Probing excitation-contraction coupling in trachealis smooth muscle with the mycotoxin cyclopiazonic acid

The NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium is also a potent inhibitor of cholinesterases and the internal Ca(2+) pump

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) is often used as an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, but is increasingly being found to have unrelated side effects. We investigated its effects on smooth muscle contractions and the related mechanisms.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

We studied isometric contractions in smooth muscle strips from bovine trachea. Cholinesterase activity was measured using a spectrophotometric assay; internal Ca(2+) pump activity was assessed by Ca(2+) uptake into smooth muscle microsomes.

KEY RESULTS

Contractions to acetylcholine were markedly enhanced by DPI (10(-4) M), whereas those to carbachol (CCh) were not, suggesting a possible inhibition of cholinesterase. DPI markedly suppressed contractions evoked by CCh, KCl and 5-HT, and also unmasked phasic activity in otherwise sustained responses. Direct biochemical assays confirmed that DPI was a potent inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase (IC(50) approximately 8 x 10(-6) M and 6 x 10(-7) M, respectively), following a readily reversible, mixed non-competitive type of inhibition. The inhibitory effects of DPI on CCh contractions were not mimicked by another NADPH oxidase inhibitor (apocynin), nor the Src inhibitors PP1 or PP2, ruling out an action through the NADPH oxidase signalling pathway. Several features of the DPI-mediated suppression of agonist-evoked responses (i.e. suppression of peak magnitudes and unmasking of phasic activity) are similar to those of cyclopiazonic acid, an inhibitor of the internal Ca(2+) pump. Direct measurement of microsomal Ca(2+) uptake revealed that DPI modestly inhibits the internal Ca(2+) pump.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

DPI inhibits cholinesterase activity and the internal Ca(2+) pump in tracheal smooth muscle.

Isoprostane-induced airway hyperresponsiveness is dependent on internal Ca2+ handling and Rho/ROCK signaling

We previously reported the ability of isoprostanes to induce airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). In this study, we examined the signaling mechanisms underlying that phenomenon with the standard muscle bath technique. Responses to a threshold concentration of carbachol (CCh, 3 x 10(-9) M) were significantly augmented by pretreatment for 20 min with 8-isoprostaglandin E(2) (15-E(2t)-IsoP, 10(-6) M): this AHR was obliterated in tissues pretreated with the selective Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632 added 20 min before isoprostane, but not by cyclopiazonic acid (CPA). Increasing the CCh concentration to 3 x 10(-8) M (still considerably less than the half-maximally effective concentration of CCh) evoked larger contractions that were also augmented significantly by 15-E(2t)-IsoP: this AHR was completely abolished in tissues pretreated with CPA as well as those pretreated with Y-27632. We noted, however, that Y-27632 and CPA profoundly effect baseline tone and the cholinergic response per se, which confounds the interpretation of the data summarized above. We therefore modified the protocol by using combinations of CCh and blocker (CPA, Y-27632, or nifedipine) that were equieffective. In this way, we found that AHR could not be demonstrated under conditions in which Rho/ROCK signaling or Ca(2+) release was abolished (by Y-27632 and CPA, respectively). Likewise, other autacoids that act through G protein-coupled receptors via Rho/ROCK and Ca(2+) release (serotonin, histamine) mimicked this effect of isoprostane, whereas bradykinin did not. We conclude that isoprostane-induced AHR is mediated in part through an action on Rho/ROCK signaling. This novel finding may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying AHR and asthma.

Transient receptor potential and other ion channels as pharmaceutical targets in airway smooth muscle cells

Regardless of the triggering stimulus in asthma, contraction of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) is considered to be an important pathway leading to the manifestation of asthmatic symptoms. Therefore, the various ion channels that modulate ASM contraction and relaxation are particularly attractive targets for therapy. Although voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCC) are the most extensively characterised Ca(2+)-permeable channels in ASM cells and are obvious pharmacological targets, blockers of VOCC have not been successful in alleviating ASM contraction in asthma. Similarly, although the Cl- and K+ channels also modulate ASM contraction and relaxation by regulating plasma membrane potential, pharmacological interventions directed against these channels have failed to abrogate ASM contraction in asthma. A large body of evidence suggests that store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCC) and Ca(2+)-permeable second messenger-activated non-selective cation channels (NSCC) predominantly mediate ASM contraction. However, development of pharmacological interventions involving these channels has been hampered by the paucity of information regarding their molecular identity. Members of the mammalian transient receptor potential (TRP) protein family, which form voltage-independent channels with variable Ca2+ selectivity that are activated by store depletion and/or by intracellular messengers, are potential molecular candidates for SOCC and NSCC in ASM cells. While the function of TRP channels in ASM cells remains to be elucidated and there are, at present, essentially no good TRP channel antagonists, this group of proteins is a potentially valuable pharmaceutical target for the treatment of asthma.

