Evidence for protein kinase C modulation of the ciliary muscle response to carbachol and desensitization

Modulation of Iris Sphincter and Ciliary Muscles by Urocortin 2

Urocortin 2 (UCN2) is a peptide related to corticotropin-releasing factor, capable of activating CRF-R2. Among its multisystemic effects, it has actions in all 3 muscle subtypes. This study’s aim was to determine its potential role in two of the intrinsic eye muscle kinetics. Strips of iris sphincter (rabbit) and ciliary (bovine) muscles were dissected and mounted in isometric force-transducer systems filled with aerated-solutions. Contraction was elicited using carbachol (10-6 M for iris sphincter, 10-5 M for ciliary muscle), prior adding to all testing substances. UCN2 induced relaxation in iris sphincter muscle, being the effect maximal at 10-7 M concentrations (-12.2 % variation vs. control). This effect was abolished with incubation of indomethacin, antisauvagine-30, chelerytrine and SQ22536, but preserved with L-nitro-L-arginine. In carbachol pre-stimulated ciliary muscle, UCN2 (10-5 M) enhanced contraction (maximal effect of 18.2 % increase vs. control). UCN2 is a new modulator of iris sphincter relaxation, dependent of CRF-R2 activation, synthesis of prostaglandins (COX pathway) and both adenylate cyclase and PKC signaling pathways, but independent of nitric oxide production. Regarding ciliary muscle, UCN2 enhances carbachol-induced contraction, in higher doses.

Cannabinoid agonists induce contractile responses through Gi/o-dependent activation of phospholipase C in the bovine ciliary muscle

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of some cannabinoid agonists on the bovine ciliary muscle. Both anandamide and CP 55,940 (cis-3-(2-hydroxy-4-(1,1-dimethyl heptyl) phenyl)-trans-4-(3-hydroxypropyl) cyclohexanol) produced a concentration-dependent contractile response in ciliary muscle. These responses were inhibited by SR 141716A (N-[piperidin-1-yl]-5-(4-cholophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide) (0.1 and 1 microM) but not by SR 144528 (N-[1S)-endo-1,3,3-trimethyl bicyclo[2.2.1] heptan-2-yl] 5-(4-chloro-3-methylphenyl)-1-(4 methoxy benzyl)-pyrazole-3-carboxamide) (1 and 10 microM). A preincubation with G(i/o) protein inhibitor pertussis toxin (500 ng/ml) for 20 min inhibited the contractile action of anandamide and CP 55,940. In addition, the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 (1[6-[[(17 beta)-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-yl] amino] hexyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione) blocked the anandamide- and CP 55,940-induced contractions, whereas the protein kinase C activator, phorbol 12,13 dibutyrate (PDBu) significantly potentiated the contractions evoked by cannabinoid receptor agonists. We evaluated the binding of [(3)H]CP 55,940, which specifically labelled a single class of cannabinoid sites with affinity in low subnanomolar range (K(d)=0.6 nM) and the maximal number of binding sites of 1243 fmol/mg protein. Binding of [(3)H]CP 55,940 was inhibited by ligands having a major selectivity for cannabinoid (CB(1)) receptors. These findings provide strong evidence of the involvement of cannabinoid CB(1) receptors promoting contraction in the bovine ciliary muscle. Furthermore, the action of cannabinoid receptor agonists appears to be mediated via phospholipase C. These data also contribute to elucidate the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor pivotal role in the modulation of intraocular pressure and to show that cannabinoid receptor agonists may be regarded as potential antiglaucoma agents.

Pharmacological characterization of the 5-HT1A, 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors in the bovine ciliary muscle

We aimed to investigate the effects of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) on the bovine ciliary muscle and subsequently to characterize and identify the subtypes of 5-HT receptors involved in the serotonin-evoked contractility muscle. The binding of [3H]ketanserin, [3H]granisetron and [3H]8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin ([3H]8-OH-DPAT) was analyzed. All labelled compounds bound with high affinity to a single site in the membrane preparations studied. The affinity (K(d)) of the binding site was 7.5+/-1.2 nM for [3H]ketanserin, 6.9+/-0.8 nM for [3H]granisetron and 4.4+/-0.31 nM for [3H]8-OH-DPAT. The density of receptors (B(max)) was 1062+/-43.0 fmol/mg protein for [3H]ketanserin, 566+/-2.32 fmol/mg protein for [3H]granisetron and 205+/-4.63 fmol/mg protein for [3H]8-OH-DPAT. The serotonin-induced contraction appeared to be competitively antagonized by ketanserin (0.1, 1 and 10 microM) and ondansetron (0.1, 10 and 100 microM) which produced a pA(2) value of 8.5+/-0.12 and 8.0+/-0.19, respectively. 8-OH-DPAT and 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) proved to be completely ineffective. We conclude that serotonin induces bovine ciliary muscle contraction via 5-HT(2) and 5-HT(3) receptors while the 5-HT(1A) receptors, although present, do not mediate the contractile response.

