Ca(2+)-inhibited adenylyl cyclase in cardiac tissue

Constitutive inhibitory G protein activity upon adenylyl cyclase-dependent cardiac contractility is limited to adenylyl cyclase type 6

PURPOSE

We previously reported that inhibitory G protein (Gi) exerts intrinsic receptor-independent inhibitory activity upon adenylyl cyclase (AC) that regulates contractile force in rat ventricle. The two major subtypes of AC in the heart are AC5 and AC6. The aim of this study was to determine if this intrinsic Gi inhibition regulating contractile force is AC subtype selective.

METHODS

Wild-type (WT), AC5 knockout (AC5KO) and AC6 knockout (AC6KO) mice were injected with pertussis toxin (PTX) to inactivate Gi or saline (control).Three days after injection, we evaluated the effect of simultaneous inhibition of phosphodiesterases (PDE) 3 and 4 with cilostamide and rolipram respectively upon in vivo and ex vivo left ventricular (LV) contractile function. Also, changes in the level of cAMP were measured in left ventricular homogenates and at the membrane surface in cardiomyocytes obtained from the same mouse strains expressing the cAMP sensor pmEPAC1 using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).

RESULTS

Simultaneous PDE3 and PDE4 inhibition increased in vivo and ex vivo rate of LV contractility only in PTX-treated WT and AC5KO mice but not in saline-treated controls. Likewise, Simultaneous PDE3 and PDE4 inhibition elevated total cAMP levels in PTX-treated WT and AC5KO mice compared to saline-treated controls. In contrast, simultaneous PDE3 and PDE4 inhibition did not increase in vivo or ex vivo rate of LV contractility or cAMP levels in PTX-treated AC6KO mice compared to saline-treated controls. Using FRET analysis, an increase of cAMP level was detected at the membrane of cardiomyocytes after simultaneous PDE3 and PDE4 inhibition in WT and AC5KO but not AC6KO. These FRET data are consistent with the functional data indicating that AC6 activity and PTX inhibition of Gi is necessary for simultaneous inhibition of PDE3 and PDE4 to elicit an increase in contractility.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, these data suggest that AC6 is tightly regulated by intrinsic receptor-independent Gi activity, thus providing a mechanism for maintaining low basal cAMP levels in the functional compartment that regulates contractility.

Role Ca(2+) in mechanisms of the red blood cells microrheological changes

To assess the physiological role of intracellular Ca(2+) in the changes of microrheological red blood cell (RBC) properties (RBC deformability and aggregation), we employed several types of chemicals that can increase and decrease of the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. The rise of Ca(2+) influx, stimulated by mechanical loading, A23187, thrombin, prostaglandin F(2α) was accompanied by a moderate red cell deformability lowering and an increase of their aggregation. In contrast, Ca(2+) entry blocking into the red cells by verapamil led to a significant RBC aggregation decrease and deformability rise. Similar microrheological changes were observed in the red blood cells treated with phosphodiesterase inhibitors IBMX, vinpocetine, rolipram, pentoxifylline. When forskolin (10 μM), an AC stimulator was added to RBC suspension, the RBC deformability was increased (p <0.05). Somewhat more significant deformability rise appeared after RBC incubation with dB-AMP. Red cell aggregation was significantly decreased under these conditions (p<0.01). On the whole the total data clearly show that the red cell aggregation and deformation changes were connected with an activation of both intracellular signaling pathways: Ca(2+) regulatory mechanism and Gs-protein/adenylyl-cyclase-cAMP system. And the final red cell microrheological regulatory effect is connected with the crosstalk between these systems.

Physiological roles for G protein-regulated adenylyl cyclase isoforms: insights from knockout and overexpression studies

Cyclic AMP is a universal second messenger, produced by a family of adenylyl cyclase (AC) enzymes. The last three decades have brought a wealth of new information about the regulation of cyclic AMP production by ACs. Nine hormone-sensitive, membrane-bound AC isoforms have been identified in addition to a tenth isoform that lacks membrane spans and more closely resembles the cyanobacterial AC enzymes. New model systems for purifying and characterizing the catalytic domains of AC have led to the crystal structure of these domains and the mapping of numerous interaction sites. However, big hurdles remain in unraveling the roles of individual AC isoforms and their regulation in physiological systems. In this review we explore the latest on AC knockout and overexpression studies to better understand the roles of G protein regulation of ACs in the brain, olfactory bulb, and heart.

