channels; Enzyme Inhibitors; In Vitro Techniques; Peptides; Potassium Channel Blockers; Potassium Channels; Rabbits; Ryanodine; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum; Tetraethylammonium; Thapsigargin; Vasoconstriction

The whole-cell configuration of the patch clamp technique was used to assess the involvement of ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ release (RsCR) in histamine-activated Ca2+-dependent K+ (KCa) channels in the human umbilical vein endothelial cell line EA.hy926. Histamine (10 microM) induced a transient outward current that reached 18.9 +/- 5.5 pA pF-1 at +20 mV. This current was diminished by 1 mM tetraethylammonium or 50 nM iberiotoxin, by 90 % and 80 %, respectively, suggesting that this current results from the stimulation of large-conductance KCa (BKCa) channels. In about 50 % of the cells tested, stimulation of RsCR with 200 nM ryanodine initiated a small outward current that was also sensitive to iberiotoxin. Following the ryanodine-mediated RsCR, the potency of 10 microM histamine to activate KCa channels was reduced by about 60 %. In agreement, an inhibition of RsCR with 25 microM ryanodine diminished KCacurrent in response to histamine by about 70 %. The effect of 100 microM histamine on KCa channel activity was not reduced by previous RsCR with 200 nM ryanodine, or by an inhibition of RsCR by 25 microM ryanodine. Histamine (10 microM)-induced Ca2+ elevation was reduced by 30 % following ryanodine-mediated RsCR, whereas no inhibition occurred in the case of 100 microM histamine stimulation. In cells treated with 10 microM nocodazole for 16 h to collapse the superficial endoplasmic reticulum, 200 nM ryanodine failed to initiate any KCa current. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of previous RsCR on 10 microM histamine-induced KCa current was not obtained in nocodazole-treated cells. Our data suggest that during moderate cell stimulation (10 microM histamine), subplasmalemmal RsCR greatly contributes to the activation of KCa channels in endothelial cells. Thus, the function of the subplasmalemmal Ca2+ control unit (SCCU) described previously must be extended as a regulator for KCa channels.

Topics: Calcium; Calcium Signaling; Cell Membrane; Cells, Cultured; Endothelium, Vascular; Histamine; Humans; Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; Membrane Potentials; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Peptides; Potassium; Potassium Channels; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Umbilical Veins

Full muscarinic stimulation in bovine tracheal smooth muscle caused a sustained contraction and increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) that was largely resistant to inhibition by nifedipine. Depletion of internal Ca(2+) stores with cyclopiazonic acid resulted in an increased efficacy of nifedipine to inhibit this contraction and the associated increase in [Ca(2+)](i). Thus internal Ca(2+) store depletion promoted electromechanical coupling between full muscarinic stimulation and muscle contraction to the detriment of pharmacomechanical coupling. A similar change in coupling mode was induced by ryanodine even when it did not significantly modify the initial transient increase in [Ca(2+)](i) induced by this stimulation, indicating that depletion of internal stores was not necessary to induce the change in excitation-contraction coupling mode. Blockade of the Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel by tetraethylammonium, charybdotoxin, and iberiotoxin all induced the change in excitation-contraction coupling mode. These results suggest that in this preparation, Ca(2+) released from the ryanodine-sensitive Ca(2+) store, by activating Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels, plays a central role in determining the expression of the pharmacomechanical coupling mode between muscarinic excitation and the Ca(2+) influx necessary for the maintenance of tone.

Topics: Animals; Bethanechol; Calcium; Calcium Channel Blockers; Cattle; Charybdotoxin; In Vitro Techniques; Kinetics; Muscle Contraction; Muscle, Smooth; Nifedipine; Peptides; Potassium Channels; Ryanodine; Tetraethylammonium; Trachea

1. The effects of inhibitors of ryanodine-sensitive calcium release (RyR) channels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and Ca2+-dependent potassium (KCa) channels on the membrane potential, intracellular [Ca2+], and diameters of small pressurized (60 mmHg) cerebral arteries (100-200 micron) were studied using digital fluorescence video imaging of arterial diameter and wall [Ca2+], combined with microelectrode measurements of arterial membrane potential. 2. Ryanodine (10 microM), an inhibitor of RyR channels, depolarized by 9 mV, increased intracellular [Ca2+] by 46 nM and constricted pressurized (to 60 mmHg) arteries with myogenic tone by 44 micron (approximately 22 %). Iberiotoxin (100 nM), a blocker of KCa channels, under the same conditions, depolarized the arteries by 10 mV, increased arterial wall calcium by 51 nM, and constricted by 37 micron (approximately 19 %). The effects of ryanodine and iberiotoxin were not additive and were blocked by inhibitors of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. 3. Caffeine (10 mM), an activator of RyR channels, transiently increased arterial wall [Ca2+] by 136 +/- 9 nM in control arteries and by 158 +/- 12 nM in the presence of iberiotoxin. Caffeine was relatively ineffective in the presence of ryanodine, increasing [calcium] by 18 +/- 5 nM. 4. In the presence of blockers of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (nimodipine, diltiazem), ryanodine and inhibitors of the SR calcium ATPase (thapsigargin, cyclopiazonic acid) were without effect on arterial wall [Ca2+] and diameter. 5. These results suggest that local Ca2+ release originating from RyR channels (Ca2+ sparks) in the SR of arterial smooth muscle regulates myogenic tone in cerebral arteries solely through activation of KCa channels, which regulate membrane potential through tonic hyperpolarization, thus limiting Ca2+ entry through L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. KCa channels therefore act as a negative feedback control element regulating arterial diameter through a reduction in global intracellular free [Ca2+].

