Calcium release domains in mammalian skeletal muscle studied with two-photon imaging and spot detection techniques

Mapping uterine calcium dynamics during the ovulatory cycle in live mice

Uterine contraction patterns vary during the ovulatory cycle and throughout pregnancy, but prior measurements have produced limited and conflicting information on these patterns. We combined a virally delivered genetically encoded calcium reporter (GCaMP8m) and ultra-widefield imaging in live nonpregnant mice to characterize uterine calcium dynamics at organ scale throughout the estrous cycle. Prior to ovulation (proestrus and estrus), uterine excitations primarily initiated in a region near the oviduct, but after ovulation (metestrus and diestrus), excitations initiated at loci homogeneously distributed throughout the organ. The frequency of excitation events was lowest in proestrus and estrus, higher in metestrus, and highest in diestrus. These results establish a platform for mapping uterine activity and demonstrate that an anatomically localized trigger for uterine excitations depends on the estrous cycle phase.

Genetic Ablation of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor Type 2 (IP3R2) Fails to Modify Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by an abnormal polyglutamine expansion within the ataxin-3 protein (ATXN3). This leads to neurodegeneration of specific brain and spinal cord regions, resulting in a progressive loss of motor function. Despite neuronal death, non-neuronal cells, including astrocytes, are also involved in SCA3 pathogenesis. Astrogliosis is a common pathological feature in SCA3 patients and animal models of the disease. However, the contribution of astrocytes to SCA3 is not clearly defined. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 2 (IP3R2) is the predominant IP3R in mediating astrocyte somatic calcium signals, and genetically ablation of IP3R2 has been widely used to study astrocyte function. Here, we aimed to investigate the relevance of IP3R2 in the onset and progression of SCA3. For this, we tested whether IP3R2 depletion and the consecutive suppression of global astrocytic calcium signalling would lead to marked changes in the behavioral phenotype of a SCA3 mouse model, the CMVMJD135 transgenic line. This was achieved by crossing IP3R2 null mice with the CMVMJD135 mouse model and performing a longitudinal behavioral characterization of these mice using well-established motor-related function tests. Our results demonstrate that IP3R2 deletion in astrocytes does not modify SCA3 progression.

Elevated Ca2+ at the triad junction underlies dysregulation of Ca2+ signaling in dysferlin-null skeletal muscle

Dysferlin-null A/J myofibers generate abnormal Ca2+ transients that are slightly reduced in amplitude compared to controls. These are further reduced in amplitude by hypoosmotic shock and often appear as Ca2+ waves (Lukyanenko et al., J. Physiol., 2017). Ca2+ waves are typically associated with Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release, or CICR, which can be myopathic. We tested the ability of a permeable Ca2+ chelator, BAPTA-AM, to inhibit CICR in injured dysferlin-null fibers and found that 10-50 nM BAPTA-AM suppressed all Ca2+ waves. The same concentrations of BAPTA-AM increased the amplitude of the Ca2+ transient in A/J fibers to wild type levels and protected transients against the loss of amplitude after hypoosmotic shock, as also seen in wild type fibers. Incubation with 10 nM BAPTA-AM led to intracellular BAPTA concentrations of ∼60 nM, as estimated with its fluorescent analog, Fluo-4AM. This should be sufficient to restore intracellular Ca2+ to levels seen in wild type muscle. Fluo-4AM was ∼10-fold less effective than BAPTA-AM, however, consistent with its lower affinity for Ca2+. EGTA, which has an affinity for Ca2+ similar to BAPTA, but with much slower kinetics of binding, was even less potent when introduced as the -AM derivative. By contrast, a dysferlin variant with GCaMP6fu in place of its C2A domain accumulated at triad junctions, like wild type dysferlin, and suppressed all abnormal Ca2+ signaling. GCaMP6fu introduced as a Venus chimera did not accumulate at junctions and failed to suppress abnormal Ca2+ signaling. Our results suggest that leak of Ca2+ into the triad junctional cleft underlies dysregulation of Ca2+ signaling in dysferlin-null myofibers, and that dysferlin's C2A domain suppresses abnormal Ca2+ signaling and protects muscle against injury by binding Ca2+ in the cleft.