Organization and Ca2+Regulation of Adenylyl Cyclases in cAMP Microdomains

The adenylyl cyclases are variously regulated by G protein subunits, a number of serine/threonine and tyrosine protein kinases, and Ca2+. In some physiological situations, this regulation can be readily incorporated into a hormonal cascade, controlling processes such as cardiac contractility or neurotransmitter release. However, the significance of some modes of regulation is obscure and is likely only to be apparent in explicit cellular contexts (or stages of the cell cycle). The regulation of many of the ACs by the ubiquitous second messenger Ca2+provides an overarching mechanism for integrating the activities of these two major signaling systems. Elaborate devices have been evolved to ensure that this interaction occurs, to guarantee the fidelity of the interaction, and to insulate the microenvironment in which it occurs. Subcellular targeting, as well as a variety of scaffolding devices, is used to promote interaction of the ACs with specific signaling proteins and regulatory factors to generate privileged domains for cAMP signaling. A direct consequence of this organization is that cAMP will exhibit distinct kinetics in discrete cellular domains. A variety of means are now available to study cAMP in these domains and to dissect their components in real time in live cells. These topics are explored within the present review.

Regulation and organization of adenylyl cyclases and cAMP

Adenylyl cyclases are a critically important family of multiply regulated signalling molecules. Their susceptibility to many modes of regulation allows them to integrate the activities of a variety of signalling pathways. However, this property brings with it the problem of imparting specificity and discrimination. Recent studies are revealing the range of strategies utilized by the cyclases to solve this problem. Microdomains are a consequence of these solutions, in which cAMP dynamics may differ from the broad cytosol. Currently evolving methodologies are beginning to reveal cAMP fluctuations in these various compartments.

A critical interplay between Ca2+ inhibition and activation by Mg2+ of AC5 revealed by mutants and chimeric constructs

Adenylyl cyclase type 5 (AC5) is sensitive to both high and low affinity inhibition by Ca(2+). This property provides a sensitive feedback mechanism of the Ca(2+) entry that is potentiated by cAMP in sources where AC5 is commonly expressed (e.g. myocardium). Remarkably little is known about the molecular mechanism whereby Ca(2+) inhibits AC5. Because previous studies had showed that Ca(2+) antagonized the activation of adenylyl cyclase brought about by Mg(2+), we have now evaluated the Mg(2+)-binding domain in the catalytic site as the potential site of the interaction, using a number of mutations of AC5 with impaired Mg(2+) activation. Mg(2+) activation exerted contrasting effects on the high and low affinity Ca(2+) inhibition. In both wild type and mutants, activation by Mg(2+) decreased the absolute amount of high affinity inhibition without affecting the K(i) value, whereas the K(i) value for low affinity inhibition was decreased. These effects were directly proportional to the sensitivity of the mutants to Mg(2+). Parallel changes were noted in the efficacies of Ca(2+), Sr(2+), and Ba(2+) in the mutant species, suggesting a simple mutation in a shared domain. Strikingly, forskolin, which activates by a mechanism different from Mg(2+), did not modify inhibition by Ca(2+). Deletion of the N terminus and the C1b domain of AC5 and a chimera formed with AC2 confirmed that the catalytic domain alone was responsible for high affinity inhibition. We therefore conclude that both low and high affinity inhibition by Ca(2+) are exerted on different conformations of the Mg(2+)-binding sites in the catalytic domain of AC5.

Modulation of cytosolic calcium levels of human lymphocytes by yessotoxin, a novel marine phycotoxin

Yessotoxin (YTX) is a polyether toxin of marine origin that has been classified among the diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxins group due to its lipophilic nature. However, unlike other DSP toxins, YTX does not produce diarrhea and its mechanisms of action are unknown. We studied the effect of YTX on the cytosolic calcium levels of freshly isolated human lymphocytes by means of fluorescence imaging microscopy. We showed that YTX produced a calcium influx through nifedipine and SKF 96365 (1-[beta-[3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propoxyl]-4-methoxyphenyl]-1H-imidazole hydrochloride)-sensitive channels. This Ca2+ entry was not affected by the DSP toxin okadaic acid, which inhibits protein phosphatases. In addition, YTX also produced an inhibition of capacitative calcium entry activated by thapsigargin or by preincubation in a Ca2+-free medium. This capacitative calcium entry was not sensitive to nifedipine. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of YTX was dependent on the time of addition of the toxin. We suggest that YTX may interact with calcium channels in a way similar to that described for other polyether marine compounds such as brevetoxins and maitotoxin, although an involvement of other second messengers is also likely.

