Energy-dependent calcium sequestration activity in rat liver microsomes

Regulation of intracellular calcium in chick embryo fibroblast: calcium uptake by the microsomal fraction

The total membrane fraction of a chick embryo fibroblast (CEF) homogenate accumulates calcium in an energy-dependent manner. This activity can be dissociated into azide-sensitive and azide-insensitive components. The azide-sensitive component of calcium uptake is believed to represent mitochondrial calcium uptake. The azide-insensitive component of calcium uptake is enhanced by the presence of a calcium trapping agent such as oxalate, and cannot utilize, ADP, inorganic phosphate and a Krebs cycle substrate to support uptake. The distribution of the azide-insensitive calcium uptake in subcellular fractions suggests that this uptake occurs in other than mitochondrial membranes. The membranes most likely to contribute to the azide-insensitive component of calcium uptake are the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane. A microsomal preparation from CEF cells is essentially devoid of the azide-sensitive calcium uptake activity. This microsomal activity is similar in characteristics to the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle. However the specific activity of CEF microsomal calcium uptake system is much less than that found in the skeletal muscle system. The transport of calcium by these membranes provide a mechanism for the regulation of cytosol calcium levels and may play a role in the control of movement and growth of cultured cells.

Control of intracellular Ca2+ activity in rat myometrium

Four fractions enriched, respectively, in plasma membrane (PM), smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), and mitochondria were isolated from estrogen-dominated rat myometrium. Ca2+ uptake by these fractions was studied in order to estimate the relative potential of the corresponding organelles for controlling intracellular Ca2+ activity. Ca2+ uptake properties of the PM, SER, and RER fractions were similar except that potentiation by oxalate was in the order RER greater than or equal SER greater than PM. However, studies with the ionophores X-537A and A23187 suggested that Ca2+ was transported into the lumen of membrane vesicles of all these fractions. Unlike that of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, Ca2+ uptake by the myometrial fractions was not supported by high-energy compounds other than ATP. Mitochondria took up much less Ca2+ at low, and much more Ca2+ at high, free Ca2+ concentrations than did the other fractions. The amount of Ca2+ taken up in 30 s from a 1 muM free Ca2+ solution in the presence of ATP was similar for all fractions. These results suggested that mitochondria may act as an important Ca2+ control system in rat myometrium when the intracellular Ca2+ concentration is near 1 muM or higher, whereas the PM, SER, and RER may be of major importance at Ca2+ levels of 0.3 muM or lower.

Permeability of a cell junction and the local cytoplasmic free ionized calcium concentration: a study with aequorin

A technique is devised to determine the spatial distribution of the free ionized cytoplasmic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) inside a cell: Chironomus salivary gland cells are loaded with aequorin, and hte Ca2+-dependent light emission of the aequorin is scanned with an image-intensifier/television system. With this technique, the [Ca2+]i is determined simultaneously with junctional electrical coupling when Ca2+ is microinjected into the cells, or when the cells are exposed to metabolic inhibitors, Ca-transporting ionophores, or Ca-free medium. Ca microinjections elevating the [Ca2+]i in the junctional locale produce depression of junctional membrane conductance. When the [Ca2+]i elevation is confined to the vicinity of one cell junction, the conductance of that junction alone is depressed; other junctions of the same cell are not affected. The depression sets in as the [Ca2+]i rises in the junctional locale, and reverses after the [Ca2+]i falls to baseline. When the [Ca2+]i elevation is diffuse throughout the cell, the conductances of all junctions of the cell are depressed. The Ca injections produce no detectable [Ca2+]i elevations in cells adjacent to the injected one; the Ca-induced change in junctional membrane permeability seems fast enough to block appreciable transjunctional flow of Ca2+. Control injections of Cl- or K+ do not affect junctional conductance. The Ca injections that elevate [Ca2+]i sufficiently to depress junctional conductance also produce under the usual conditions an increase in nonjunctional membrane conductance and, hence, depolarization. But injections that elevate [Ca2+]i at the junction while largely avoiding nonjunctional membrane cause depression of junctional conductance with little or no depolarization. Moreover, elevations of [Ca2+]i in cells clamped near resting potential produce the depression, too. On the other hand, complete depolarization in K medium does not produce the depression, unless accompanied by [Ca2+]i elevation. Thus, the depolarization is neither necessary nor sufficient for depression of junctional conductance. Treatment with cyanide, dinitrophenol and ionophores X537A or A23187 produces diffuse elevation of [Ca2+]i associated with depression of junctional conductance. Prolonged exposure to Ca-free medium leads to fluctuation in [Ca2+]i where rise and fall of [Ca2+]i correlate respectively with fall and rise in junctional conductance.

Energy-dependent calcium uptake activity of microsomes from the aorta of normal and hypertensive rats

Energy-dependent calcium uptake activity of microsomes isolated from the rat aorta has been characterized. The microsomes consist of smooth membrane vesicles which in the presence of MG-ATP as an energy source continuously sequester calcium over a 60-min period. This calcium uptake is greatly stimulated by oxalate anion which serves as a calcium trapping agent. Unlike the calcium uptake of mitochondria this uptake is not inhibited by sodium azide. Sucrose density gradient analysis of the microsomal calcium uptake suggests that the system is associated with the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In presence of 5 mM Mg-ATP and 20 muM calcium approximately 38 nmol of calcium per mg of microsomal protein are taken up in 20 min. In the absence of ATP, less than 2 nmol of calcium per mg of protein are taken up in the first 2 min with no further uptake of calcium in subsequent time periods. When calcium uptake activity is plotted against calcium or ATP concentration of the medium, half maximal activity is calculated for 24.3 muM calcium and for 1.6 mM ATP. The calcium uptake characteristics of the rat aorta microsomes are compatible with a postulated role in the relaxation of the vascular smooth muscle and the provision of an intracellular calcium store for muscle contraction. Aorta microsomes from SHR rats (a genetic strain that is spontaneously hypertensive) have a significantly reduced uptake when compared with the corresponding nonhypertensive control strain. The level of calcium and ATP for half maximal activity of the rat aorta microsomal calcium uptake system is approximately the same in the SHR and the control strain. The rate of release of calcium from rat aorta microsomes is apparently identical in SHR strain and control. The calcium uptake activity of kidney and liver microsomes isolated from the SHR strain and control. The calcium uptake activity of kidney and liver microsomes isolated from the SHR rat appears to be identical to that found in the control strain.