Disrupted Calcium Homeostasis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Common Mechanism behind Diverse Consequences

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) leads to disability and death in young men. This disease is caused by mutations in the DMD gene encoding diverse isoforms of dystrophin. Loss of full-length dystrophins is both necessary and sufficient for causing degeneration and wasting of striated muscles, neuropsychological impairment, and bone deformities. Among this spectrum of defects, abnormalities of calcium homeostasis are the common dystrophic feature. Given the fundamental role of Ca2+ in all cells, this biochemical alteration might be underlying all the DMD abnormalities. However, its mechanism is not completely understood. While abnormally elevated resting cytosolic Ca2+ concentration is found in all dystrophic cells, the aberrant mechanisms leading to that outcome have cell-specific components. We probe the diverse aspects of calcium response in various affected tissues. In skeletal muscles, cardiomyocytes, and neurons, dystrophin appears to serve as a scaffold for proteins engaged in calcium homeostasis, while its interactions with actin cytoskeleton influence endoplasmic reticulum organisation and motility. However, in myoblasts, lymphocytes, endotheliocytes, and mesenchymal and myogenic cells, calcium abnormalities cannot be clearly attributed to the loss of interaction between dystrophin and the calcium toolbox proteins. Nevertheless, DMD gene mutations in these cells lead to significant defects and the calcium anomalies are a symptom of the early developmental phase of this pathology. As the impaired calcium homeostasis appears to underpin multiple DMD abnormalities, understanding this alteration may lead to the development of new therapies. In fact, it appears possible to mitigate the impact of the abnormal calcium homeostasis and the dystrophic phenotype in the total absence of dystrophin. This opens new treatment avenues for this incurable disease.

A stochastic simulation of skeletal muscle calcium transients in a structurally realistic sarcomere model using MCell

Skeletal muscle contraction is initiated when an action potential triggers the release of Ca2+ into the sarcomere in a process referred to as excitation-contraction coupling. The speed and scale of this process makes direct observation very challenging and invasive. To determine how the concentration of Ca2+ changes within the myofibril during a single activation, several simulation models have been developed. These models follow a common pattern; divide the half sarcomere into a series of compartments, then use ordinary differential equations to solve reactions occurring within and between the compartments. To further develop this type of simulation, we have created a realistic structural model of a skeletal muscle myofibrillar half-sarcomere using MCell software that incorporates the myofilament lattice structure. Using this simulation model, we were successful in reproducing the averaged calcium transient during a single activation consistent with both the experimental and previous simulation results. In addition, our simulation demonstrated that the inclusion of the myofilament lattice within our model produced an asymmetric distribution of Ca2+, with more Ca2+ accumulating near the Z-disk and less Ca2+ reaching the m-line. This asymmetric distribution of Ca2+ is also apparent when we examine how the Ca2+ are bound to the troponin-C proteins along the actin filaments. Our simulation model also allowed us to produce advanced visualizations of this process, including two simulation animations, allowing us to view Ca2+ release, diffusion, binding and uptake within the myofibrillar half-sarcomere.

Attenuated Ca(2+) release in a mouse model of limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2A

Background

Mutations in CAPN3 cause limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A (LGMD2A), a progressive muscle wasting disease. CAPN3 is a non-lysosomal, Ca-dependent, muscle-specific proteinase. Ablation of CAPN3 (calpain-3 knockout (C3KO) mice) leads to reduced ryanodine receptor (RyR1) expression and abnormal Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (Ca-CaMKII)-mediated signaling. We previously reported that Ca²⁺ release measured by fura2-FF imaging in response to single action potential stimulation was reduced in old C3KO mice; however, the use of field stimulation prevented investigation of the mechanisms underlying this impairment. Furthermore, our prior studies were conducted on older animals, whose muscles showed advanced muscular dystrophy, which prevented us from establishing whether impaired Ca²⁺ handling is an early feature of disease. In the current study, we sought to overcome these matters by studying single fibers isolated from young wild-type (WT) and C3KO mice using a low affinity calcium dye and high intracellular ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-n,n,n′,n′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) to measure Ca²⁺ fluxes. Muscles were subjected to both current and voltage clamp conditions.