A beta-2-adrenergic receptor activates adenylate cyclase in human erythrocyte membranes at physiological calcium plasma concentrations

More information is needed about the subtype of the beta-adrenergic receptor coupled to the G-protein-adenylate cyclase (AC) system in human erythrocytes and about the optimal experimental conditions to study this system. In this study we describe the characteristics of spontaneous and beta-agonist-activated AC in human erythrocytes. Human erythrocyte membranes were isolated and AC activity was utilized to assess the quantity of cAMP. Our data show that the subtype beta-2 is the functional beta-adrenergic receptor involved in such activation; this modifies the beta-adrenergic-stimulated activity of AC in human erythrocytes. Isoproterenol in a medium with calcium (1-10 mM, range that includes physiological plasma concentrations) enhances the activation of AC; this effect was blocked by propranolol, but not by atenolol. We conclude that in human erythrocytes subtype beta-2 is the functional beta-adrenergic receptor and that such a response depends to a large extent on Ca(2+) concentrations.

Inhibition by calcium of mammalian adenylyl cyclases

Ca(2+) regulates mammalian adenylyl cyclases in a type-specific manner. Stimulatory regulation is moderately well understood. By contrast, even the concentration range over which Ca(2+) inhibits adenylyl cyclases AC5 and AC6 is not unambiguously defined; even less so is the mechanism of inhibition. In the present study, we compared the regulation of Ca(2+)-stimulable and Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclases expressed in Sf9 cells with tissues that predominantly express these activities in the mouse brain. Soluble forms of AC5 containing either intact or truncated major cytosolic domains were also examined. All adenylyl cyclases, except AC2 and the soluble forms of AC5, displayed biphasic Ca(2+) responses, suggesting the presence of two Ca(2+) sites of high ( approximately 0.2 microM) and low affinity ( approximately 0.1 mM). With a high affinity, Ca(2+) (i) stimulated AC1 and cerebellar adenylyl cyclases, (ii) inhibited AC6 and striatal adenylyl cyclase, and (iii) was without effect on AC2. With a low affinity, Ca(2+) inhibited all adenylyl cyclases, including AC1, AC2, AC6, and both soluble forms of AC5. The mechanism of both high and low affinity inhibition was revealed to be competition for a stimulatory Mg(2+) site(s). A remarkable selectivity for Ca(2+) was displayed by the high affinity site, with a K(i) value of approximately 0.2 microM, in the face of a 5000-fold excess of Mg(2+). The present results show that high and low affinity inhibition by Ca(2+) can be clearly distinguished and that the inhibition occurs type-specifically in discrete adenylyl cyclases. Distinction between these sites is essential, or quite spurious inferences may be drawn on the nature or location of high affinity binding sites in the Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclases.

Functional properties of Ca2+-inhibitable type 5 and type 6 adenylyl cyclases and role of Ca2+ increase in the inhibition of intracellular cAMP content

Among the different adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms, type 5 and type 6 constitute a subfamily which has the remarkable property of being inhibited by submicromolar Ca2+ concentrations in addition to Galphai-mediated processes. These independent and cumulative negative regulations are associated to a low basal enzymatic activity which can be strongly activated by Galphas-mediated interactions or forskolin. These properties ensure possible wide changes of cAMP synthesis. Regulation of cAMP synthesis by Ca2+ was studied in cultured or native cells which express naturally type 5 and/or type 6 AC, including well-defined renal epithelial cells. The results underline two characteristics of the inhibition due to agonist-elicited increase of intracellular Ca2+: i) Ca2+ rises achieved through capacitive Ca2+ entry or intracellular Ca2+ release can inhibit AC to a similar extent; and ii) in a same cell type, different agonists inducing similar overall Ca2+ rises elicit a variable inhibition of AC activity. The results suggest that a high efficiency of AC regulation by Ca2+ is linked to a requisite close localization of AC enzyme and Ca2+ rises.

