Pharmacomechanical coupling: the membranes talk to the crossbridges

Vascular mechanotransduction

This review aims to survey the current state of mechanotransduction in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs), including their sensing of mechanical stimuli and transduction of mechanical signals that result in the acute functional modulation and longer-term transcriptomic and epigenetic regulation of blood vessels. The mechanosensors discussed include ion channels, plasma membrane-associated structures and receptors, and junction proteins. The mechanosignaling pathways presented include the cytoskeleton, integrins, extracellular matrix, and intracellular signaling molecules. These are followed by discussions on mechanical regulation of transcriptome and epigenetics, relevance of mechanotransduction to health and disease, and interactions between VSMCs and ECs. Throughout this review, we offer suggestions for specific topics that require further understanding. In the closing section on conclusions and perspectives, we summarize what is known and point out the need to treat the vasculature as a system, including not only VSMCs and ECs but also the extracellular matrix and other types of cells such as resident macrophages and pericytes, so that we can fully understand the physiology and pathophysiology of the blood vessel as a whole, thus enhancing the comprehension, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of vascular diseases.

Receptor-dependent G protein-mediated Ca2+ sensitization in canine airway smooth muscle

To determine the mechanisms of receptor-dependent Ca2+ sensitization in airway smooth muscle, canine tracheal smooth muscle (CTSM) was permeabilized with alpha-toxin or beta-escin. Although the effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (100 microM), histamine (100 microM), and the thromboxane A2 analogue U-46619 (100 microM) were negligible, carbachol (100 microM) and endothelin-1 (ET-1, 1 microM) evoked additional contractions of 47.0 +/- 5.90% and 25.0 +/- 5.37% (n = 6) at pCa 6.7 with GTP (3 microM) (normalized to the maximum contraction at pCa 4.5) in alpha-toxin-permeabilized CTSM. GDP-beta-S (1 mM) reversed the carbachol and ET-1 responses completely. GTP-gamma-S (30 microM) and 4 beta-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu, 3 microM) increased the Ca2+ sensitivity (median effective pCa) of contraction by 1.8- and 4.4-fold, respectively (n = 4-11, P < 0.05). The effects of saturating concentrations of GTP-gamma-S and PDBu were additive. A synthetic peptide (T2) corresponding to the actin-binding site of calponin caused a dose-dependent contraction of beta-escin permeabilized CTSM, with the peak effect (25 +/- 4%, n = 4) at 1200 microM, PDBu (3 microM) caused contraction of the T2 peptide-treated CTSM. In conclusion, Ca2+ sensitization of CTSM depends on receptor type and is mediated by G proteins and protein kinase C whose effects are additive, with a partial contribution by calponin.

Intracellular signaling in vascular smooth muscle

The two major modalities of pharmacomechanical coupling, inositol 1,4,5, trisphosphate induced Ca2+ release and modulation of Ca(2+)-sensitivity, are reviewed. Recent studies show that although changes in cytoplasmic Ca2+ play the major role in regulating smooth muscle contraction, agonists can also significantly affect the contractile state by modifying Ca(2+)-sensitivity. Inhibition of myosin light chain kinase or myosin light chain phosphatase leads to, respectively, desensitization or sensitization of the contractile apparatus to Ca2+. G-protein linked inhibition of myosin light chain phosphatase and Ca2+ release mediated by the phosphatidylinol cascade are the two major pharmacomechanical coupling mechanisms.

Relationship between force and Ca2+ in anococcygeal and vas deferens smooth muscle cells of the mouse

We compared the changes of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), as measured with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fura-2, and the force development in intact smooth muscle of the tonic anococcygeus (AC) and the phasic vas deferens (VD) of the mouse, during activation by K+ depolarization and by agonists. Resting [Ca2+]i was observed to be 33% lower in AC (80 nM) than in VD (115 nM), while the Ca2+ threshold for contraction was found to be about 120 nM in AC and 160 nM in VD. For a similar [Ca2+]i increase, the agonist stimulation induced a higher force development than the K+ depolarization in both muscle types. During prolonged depolarization, the force/calcium ratio increased in AC but strongly declined in VD. This decline of the force/calcium ratio in VD during depolarization was partially reversed by lowering [Ca2+]o. Our results indicate that the Ca2+ threshold for force development was about 150% of the resting [Ca2+]i in both cell types. The resting [Ca2+]i was lower in the tonic AC than in the phasic VD. Agonist-induced sensitization to Ca2+ occurred in both muscle types. The tonic and phasic smooth muscles essentially differed in the respective modulation of their Ca2+ sensitivity during contraction. The desensitization to Ca2+ was specific for phasic muscle, in which it occurred as an early, time- and Ca(2+)-dependent process that was partially reversible.

Paradoxical decrease in cytosolic calcium with increasing depolarization by potassium in guinea-pig mesotubarium smooth muscle

The free intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured simultaneously with isometric force in strips of guinea-pig mesotubarium using the Fura-2 technique. [Ca2+]i and force were maximal at a relatively low (30 mM) concentration of extracellular K+ ([K+]o), and declined at 90 and 140 mM K+. Plateau values of both [Ca2+]i and force were higher in the presence of 5.10(-6) M ryanodine, indicating that the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) contributes to the decline with depolarization. Force and [Ca2+]i at 90 mM K+ were both lower then the high-K+ solution was applied after a period in 30 mM K+ than after a period in normal solution (5.9 mM K+), consistent with inactivation of Ca2+ channels during prolonged depolarization. Addition of carbachol to the depolarized muscle caused a maintained increase in force without maintained increase in [Ca2+]i. We conclude that the decrease in force at increased [K+]o (the "calcium-potassium paradox") is due to a membrane-potential-mediated decrease in [Ca2+]i and, to a lesser extent, to desensitization of the contractile-regulatory apparatus to Ca2+.