Methods

Standard and confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to study Ca²⁺ release in single fibers enzymatically isolated from hind limb muscles of wild-type and C3KO mice. Two microelectrode amplifier and experiments were performed under current or voltage clamp conditions. Calcium concentration changes were detected with an impermeant low affinity dye in the presence of high EGTA intracellular concentrations, and fluxes were calculated with a single compartment model. Standard Western blotting analysis was used to measure the concentration of RyR1 and the α subunit of the dihydropyridine (αDHPR) receptors. Data are presented as mean ± SEM and compared with the Student’s test with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results

We found that the peak value of Ca²⁺ fluxes elicited by single action potentials was significantly reduced by 15–20 % in C3KO fibers, but the kinetics was unaltered. Ca²⁺ release elicited by tetanic stimulation was also impaired in C3KO fibers. Confocal studies confirmed that Ca²⁺ release was similarly reduced in all triads of C3KO mice. Voltage clamp experiments revealed a normal voltage dependence of Ca²⁺ release in C3KO mice but reduced peak Ca²⁺ fluxes as with action potential stimulation. These findings concur with biochemical observations of reduced RyR1 and αDHPR levels in C3KO muscles and reduced mechanical output. Confocal studies revealed a similar decrease in Ca²⁺ release at all triads consistent with a homogenous reduction of functional voltage activated Ca²⁺ release sites.

Conclusions

Overall, these results suggest that decreased Ca²⁺ release is an early defect in calpainopathy and may contribute to the observed reduction of CaMKII activation in C3KO mice.

Genetic evidence in the mouse solidifies the calcium hypothesis of myofiber death in muscular dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy (MD) refers to a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of degenerative muscle disorders characterized by progressive muscle wasting and often premature death. Although the primary defect underlying most forms of MD typically results from a loss of sarcolemmal integrity, the secondary molecular mechanisms leading to muscle degeneration and myofiber necrosis is debated. One hypothesis suggests that elevated or dysregulated cytosolic calcium is the common transducing event, resulting in myofiber necrosis in MD. Previous measurements of resting calcium levels in myofibers from dystrophic animal models or humans produced equivocal results. However, recent studies in genetically altered mouse models have largely solidified the calcium hypothesis of MD, such that models with artificially elevated calcium in skeletal muscle manifest fulminant dystrophic-like disease, whereas models with enhanced calcium clearance or inhibited calcium influx are resistant to myofiber death and MD. Here, we will review the field and the recent cadre of data from genetically altered mouse models, which we propose have collectively mostly proven the hypothesis that calcium is the primary effector of myofiber necrosis in MD. This new consensus on calcium should guide future selection of drugs to be evaluated in clinical trials as well as gene therapy-based approaches.

Whole-cell voltage clamp on skeletal muscle fibers with the silicone-clamp technique

Control of membrane voltage and membrane current measurements are of critical importance for the study of numerous aspects of skeletal muscle physiology and pathophysiology. The silicone-clamp technique makes use of a conventional patch-clamp apparatus to achieve whole-cell voltage clamp of a restricted portion of a fully differentiated adult skeletal muscle fiber. The major part of an isolated muscle fiber is insulated from the extracellular medium with silicone grease and the tip of a single microelectrode connected to the amplifier is then inserted within the fiber through the silicone layer. The method is extremely easy to implement. It represents an alternative to the traditional vaseline-gap isolation and two or three microelectrodes voltage-clamp techniques. The present chapter reviews the benefits of the silicone-clamp technique and provides updated detailed insights into its practical implementation.