Adenylyl cyclase activity and gene expression during mesodermal differentiation of the P19 embryonal carcinoma cells

DMSO-primed P19 pluripotent cells, which recapitulate the first stages of mammalian cardiogenesis and endodermal formation, were used as an in vitro model to analyze the variations in activity and expression of the different adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms during the early events of embryonic cell differentiation. Here, we show that the total AC activity, which increases up to 10-fold after differentiation of P19 cells, is mainly associated with increases in AC2, AC5, and AC6 mRNA levels. Particularly, the marked increase in AC5 mRNA correlates with the appearance of beating cardiomyocytes and with the transcription of the atrial myosin light chain (MLC1A) gene which encodes a protein specifically involved in the cardiac muscle cell contractile phenotype. Together, the results strongly suggest that 1) a rise in cyclic AMP (cAMP) may be associated with cardiomyocyte and endodermal cell differentiation during mammalian embryogenesis; and 2) AC5 gene expression starts very early during normal mouse cardiogenesis and correlates with the differentiation of cardiomyocytes.

G protein beta gamma subunits

Guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins relay extracellular signals encoded in light, small molecules, peptides, and proteins to activate or inhibit intracellular enzymes and ion channels. The larger G proteins, made up of G alpha beta gamma heterotrimers, dissociate into G alpha and G beta gamma subunits that separately activate intracellular effector molecules. Only recently has the G beta gamma subunit been recognized as a signal transduction molecule in its own right; G beta gamma is now known to directly regulate as many different protein targets as the G alpha subunit. Recent X-ray crystallography of G alpha, G beta gamma, and G alpha beta gamma subunits will guide the investigation of structure-function relationships.

Calcium ionophore, A23187, alters the mode of cAMP formation in wild-type S49 murine lymphoma cells

We examined the change in the adenylyl cyclase activity of S49 cells occurring after exposure to calcium ionophore, A23187. MnCl2-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in membrane preparations increased by 67 +/- 3% (after 24 h treatment with 0.3 microM A23187), while no significant change was found in the basal activity or NaF-, isoproterenol- or forskolin-stimulated activities. An activity sensitive to CaCl2/calmodulin, which could not be detected in membranes from untreated cells, was found in membranes from A23187-treated cells. These changes took place after treatment with 0.1-0.3 microM A23187 for a period longer than 16 h. A brief treatment of S49 cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) enhances the activity of adenylyl cyclase (Bell, J.D. et al. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 2625-2628), but exposure of cells to PMA at the end of A23187-treatment did not affect the induction of the MnCl2-or CaCl2/calmodulin-sensitive activity. The results indicate that long-term treatment of S49 cells with calcium ionophore, A23187, induces adenylyl cyclase activity of a novel type, which is probably caused by an abnormal increase in free intracellular calcium.

Delayed cardioprotection is associated with the sub-cellular relocalisation of ventricular protein kinase C epsilon, but not p42/44MAPK

Both noradrenaline administration to rats and rapid cardiac pacing in dogs induces delayed protection of the heart against ischaemia-induced ventricular arrhythmias. In an attempt to establish molecular mechanisms underlying the delayed cardioprotection, we have examined the potential role of two kinases, PKC epsilon and p42/44MAPK. These protein kinases are expressed in the ventricles of the heart and are characterised by their ability to regulate ion-flux and gene transcription. In the rat p42MAPK is predominantly localised in the high-speed supernatant fraction of the ventricle homogenate, whereas p44MAPK is enriched in the nuclear low speed pellet. A small proportion of the p42MAPK is activated even in hearts from control animals. However, neither kinase is relocalised or activated by noradrenaline administration and this provides preliminary evidence the p42/44MAPK may not play a significant role in delayed protection in this species. In contrast, noradrenaline does induce the translocation of PKC epsilon to cell membranes, a response that is sustained for up to 4 h. However, PKC epsilon is down-regulated from the cytoplasm after 24 h post noradrenaline treatment. PKC epsilon is also translocated to the membrane in dogs that have been classically pre-conditioned and cardiac paced. In the latter case, translocation of PKC epsilon from the cytoplasm to the cell membrane is evident 24 h after pacing. These results indicate that the release of endogenous mediators may either inhibit down-regulation or elicit an increase in PKC epsilon mRNA expression. Therefore, in dog heart the subcellular relocalisation of PKC epsilon persists into the 'second window' and may play a central role in the molecular mechanism governing delayed cardioprotection. It is important in the future to identify either the gene products that are induced or the target protein(s) that are phosphorylated by PKC epsilon.