Topics: Animals; Caffeine; Calcium Channel Blockers; Cerebral Arteries; Diltiazem; Endothelium, Vascular; Female; In Vitro Techniques; Kinetics; Membrane Potentials; Microscopy, Video; Models, Cardiovascular; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Nimodipine; Peptides; Potassium Channels; Potassium Channels, Tandem Pore Domain; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Ryanodine; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum; Time Factors; Vasoconstriction

This study investigated nitroglygerin (NTG) relaxations in isolated dog coronary artery in comparison with other vascular preparations. Under maximal PNU-46619 precontraction, the coronary artery was significantly more sensitive to NTG than mesenteric artery, mesenteric vein and saphenous vein. In the coronary artery, NTG (1-100 nM) produced relaxations with EC50 = 9.4 nM. In KCl-contracted arteries (20-80 mM KCl), relaxation by NTG was progressively reduced. Relaxation responses to NTG also were inhibited significantly by potent calcium-activated K+ (BK) channel blockers, charybdotoxin (100 nM) and iberiotoxin (200 nM), but not by KATP blockers such as PNU-37883A (10 microM) or PNU-99963 (100 nM). Nitric oxide (0.1-30 nM) and acetylcholine (3-300 nM) also produced relaxations which were significantly attenuated by the BK blockers. In further experiments, NTG (1-100 nM) produced inhibition of PNU-46619-induced SR [Ca++]i release, with an IC50 of 8.5 nM, which was not affected by charybdotoxin. Furthermore, P1075 (50 nM), a KATP opener, did not inhibit agonist-stimulated SR [Ca++]i release. Ryanodine (10 microM), which acts on SR Ca++ release channels, did not alter NTG relaxations, whereas thapsigargin (0.1 microM), a selective inhibitor of SR Ca(++)-ATPase pump, produced pronounced inhibition of NTG relaxations. These results suggest that NTG, in the therapeutic concentration range, produces coronary relaxation primarily via two cellular mechanisms: plasmalemmal BK channel activation and stimulation of SR Ca(++)-ATPase to produce increased SR Ca++ accumulation. These two mechanisms apparently are equally important and act together to produce a unique vasorelaxation profile demonstrated by NTG-type coronary vasodilators.

Topics: Animals; Calcium; Charybdotoxin; Coronary Vessels; Dogs; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Male; Nitroglycerin; Peptides; Potassium; Potassium Channel Blockers; Potassium Channels; Ryanodine; Thapsigargin; Vasodilation; Vasodilator Agents

Spontaneous transient outward potassium currents (STOCs) induce myogenic relaxation in small cerebral vessels. We found STOCs in human coronary artery vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and studied their regulation.. K+ currents were recorded in human coronary VSMCs by current- and voltage-clamp techniques. STOCs were recorded in the presence of 200 mumol/L Cd2+ and 10 mumol/L verapamil, which block voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. STOCs were inhibited by iberiotoxin (100 nmol/L), a selective blocker of Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels (BKCa), and disappeared in a Ca(2+)-free bath. Iberiotoxin depolarized the VSMCs within 20 minutes from -44 +/- 7 to -18 +/- 5 mV (n = 17). The Ca2+ ionophore A23187 increased intracellular Ca2+ and stimulated whole-cell BKCa current. Depletion of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum with caffeine (4 mmol/L) abolished STOCs for several minutes. Ryanodine (50 mumol/L) transiently stimulated STOCs but then completely inhibited STOCs within 10 minutes. The firing frequency of STOCs was directly correlated with intracellular Na+ concentrations from 0 to 24 mmol/L. Lowering intracellular Na+ to zero abolished STOCs. We next gave monensin (30 mumol/L) to increase intracellular Na+. This maneuver resulted in an increase in whole-cell current fluctuations and STOCs. Monensin-induced STOCs were abolished by either lowering extracellular Ca2+ to zero or chelating Ca2+ intracellularly with BAPTA-AM (30 mumol/L).. STOCs resulted from BKCa activity and were dependent on extracellular Ca2+ but not significantly on voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. STOCs were dependent on intracellular Na+ and intracellular calcium store refilling state. We suggest that Ca2+ entry into the cell through reverse-mode Na+/Ca2+ exchange determines calcium store refilling, which in turn regulates STOC generation in human coronary VSMCs.

Topics: Arteries; Caffeine; Calcimycin; Calcium; Coronary Vessels; Electric Conductivity; Electrophysiology; Extracellular Space; Humans; Intracellular Membranes; Ionophores; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Peptides; Potassium; Ryanodine; Sodium

Local increases in intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) resulting from activation of the ryanodine-sensitive calcium-release channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of smooth muscle cause arterial dilation. Ryanodine-sensitive, spontaneous local increases in [Ca2+]i (Ca2+ sparks) from the SR were observed just under the surface membrane of single smooth muscle cells from myogenic cerebral arteries. Ryanodine and thapsigargin inhibited Ca2+ sparks and Ca(2+)-dependent potassium (KCa) currents, suggesting that Ca2+ sparks activate KCa channels. Furthermore, KCa channels activated by Ca2+ sparks appeared to hyperpolarize and dilate pressurized myogenic arteries because ryanodine and thapsigargin depolarized and constricted these arteries to an extent similar to that produced by blockers of KCa channels. Ca2+ sparks indirectly cause vasodilation through activation of KCa channels, but have little direct effect on spatially averaged [Ca2+]i, which regulates contraction.

Topics: 3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester; Animals; Cadmium; Calcium; Calcium Channel Agonists; Calcium Channels; Cell Membrane; Cerebral Arteries; Membrane Potentials; Muscle Contraction; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Peptides; Potassium Channels; Rats; Ryanodine; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum; Terpenes; Thapsigargin; Vasodilation