Comparison of myoplasmic calcium movements during excitation-contraction coupling in frog twitch and mouse fast-twitch muscle fibers

Single twitch fibers from frog leg muscles were isolated by dissection and micro-injected with furaptra, a rapidly responding fluorescent Ca(2+) indicator. Indicator resting fluorescence (FR) and the change evoked by an action potential (ΔF) were measured at long sarcomere length (16°C); ΔF/FR was scaled to units of ΔfCaD, the change in fraction of the indicator in the Ca(2+)-bound form. ΔfCaD was simulated with a multicompartment model of the underlying myoplasmic Ca(2+) movements, and the results were compared with previous measurements and analyses in mouse fast-twitch fibers. In frog fibers, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release evoked by an action potential appears to be the sum of two components. The time course of the first component is similar to that of the entire Ca(2+) release waveform in mouse fibers, whereas that of the second component is severalfold slower; the fractional release amounts are ~0.8 (first component) and ~0.2 (second component). Similar results were obtained in frog simulations with a modified model that permitted competition between Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) for occupancy of the regulatory sites on troponin. An anatomical basis for two release components in frog fibers is the presence of both junctional and parajunctional SR Ca(2+) release channels (ryanodine receptors [RyRs]), whereas mouse fibers (usually) have only junctional RyRs. Also, frog fibers have two RyR isoforms, RyRα and RyRβ, whereas the mouse fibers (usually) have only one, RyR1. Our simulations suggest that the second release component in frog fibers functions to supply extra Ca(2+) to activate troponin, which, in mouse fibers, is not needed because of the more favorable location of their triadic junctions (near the middle of the thin filament). We speculate that, in general, parajunctional RyRs permit increased myofilament activation in fibers whose triadic junctions are located at the z-line.

Intracellular calcium movements during excitation-contraction coupling in mammalian slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers

In skeletal muscle fibers, action potentials elicit contractions by releasing calcium ions (Ca²⁺) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Experiments on individual mouse muscle fibers micro-injected with a rapidly responding fluorescent Ca²⁺ indicator dye reveal that the amount of Ca²⁺ released is three- to fourfold larger in fast-twitch fibers than in slow-twitch fibers, and the proportion of the released Ca²⁺ that binds to troponin to activate contraction is substantially smaller.

Measurement and simulation of myoplasmic calcium transients in mouse slow-twitch muscle fibres

Bundles of intact fibres from soleus muscles of adult mice were isolated by dissection and one fibre within a bundle was micro-injected with either furaptra or mag-fluo-4, two low-affinity rapidly responding Ca(2+) indicators. Fibres were activated by action potentials to elicit changes in indicator fluorescence (ΔF), a monitor of the myoplasmic free Ca(2+) transient ([Ca(2+)]), and changes in fibre tension. All injected fibres appeared to be slow-twitch (type I) fibres as inferred from the time course of their tension responses. The full-duration at half-maximum (FDHM) of ΔF was found to be essentially identical with the two indicators; the mean value was 8.4 ± 0.3 ms (±SEM) at 16°C and 5.1 ± 0.3 ms at 22°C. The value at 22°C is about one-third that reported previously in enzyme-dissociated slow-twitch fibres that had been AM-loaded with mag-fluo-4: 12.4 ± 0.8 ms and 17.2 ± 1.7 ms. We attribute the larger FDHM in enzyme-dissociated fibres either to an alteration of fibre properties due to the enzyme treatment or to some error in the measurement of ΔF associated with AM loading. ΔF in intact fibres was simulated with a multi-compartment reaction-diffusion model that permitted estimation of the amount and time course of Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), the binding and diffusion of Ca(2+) in the myoplasm, the re-uptake of Ca(2+) by the SR Ca(2+) pump, and Δ[Ca(2+)] itself. In response to one action potential at 16°C, the following estimates were obtained: 107 μm for the amount of Ca(2+) release; 1.7 ms for the FDHM of the release flux; 7.6 μm and 4.9 ms for the peak and FDHM of spatially averaged Δ[Ca(2+)]. With five action potentials at 67 Hz, the estimated amount of Ca(2+) release is 186 μm. Two important unknown model parameters are the on- and off-rate constants of the reaction between Ca(2+) and the regulatory sites on troponin; values of 0.4 × 10(8) m(-1) s(-1) and 26 s(-1), respectively, were found to be consistent with the ΔF measurements.