Relevance of phosphorylation state to opioid responsiveness in opiate naive and tolerant/dependent tissue

This laboratory previously reported that the mu-selective opiate receptor agonist, sufentanil, produces a naloxone-reversible, concentration-dependent facilitation or inhibition of the stimulated formation of cAMP in the myenteric plexus. Chronic in vivo exposure to morphine results not only in the loss of inhibitory opioid responsiveness but in the reversal of inhibition to enhancement. The present study demonstrates, in tolerant/dependent as well as opiate naive tissue, that the state of phosphorylation is a critical determinant of the balance between positive and negative opioid modulation of stimulated cAMP formation. In vitro treatment of chronic morphine-treated preparations with inhibitors of protein kinases, abolishes the previously observed reversal of opioid inhibition to enhancement and restores sufentanil inhibitory responsiveness. The established kinase-type selectivity profile of the inhibitors employed suggests the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in the tolerant-associated reversal from opioid inhibition to enhancement of cAMP formation. Conversely, treatment of opiate naive tissue with the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid or a phorbol ester activator of protein kinase C, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), not only attenuates sufentanil inhibition of evoked cAMP formation but reverses it to a facilitation (as occurs following chronic in vivo morphine exposure). This effect of PMA is abolished by the PKC-selective inhibitor chelerythrine. Moreover, the longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus content of PKC alpha and PKC beta is substantially elevated following chronic morphine treatment. These results underscore the relevance of opioid bimodality to the manifestation of tolerance/dependence and suggest that augmented phosphorylation (mediated at least in part via PKC) is a critical determinant of some of the sequelae of chronic morphine exposure.

Single cell Ca2+/cAMP cross-talk monitored by simultaneous Ca2+/cAMP fluorescence ratio imaging

The spatial and temporal dynamics of two intracellular second messengers, cAMP and Ca2+, were simultaneously monitored in living cells by digital fluorescence ratio imaging using FlCRhR, a single-excitation dual-emission cAMP indicator, and fura-2, a dual-excitation single-emission Ca2+ probe. In single C6-2B glioma cells, isoproterenol- or forskolin-evoked cAMP accumulation (measured in vivo as an increased FlCRhR emission ratio) was reduced when cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration was elevated before, simultaneously with, or after cAMP activation. However, in REF-52 fibroblasts, Ca2+ neither prevented nor reduced forskolin-stimulated cAMP production. These results provide novel in vivo evidence for the Ca2+ modulation of the cAMP transduction pathway in C6-2B cells. The simultaneous microscopic measurement of cAMP and Ca2+ kinetics in single cells makes it now possible to study the regulatory interactions between these second messengers at the cellular and even the subcellular level.

Determination and cellular localization of adenylyl cyclase isozymes expressed in embryonic chick heart

Mammalian heart has been reported to express AC isozymes (types V and VI) that are inhibited by < microM [Ca2+]; avian heart has been reported to express adenylyl cyclase activity that is inhibited by < microM [Ca2]. We have used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine that type V and VI AC mRNAs are present in freshly isolated ventricular myocytes. Subsequent RNase protection assays revealed that that the type V signal is 4-5 times that for the type VI isozyme. In situ hybridization with high specific activity cRNA probes combined with immunocytochemistry with a chick anti-myosin antibody was used to probe the cellular origins of type V and type VI AC signals. These studies show that myocytes contain messages for both the type V and VI isozymes but that AC V is the major isoform. Interestingly, while the type V AC mRNA appears to be localized primarily, if not exclusively, in myocytes, the signal for type AC VI mRNA in non-myocytes is stronger than in myocytes.

Signal transduction alterations in peripheral nerves from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