Enhanced Myosin Phosphatase and Ca2+-Uptake Mediate Adrenergic Relaxation of Airway Smooth Muscle

We examined the mechanisms underlying relaxations evoked by isoproterenol (Iso) in isolated porcine, bovine, or human tracheal and bronchial tissues (TSM and BSM, respectively). Iso had little effect against contractions evoked by high KCl, indicating that it does not directly suppress voltage-dependent Ca(2+)-influx nor directly inhibit myosin light chain kinase. Furthermore, Iso was equally potent against carbachol (CCh) contractions in the presence versus absence of nifedipine (10(-6) M), establishing that the primary action of Iso is not through membrane hyperpolarization. However, Iso relaxations in porcine/bovine BSM were significantly suppressed by inhibitors of the internal Ca(2+) pump (cyclopiazonic acid; 10(-5) M) or of myosin light chain phosphatase (calyculin; 10(-6) M). Myosin light chain phosphatase activity was assayed directly (using (32)P-labeled myosin) and found to be enhanced in a time- and concentration-dependent fashion by Iso. Iso relaxations in human airway tissues, on the other hand, were not significantly affected by either calyculin or cyclopiazonic acid. Thus, we conclude that Iso acts largely in a voltage-independent fashion: in nonhuman airways, this involves enhanced Ca(2+) pump activity (to decrease [Ca(2+)](i)) and myosin light chain phosphatase activation (to decrease Ca(2+)-sensitivity of the contractile apparatus), whereas in human airways the underlying mechanisms are still unclear.

Ionic mechanisms and Ca(2+) regulation in airway smooth muscle contraction: do the data contradict dogma?

In general, excitation-contraction coupling in muscle is dependent on membrane depolarization and hyperpolarization to regulate the opening of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels and, thereby, influence intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). Thus Ca(2+) channel blockers and K(+) channel openers are important tools in the arsenals against hypertension, stroke, and myocardial infarction, etc. Airway smooth muscle (ASM) also exhibits robust Ca(2+), K(+), and Cl(-) currents, and there are elaborate signaling pathways that regulate them. It is easy, then, to presume that these also play a central role in contraction/relaxation of ASM. However, several lines of evidence speak to the contrary. Also, too many researchers in the ASM field view the sarcoplasmic reticulum as being centrally located and displacing its contents uniformly throughout the cell, and they have focused almost exclusively on the initial single [Ca(2+)] spike evoked by excitatory agonists. Several recent studies have revealed complex spatial and temporal heterogeneity in [Ca(2+)](i), the significance of which is only just beginning to be appreciated. In this review, we will compare what is known about ion channels in ASM with what is believed to be their roles in ASM physiology. Also, we will examine some novel ionic mechanisms in the context of Ca(2+) handling and excitation-contraction coupling in ASM.

Mechanosensitive modulation of receptor-mediated crossbridge activation and cytoskeletal organization in airway smooth muscle

Recent findings indicate that mechanical strain (deformation) exerted by the extracellular matrix modulates activation of airway smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, cytoskeletal organization in airway smooth muscle appears to be dynamic, and subject to modulation by receptor activation and mechanical strain. Mechanosensitive modulation of crossbridge activation and cytoskeletal organization may represent intracellular feedback mechanisms that limit the shortening of airway smooth muscle during bronchoconstriction. Recent findings suggest that receptor-mediated signal transduction is the primary target of mechanosensitive modulation. Mechanical strain appears to regulate the number of functional G-proteins and/or phospholipase C enzymes in the cell membrane possibly by membrane trafficking and/or protein translocation. Dense plaques, membrane structures analogous to focal adhesions, appear to be the primary target of cytoskeletal regulation. Mechanical strain and receptor-binding appear to regulate the assembly and phosphorylation of dense plaque proteins in airway smooth muscle cells. Understanding these mechanisms may reveal new pharmacological targets for controlling airway resistance in airway diseases.

Mechanical signals and mechanosensitive modulation of intracellular [Ca(2+)] in smooth muscle

We tested the hypothesis that strain is the primary mechanical signal in the mechanosensitive modulation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in airway smooth muscle. We found that [Ca(2+)](i) was significantly correlated with muscle length during isotonic shortening against 20% isometric force (F(iso)). When the isotonic load was changed to 50% F(iso), data points from the 20 and 50% F(iso) experiments overlapped in the length-[Ca(2+)](i) relationship. Similarly, data points from the 80% F(iso) experiments clustered near those from the 50% F(iso) experiments. Therefore, despite 2.5- and 4-fold differences in external load, [Ca(2+)](i) did not deviate much from the length-[Ca(2+)](i) relation that fitted the 20% F(iso) data. Maximal inhibition of sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) Ca(2+) uptake by 10 microM cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) did not significantly change [Ca(2+)](i) in carbachol-induced isometric contractions and isotonic shortening. CPA also did not significantly change myosin light-chain phosphorylation or force redevelopment when carbachol-activated muscle strips were quickly released from optimal length (L(o)) to 0.5 L(o). These results are consistent with the hypothesis and suggest that SR Ca(2+) uptake is not the underlying mechanism.

Control of the mode of excitation-contraction coupling by Ca(2+) stores in bovine trachealis muscle

Full muscarinic stimulation in bovine tracheal smooth muscle caused a sustained contraction and increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) that was largely resistant to inhibition by nifedipine. Depletion of internal Ca(2+) stores with cyclopiazonic acid resulted in an increased efficacy of nifedipine to inhibit this contraction and the associated increase in [Ca(2+)](i). Thus internal Ca(2+) store depletion promoted electromechanical coupling between full muscarinic stimulation and muscle contraction to the detriment of pharmacomechanical coupling. A similar change in coupling mode was induced by ryanodine even when it did not significantly modify the initial transient increase in [Ca(2+)](i) induced by this stimulation, indicating that depletion of internal stores was not necessary to induce the change in excitation-contraction coupling mode. Blockade of the Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel by tetraethylammonium, charybdotoxin, and iberiotoxin all induced the change in excitation-contraction coupling mode. These results suggest that in this preparation, Ca(2+) released from the ryanodine-sensitive Ca(2+) store, by activating Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels, plays a central role in determining the expression of the pharmacomechanical coupling mode between muscarinic excitation and the Ca(2+) influx necessary for the maintenance of tone.