Functional expression of transgenic 1sDHPR channels in adult mammalian skeletal muscle fibres

We investigated the effects of the overexpression of two enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged α1sDHPR variants on Ca2+ currents (ICa), charge movements (Q) and SR Ca2+ release of muscle fibres isolated from adult mice. Flexor digitorum brevis (FDB)muscles were transfected by in vivo electroporation with plasmids encoding for EGFP-α1sDHPR-wt and EGFP-α1sDHPR-T935Y (an isradipine-insensitive mutant). Two-photon laser scanning microscopy (TPLSM) was used to study the subcellular localization of transgenic proteins, while ICa, Q and Ca2+ release were studied electrophysiologically and optically under voltage-clamp conditions. TPLSM images demonstrated that most of the transgenic α1sDHPR was correctly targeted to the transverse tubular system (TTS). Immunoblotting analysis of crude extracts of transfected fibres demonstrated the synthesis of bona fide transgenic EGFP-α1sDHPR-wt in quantities comparable to that of native α1sDHPR. Though expression of both transgenic variants of the alpha subunit of the dihydropyridine receptor (α1sDHPR) resulted in ∼50% increase in Q, they surprisingly had no effect on the maximal Ca2+ conductance (gCa) nor the SR Ca2+ release. Nonetheless, fibres expressing EGFP-α1sDHPR-T935Y exhibited up to 70% isradipine-insensitive ICa (ICa-ins) with a right-shifted voltage dependence compared to that in control fibres. Interestingly, Qand SRCa2+ release also displayed right-shifted voltage dependence in fibres expressing EGFP-α1sDHPR-T935Y. In contrast, the midpoints of the voltage dependence of gCa, Q and Ca2+ release were not different from those in control fibres and in fibres expressing EGFP-α1sDHPR-wt. Overall, our results suggest that transgenic α1sDHPRs are correctly trafficked and inserted in the TTS membrane, and that a substantial fraction of the mworks as conductive Ca2+ channels capable of physiologically controlling the release of Ca2+ from the SR. A plausible corollary of this work is that the expression of transgenic variants of the α1sDHPR leads to the replacement of native channels interacting with the ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1), thus demonstrating the feasibility of molecular remodelling of the triads in adult skeletal muscle fibres.

Sodium-calcium exchange is essential for effective triggering of calcium release in mouse heart

In cardiac myocytes, excitation-contraction coupling depends upon sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ release triggered by Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels. Although Na+-Ca2+ exchange (NCX) is essential for Ca2+ extrusion, its participation in the trigger process of excitation-contraction coupling is controversial. To investigate the role of NCX in triggering, we examined Ca2+ sparks in ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from wild-type (WT) and cardiac-specific NCX knockout (KO) mice. Myocytes from young NCX KO mice are known to exhibit normal resting cytosolic Ca2+ and normal Ca2+ transients despite reduced L-type Ca2+ current. We loaded myocytes with fluo-3 to image Ca2+ sparks using confocal microscopy in line-scan mode. The frequency of spontaneous Ca2+ sparks was reduced in KO myocytes compared with WT. However, spark amplitude and width were increased in KO mice. Permeabilizing the myocytes with saponin eliminated differences between spontaneous sparks in WT and KO mice. These results suggest that sarcolemmal processes are responsible for the reduced spark frequency and increased spark width and amplitude in KO mice. When myocytes were loaded with 1 mM fluo-3 and 3 mM EGTA via the patch pipette to buffer diadic cleft Ca2+, the number of sparks triggered by action potentials was reduced by 60% in KO cells compared to WT cells, despite similar SR Ca2+ content in both cell types. When EGTA was omitted from the pipette solution, the number of sparks triggered in KO and WT myocytes was similar. Although the number of sparks was restored in KO cells, Ca2+ release was asynchronous. These results suggest that high subsarcolemmal Ca2+ is required to ensure synchronous triggering with short spark latency in the absence of NCX. In WT mice, high subsarcolemmal Ca2+ is not required for synchronous triggering, because NCX is capable of priming the diadic cleft with sufficient Ca2+ for normal triggering, even when subsarcolemmal Ca(2+) is lowered by EGTA. Thus, reducing subsarcolemmal Ca2+ with EGTA in NCX KO mice reveals the dependence of Ca2+ release on NCX.