We have previously determined the presence of muscarinic receptors and the expression of several G proteins in homogenates and myelin fractions from rat sciatic nerves. In the present study we investigated whether changes in several signal transduction pathways in peripheral nerves might be responsible for some of the biochemical abnormalities (e.g., phosphoinositide metabolism) present in sciatic nerves from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Sciatic nerves from 5 week diabetic rats that were prelabelled with [3H]-myo-inositol displayed a significant increase in the basal release of inositol mono- and bis-phosphate, while carbamylcholine-stimulated release was significantly smaller. Basal- and forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity was significantly decreased in sciatic nerve homogenates from diabetic animals. However, we were unable to detect any significant differences in the levels of cAMP in intact nerves or in nerve segments that were incubated in the presence or absence of forskolin. ADP-ribosylation experiments showed that in sciatic nerves from experimentally diabetic rats there was a significant increase in the ADP-ribosylation catalyzed by cholera and pertussis toxins. Measurements of the levels of alpha-subunits of G proteins revealed that the expression of Gq/11 alpha, Gs alpha, and Gi-3 alpha was increased by 30 to 50%. These results indicate that during the course of experimental diabetes, peripheral nerves exhibit an abnormal production of inositol phosphates and cAMP, together with an abnormal expression and/or function of G proteins. One of the consequences of such alterations is the diminished release of inositol phosphates triggered by muscarinic agonists in diabetic sciatic nerves.

Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclase modulates pulmonary artery endothelial cell cAMP content and barrier function

Maintenance by the endothelium of a semi-permeable barrier is critically important in the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lung. Intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and cAMP are principal determinants of endothelial cell barrier function through their mutually opposing actions on endothelial retraction. However, details of the mechanisms of this antagonism are lacking. The recent discovery that certain adenylyl cyclases (EC 4.6.1.1) could be acutely inhibited by Ca2+ in the intracellular concentration range provided one possible mechanism whereby elevated [Ca2+]i could decrease cAMP content. This possibility was explored in pulmonary artery endothelial cells. The results indicate that a type VI Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclase exists in pulmonary artery endothelial cells and is modulated by physiological changes in [Ca2+]i. Furthermore, the results suggest the inverse relationship between [Ca2+]i and cAMP that is established by Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclase plays a critical role in modulating pulmonary artery endothelial cell permeability. These data provide evidence that susceptibility to inhibition of adenylyl cyclase by Ca2+ can be exploited in modulating a central physiological process.

Nucleotides as extracellular signalling molecules

There is now wide acceptance that ATP and other nucleotides are ubiquitous extracellular chemical messengers. ATP and diadenosine polyphosphates can be released from synaptosomes. They act on a large and diverse family of P2 purinoceptors, four of which have been cloned. This receptor family can be divided into two distinct classes: ligand-gated ion channels for P2X receptors and G protein-coupled receptors for P2Y, P2U, P2T and P2D receptors. The P2Y, P2U and P2D receptors have a fairly wide tissue distribution, while the P2X receptor is mainly found in neurons and muscles and the P2T and P2Z receptors confined to platelets and immune cells, respectively. Inositol phosphate and calcium signalling appear to be the predominant mechanisms for transducing the G-protein linked P2 receptor signals. Multiple P2 receptors are expressed by neurons and glia in the CNS and also in neuroendocrine cells. ATP and other nucleotides may therefore have important roles not only as a neurotransmitter but also as a neuroendocrine regulatory messenger.

Capacitative Ca2+ entry exclusively inhibits cAMP synthesis in C6-2B glioma cells. Evidence that physiologically evoked Ca2+ entry regulates Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclase in non-excitable cells

Elevation of cytosolic free Ca2+ inhibits the type VI adenylyl cyclase that predominates in C6-2B cells. However, it is not known whether there is any selective requirement for Ca2+ entry or release for inhibition of cAMP accumulation to occur. In the present study, the effectiveness of intracellular Ca2+ release evoked by three independent methods (thapsigargin, ionomycin, and UTP) was compared with the capacitative Ca2+ entry that was triggered by these treatments. In each situation, only Ca2+ entry could inhibit cAMP accumulation (La3+ ions blocked the effect); Ca2+ release, which was substantial in some cases, was without effect. A moderate inhibition, as was elicited by a modest degree of Ca2+ entry, could be rendered substantial in the absence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Such conditions more closely mimic the physiological situation of normal cells. These results are particularly significant, in demonstrating not only that Ca2+ entry mediates the inhibitory effects of Ca2+ on cAMP accumulation, but also that diffuse elevations in [Ca2+]i are ineffective in modulating cAMP synthesis. This property suggests that, as with certain Ca(2+)-sensitive ion channels, Ca(2+)-sensitive adenylyl cyclases may be functionally colocalized with Ca2+ entry channels.