Inhibition of depolarisation-evoked [(3)H]noradrenaline release from SH-SYFY human neuroblastoma cells by muscarinic (M1) receptors is not mediated by changes in [Ca(2+)]

The aim of this study was to obtain further understanding of the mechanism by which activation of muscarinic M(1) receptors inhibits K(+)-evoked noradrenaline (NA) release in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y. Previous studies have found that muscarinic M(1) and M(3) receptors couple to the activation of phospholipase C in SH-SY5Y cells leading to an increase in (a) intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) and (b) activation of protein kinase C (PKC). This study used specific inhibitors of PKC and conditions which deplete Ca(2+)(i) stores to examine the role of protein kinase C and changes in [Ca(2+)](i) in mediating the inhibition of K(+)-evoked NA release by muscarine. Our data show that pretreatment of SH-SY5Y cell layers with bisindolylmaleimide I (BIM-I) (i) failed to reverse inhibition of K(+)-evoked NA release by muscarine but (ii) did overcome the attenuation of muscarine inhibition following pretreatment with TPA. Furthermore pretreating cell layers with Ca(2+)-free Hepes buffered saline in the presence of thapsigargin, conditions which prevented muscarine induced increases in [Ca(2+)](i), failed to prevent inhibition of K(+)-evoked NA release by muscarine. The effect of muscarine on K(+)-evoked uptake of Ca(2+)(e) was examined in SH-SY5Y cells loaded with Fura-2. Muscarine inhibited Ca(2+)(e)-uptake by decreasing the rate at which Ca(2+) entered SH-SY5Y cells via voltage sensitive Ca(2+)-channels. Thus this study shows that muscarine inhibits depolarisation-evoked NA release by a mechanism which is not dependent on activation of PKC or release of Ca(2+) from internal stores.

Effects of phorbol ester on carbachol-induced contraction in bovine ciliary muscle: possible involvement of protein kinase C

The aim of the research was to characterize muscarinic receptors of bovine ciliary muscle and to investigate the desensitization process. The role of protein kinase C was analyzed. The results show that muscarinic receptors of bovine ciliary muscle have the pharmacological characteristics of the M3 subtype. Acute exposure to phorbol esters (1 microM phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, PDB, or 0.1 microM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, PMA, for 15 and 5 min, respectively) resulted in antagonism of muscarinic receptor-mediated contraction. Long-term pretreatment (18 h) with PMA to down-regulate protein kinase C resulted in potentiation of carbachol-induced contraction, reduction of agonist-induced desensitization and loss of phorbol ester-induced desensitization. Staurosporine (3 microM) and H7 [1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methyl-piperazine] (1 microM), protein kinase C inhibitors, produced a significant potentiation of the contractile effect of carbachol, reduced the desensitization produced by repeated addition of carbachol and suppressed that induced by phorbol esters. In vitro incubation with carbachol, PDB or PMA did not cause any modification of the binding of labeled [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate. In vitro incubation with PDB and PMA produced, as expected, a significant translocation of protein kinase C from the cytosol to the membrane. The incubation of the ciliary muscle with carbachol, using the protocol of exposure that induced maximal desensitization of contractile responses, produced a significant redistribution of the enzyme from the cytosol to the membrane. These findings suggest that agonist-induced modulation of functional cholinergic sensitivity in ciliary muscle is correlated, at least partially, to the translocation of protein kinase C from the cytosol to the membrane. The desensitization by phorbol esters is completely due to protein kinase C activation; during the desensitization process, direct modification of the density and affinity of muscarinic receptors is not involved.

Modulation of phosphatidylserine synthesis by a muscarinic receptor occupancy in human neuroblastoma cell line LA-N-1

The incorporation of [3H]serine into lipids, water-soluble metabolites and proteins by the human neuroblastoma cell line LA-N-1 exposed to oxotremorine-M, a muscarinic agonist, was investigated. Oxotremorine-M increased the incorporation of this labelled precursor into phosphatidylserine and proteins in a concentration-dependent manner, with the maximal stimulation at 250 microM. This activation was blunted by 100 microM atropine. There were no detectable changes of the radioactivity in the water-soluble metabolites. Acetylcholine, another muscarinic agonist, slightly decreased the serine incorporation into lipids, but did not affect the protein or water-soluble compartments. Several other muscarinic agonists, including 250 microM pilocarpine, 100 microM McN-A-343 and 1 mM carbachol, did not effect these [3H]serine incorporations. Preincubation of cells with 1 mM oxotremorine M, or 1 mM carbachol, or 1 mM McN-A-343, for 4 h prevented the oxotremorine-M-induced increase of serine incorporation. These observations are consistent with the oxotremorine-M action being mediated by muscarinic-receptor occupancy. The G-protein inhibitor guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate (1 mM) and the G-protein activators, guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (100 microM) and A1F3, prevented the oxotremorine stimulation. The muscarinic agonists, 250 microM oxotremorine-M, 1 mM carbamoylcholine and 500 microM acetylcholine, triggered the accumulation of inositol mono- and di-phosphates by cells that had been prelabelled with myo-[3H]inositol, and this phospholipase C activation was blunted by 100 microM atropine. The protein kinase C inhibitor H7 prevented the oxotremorine-M stimulation of serine incorporation. Over-night exposure of LA-N-1 cells to 100 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate resulted in a decrease of cytosolic protein kinase C activity, and prevented the oxotremorine-M stimulation of serine incorporation. Neither oxotremorine-M nor acetylcholine caused a redistribution of protein kinase C activity between the cytosol and membrane compartments. In addition, oxotremorine-M did not activate phospholipase D of the LA-N-1 cells.