Activity-dependent regulation of the binomial parameters p and n at the mouse neuromuscular junction in vivo

Block of neurotransmission at the mammalian neuromuscular junction triggers an increase in the number of vesicles released (quantal content). The increase occurs whether nerve and muscle activity are both blocked by placement of a tetrodotoxin (TTX) containing cuff on the nerve or whether muscle activity is selectively blocked by injection of α-bungarotoxin (BTX). We used ANOVA to examine whether the mechanism underlying the increase in quantal content differed between the two types of activity blockade. We found that TTX-induced blockade increased the probability of release (p), whereas BTX-induced blockade increased the number of releasable vesicles (n). The lack of increase in p when postsynaptic activity was blocked with BTX suggests that block of presynaptic activity triggers the increase. To determine whether n is regulated by mismatch of pre- and postsynaptic activity introduced by BTX injection we combined BTX and TTX and still found an increase in n. We conclude that block of acetylcholine binding to acetylcholine receptors during spontaneous release triggers the increase in n.

Calcium indicators and calcium signalling in skeletal muscle fibres during excitation-contraction coupling

During excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle, calcium ions are released into the myoplasm by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in response to depolarization of the fibre's exterior membranes. Ca(2+) then diffuses to the thin filaments, where Ca(2+) binds to the Ca(2+) regulatory sites on troponin to activate muscle contraction. Quantitative studies of these events in intact muscle preparations have relied heavily on Ca(2+)-indicator dyes to measure the change in the spatially-averaged myoplasmic free Ca(2+) concentration (Δ[Ca(2+)]) that results from the release of SR Ca(2+). In normal fibres stimulated by an action potential, Δ[Ca(2+)] is large and brief, requiring that an accurate measurement of Δ[Ca(2+)] be made with a low-affinity rapidly-responding indicator. Some low-affinity Ca(2+) indicators monitor Δ[Ca(2+)] much more accurately than others, however, as reviewed here in measurements in frog twitch fibres with sixteen low-affinity indicators. This article also examines measurements and simulations of Δ[Ca(2+)] in mouse fast-twitch fibres. The simulations use a multi-compartment model of the sarcomere that takes into account Ca(2+)'s release from the SR, its diffusion and binding within the myoplasm, and its re-sequestration by the SR Ca(2+) pump. The simulations are quantitatively consistent with the measurements and appear to provide a satisfactory picture of the underlying Ca(2+) movements.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ depletion in adult skeletal muscle fibres measured with the biosensor D1ER

The endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) plays a crucial role in cytoplasmic signalling in a variety of cells. It is particularly relevant to skeletal muscle fibres, where this organelle constitutes the main Ca2+ store for essential functions, such as contraction. In this work, we expressed the cameleon biosensor D1ER by in vivo electroporation in the mouse flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle to directly assess SR Ca2+ depletion in response to electrical and pharmacological stimulation. The main conclusions are: (1) D1ER is expressed in the SR of FDB fibres according to both di-8-(amino naphthyl ethenyl pyridinium) staining experiments and reductions in the Förster resonance energy transfer signal consequent to SR Ca2+ release; (2) the amplitude of D1ER citrine/cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) ratio evoked by either 4-chloro-m-cresol (4-CmC) or electrical stimulation is directly proportional to the basal citrine/CFP ratio, which indicates that SR Ca2+ modulates ryanodine-receptor-isoform-1-mediated SR Ca2+ release in the intact muscle fibre; (3) SR Ca2+ release, measured as D1ER citrine/CFP signal, is voltage-dependent and follows a Boltzmann function; and (4) average SR Ca2+ depletion is 20% in response to 4-CmC and 6.4% in response to prolonged sarcolemmal depolarization. These results indicate that significantly depleting SR Ca2+ content under physiological conditions is difficult.

Low-affinity Ca2+ indicators compared in measurements of skeletal muscle Ca2+ transients

The low-affinity fluorescent Ca(2+) indicators OGB-5N, Fluo-5N, fura-5N, Rhod-5N, and Mag-fluo-4 were evaluated for their ability to accurately track the kinetics of the spatially averaged free Ca(2+) transient (Delta[Ca(2+)]) in skeletal muscle. Frog single fibers were injected with one of the above indicators and, usually, furaptra (previously shown to rapidly track Delta[Ca(2+)]). In response to an action potential, the full duration at half-maximum of the indicator's fluorescence change (DeltaF) was found to be larger with OGB-5N, Fluo-5N, fura-5N, and Rhod-5N than with furaptra; thus, these indicators do not track Delta[Ca(2+)] with kinetic fidelity. In contrast, the DeltaF time course of Mag-fluo-4 was identical to furaptra's; thus, Mag-fluo-4 also yields reliable kinetic information about Delta[Ca(2+)]. Mag-fluo-4's DeltaF has a larger signal/noise ratio than furaptra's (for similar indicator concentrations), and should thus be more useful for tracking Delta[Ca(2+)] in small cell volumes. However, because the resting fluorescence of Mag-fluo-4 probably arises largely from indicator that is bound with Mg(2+), the amplitude of the Mag-fluo-4 signal, and its calibration in Delta[Ca(2+)] units, is likely to be more sensitive to variations in [Mg(2+)] than furaptra's.

Nitric oxide dependence of glutamate-mediated modulation at a vertebrate neuromuscular junction

Recent evidence has revealed a contribution of glutamate in the stereotyped cholinergic neuromuscular transmission. Indeed, receptors, transporters and glutamate itself are present at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) while glutamate activation of metabotropic receptors (mGluRs) decreases synaptic transmission and mediates depression through presynaptic mechanisms. However, we have shown that the mGluRs are located postsynaptically, inconsistent with the presynaptic action of glutamate. In the present study, we tested whether nitric oxide (NO) serves as a retrograde messenger mediating the distant effect of glutamate. Glutamate or an mGluR agonist [trans-(1S,3R)-aminocyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (ACPD)] failed to reduce synaptic transmission in the presence of an NOS inhibitor (3Br7NINa, 3-bromo-7-nitroindazole sodium salt). Moreover, application of 3Br7NINa precluded the effect of the mGluR antagonist MCPG [(S)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine] on high-frequency-induced synaptic depression. Iontophoretic injections of BAPTA [1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N'-tetraacetic acid] in muscle fibres abolished the effect of trans-ACPD on synaptic transmission and blocked the mGluR component of depression, indicating the involvement of muscular calcium in mGluR-induced depression. Also, the use of this protocol unveiled a muscular calcium-dependent potentiating pathway dependent on cyclo-oxygenase activity. In addition, local application of trans-ACPD induced an increase in NO production by muscle fibres visualized with the indicator DAF-FM (4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluorofluorescein). This was prevented by 3Br7NINa or the iontophoretic injection of BAPTA. Moreover, motor nerve stimulation (50 Hz, 30 s) induced an increase in DAF-FM fluorescence that was abolished by 3Br7NINa and MCPG. Hence, the data suggest that the production of the retrograde molecule NO depends on the postsynaptic calcium-dependent activation of nitric oxide synthase following mGluRs stimulation and is essential for the glutamatergic modulation of synaptic efficacy and plasticity at the NMJ.

Dystrophic skeletal muscle fibers display alterations at the level of calcium microdomains

The spatiotemporal properties of the Ca(2+)-release process in skeletal muscle fibers from normal and mdx fibers were determined using the confocal-spot detection technique. The Ca(2+) indicator OGB-5N was used to record action potential-evoked fluorescence signals at consecutive locations separated by 200 nm along multiple sarcomeres of FDB fibers loaded with 10- and 30-mM EGTA. Three-dimensional reconstructions of fluorescence transients demonstrated the existence of microdomains of increased fluorescence around the Ca(2+)-release sites in both mouse strains. The Ca(2+) microdomains in mdx fibers were regularly spaced along the fiber axis, displaying a distribution similar to that seen in normal fibers. Nevertheless, both preparations differed in that in 10-mM EGTA Ca(2+) microdomains had smaller amplitudes and were wider in mdx fibers than in controls. In addition, Ca(2+)-dependent fluorescence transients recorded at selected locations within the sarcomere of mdx muscle fibers were not only smaller, but also slower than their counterparts in normal fibers. Notably, differences in the spatial features of the Ca(2+) microdomains recorded in mdx and normal fibers, but not in the amplitude and kinetics of the Ca(2+) transients, were eliminated in 30-mM EGTA. Our results consistently demonstrate that Ca(2+)-release flux calculated from release sites in mdx fibers is uniformly impaired with respect to those normal fibers. The Ca(2+)-release reduction is consistent with that previously measured using global detection techniques.

Simulation of Ca2+ movements within the sarcomere of fast-twitch mouse fibers stimulated by action potentials

Ca²⁺ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal muscle takes place at the triadic junctions; following release, Ca²⁺ spreads within the sarcomere by diffusion. Here, we report multicompartment simulations of changes in sarcomeric Ca²⁺ evoked by action potentials (APs) in fast-twitch fibers of adult mice. The simulations include Ca²⁺ complexation reactions with ATP, troponin, parvalbumin, and the SR Ca²⁺ pump, as well as Ca²⁺ transport by the pump. Results are compared with spatially averaged Ca²⁺ transients measured in mouse fibers with furaptra, a low-affinity, rapidly responding Ca²⁺ indicator. The furaptra Δf_CaD signal (change in the fraction of the indicator in the Ca²⁺-bound form) evoked by one AP is well simulated under the assumption that SR Ca²⁺ release has a peak of 200–225 μM/ms and a FDHM of ∼1.6 ms (16°C). Δf_CaD elicited by a five-shock, 67-Hz train of APs is well simulated under the assumption that in response to APs 2–5, Ca²⁺ release decreases progressively from 0.25 to 0.15 times that elicited by the first AP, a reduction likely due to Ca²⁺ inactivation of Ca²⁺ release. Recovery from inactivation was studied with a two-AP protocol; the amplitude of the second release recovered to >0.9 times that of the first with a rate constant of 7 s⁻¹. An obvious feature of Δf_CaD during a five-shock train is a progressive decline in the rate of decay from the individual peaks of Δf_CaD. According to the simulations, this decline is due to a reduction in available Ca²⁺ binding sites on troponin and parvalbumin. The effects of sarcomere length, the location of the triadic junctions, resting [Ca²⁺], the parvalbumin concentration, and possible uptake of Ca²⁺ by mitochondria were also investigated. Overall, the simulations indicate that this reaction-diffusion model, which was originally developed for Ca²⁺ sparks in frog fibers, works well when adapted to mouse fast-twitch fibers stimulated by APs.