Perforated-patch recording does not enhance effect of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine on cardiac calcium current

Conventional whole cell voltage-clamp recording results in washout of the cardiac Ca2+ current (ICa) response to the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (Iso), for reasons which are not clear. When dose-response curves for the phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) were compared using perforated-patch vs. conventional whole cell recording in guinea pig ventricular myocytes, the conventional whole cell IBMX responses were unexpectedly larger than the perforated-patch responses. Furthermore, during conventional whole cell recording the response to repeated application of Iso declined rapidly, whereas the IBMX response initially increased and then declined. When pipette [Ca2+] was increased to 10(-7) M, conventional whole cell responses to 300 microM IBMX and 10(-9) M Iso were identical to perforated-patch responses. Thus loss of the Iso response during conventional whole cell recording seems to not be solely due to a washout of some constituent of the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate pathway. We suggest that unphysiological intracellular [Ca2+] enhances the relative PDE activity and that this contributes to the rapid decline of the Iso response and the initial enhancement of the IBMX response.

Selective expression of one Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclase in dopaminergically innervated rat brain regions

Type I adenylyl cyclase, which can be stimulated by elevated cellular levels of Ca2+, has been proposed to provide a positive coincidence signal detection system, which can integrate signals arising via Gs- and Ca(2+)-mediated pathways. The occurrence of this adenylyl cyclase in brain regions implicated with associative learning in invertebrates and with the mammalian model of plasticity--hippocampal long-term potentiation, supports the notion that the ability of this species of adenylyl cyclase to detect two signals simultaneously may play a role in this neuronal function. In the present study, two recently cloned, closely-related adenylyl cyclases (Types V and VI), are shown to be inhibited by physiological elevation in [Ca2+]i. As a first step towards probing the neuronal significance of Ca(2+)-inhibitable adenylyl cyclases, their distribution was evaluated by in situ hybridization analysis of the rat brain. Strikingly distinct patterns of gene expression were found, ranging from a highly selective distribution of Type V mRNA within the striatum, nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, to a weak and ubiquitous distribution of Type VI mRNA. Type V AC mRNA is expressed exclusively in medium-sized striatal neurons, which also express D1-dopaminergic (Gs-linked) and M1-muscarinic cholinergic (Ca(2+)-linked) receptors. Thus the adenylyl cyclase is primed for simultaneous detection of opposing regulatory influences. The utility of this novel mode of signal detection to dopaminergic function remains to be established.

Capacitative Ca2+ entry regulates Ca(2+)-sensitive adenylyl cyclases

A number of the currently described adenylyl cyclase species can be regulated by Ca2+ in the submicromolar concentration range in in vitro assays. The regulatory significance of these observations hinges on whether a physiological elevation in intracellular Ca2+ can regulate these cyclase activities in intact cells. However, achieving a physiological elevation in cytosolic Ca2+ is complicated by the fact that hormonal increases in cytosolic Ca2+ can be accompanied by additional effects, such as liberation of beta gamma-subunits of G-proteins and activation of protein kinase C, which can have disparate type-specific effects on cyclase activities. Therefore we have devised a strategy based on capacitative Ca2+ entry to show that, when types I and VI adenylyl cyclase are expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, they are stimulated and inhibited respectively by Ca2+ entry. Blockade of Ca2+ entry by La3+ ions blocks the effects of Ca2+ entry on cyclic AMP synthesis. These studies establish that adenylyl cyclases deemed to be sensitive to Ca2+ in in vitro assays can be regulated by physiological Ca2+ entry, and therefore, such cyclases are poised to respond to changes in intracellular Ca2+ in tissues in which they are expressed.

Predominant expression of type-VI adenylate cyclase in C6-2B rat glioma cells may account for inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation by calcium

In C6-2B cells, agonist-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation is inhibited when the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration is increased. We now demonstrate that in C6-2B cells: (i) the early kinetics of the cyclic AMP inhibition by substance K (t1/2 = 35 s) and thapsigargin (t1/2 = 1.6 min) closely mimic the kinetics of the cytosolic Ca2+ increase evoked by either agent (t1/2 = 25 s and 1.5 min respectively); (ii) the Ca2+ rise and cyclic AMP inhibition by substance K or thapsigargin are similarly affected in EGTA-containing medium; (iii) PCR detects type-III and type-VI adenylate cyclase cDNAs, and RNAase protection assays show that the mRNA for type-VI adenylate cyclase, an isoform inhibitable by submicromolar Ca2+ concentrations, is the predominant species, strongly suggesting that type-VI adenylate cyclase is probably the target molecule for Ca(2+)-mediated inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation.