Mitochondria in heart ischaemia and aging

We have examined the effect of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) upon mitochondrial Ca2+ content and dehydrogenase activation in the rat heart. Diets were either a conventional low-fat chow (Ref) or were rich in n-3 PUFAs from fish oils (n-3) or n-6 PUFAs from animal fat (n-6). We found that the n-3 diet minimized the rise in mitochondrial Ca2+ seen in response to positive inotropic intervention with noradrenaline, and also minimized the activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase, which is Ca2+ dependent. As the work output of all three groups of hearts was the same, this observation may explain the previous finding of increased thermodynamic efficiency of the n-3 heart relative to the n-6 heart. When hearts were subjected to low-flow ischaemia (15 min), followed by 5 min of reperfusion, increases of mitochondrial Ca2+ were less in the n-3 group than in the n-6 group. In more prolonged ischaemia and reperfusion, n-3 feeding may confer protection against mitochondrial Ca2+ overload, opening of the permeability transition pore and cell death. Notably, the effects of n-3 feeding on mitochondrial functioning were most apparent in hearts from senescent rats (23 months). This is consistent with our finding that the decrease in mitochondrial membrane cardiolipin content, and increase in phosphatidylcholine, which occurred with aging in the Ref and n-6 groups, was totally prevented by n-3 feeding. Thus there are a number of reasons to regard an n-3-rich diet as being protective of the heart in aging mammals.

Age-associated increase in 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine glycosylase/AP lyase activity in rat mitochondria

The mitochondrial theory of aging postulates that organisms age due to the accumulation of DNA damage and mutations in the multiple mitochondrial genomes, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Among the wide variety of DNA damage, 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) has received the most attention due to its mutagenicity and because of the possible correlation between its accumulation and pathological processes like cancer, degenerative diseases and aging. Although still controversial, many studies show that 8-oxo-dG accumulates with age in the mitochondrial (mt) DNA. However, little is known about the processing of this lesion and no study has yet examined whether mtDNA repair changes with age. Here, we report the first study on age-related changes in mtDNA repair, accomplished by assessing the cleavage activity of mitochondrial extracts towards an 8-oxo-dG-containing substrate. In this study, mitochondria obtained from rat heart and liver were used. We find that this enzymatic activity is higher in 12 and 23 month-old rats than in 6 month-old rats, in both liver and heart extracts. These mitochondrial extracts also cleave oligonucleotides containing a U:A mismatch, at the uracil position, reflecting the combined action of mitochondrial uracil DNA glycosylase (mtUDG) and mitochondrial apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases. The mtUDG activity did not change with age in liver mitochondria, but there was a small increase in activity from 6 to 23 months in rat heart extracts, after normalization to citrate synthase activity. Endonuclease G activity, measured by a plasmid relaxation assay, did not show any age-associated change in liver, but there was a significant decrease from 6 to 23 months in heart mitochondria. Our results suggest that the mitochondrial capacity to repair 8-oxo-dG, the main oxidative base damage suggested to accumulate with age in mtDNA, does not decrease, but rather increases with age. The specific increase in 8-oxo-dG endonuclease activity, rather than a general up-regulation of DNA repair in mitochondria, suggests an induction of the 8-oxo-dG-specific repair pathway with age.

Effect of long-term caloric restriction and exercise on muscle bioenergetics and force development in rats

We evaluated the hypothesis that long-term caloric restriction and exercise would have beneficial effects on muscle bioenergetics and performance in the rat. By themselves, each of these interventions is known to increase longevity, and bioenergetic improvements are thought to be important in this phenomenon. Accordingly, we investigated rats that underwent long-term caloric restriction and were sedentary, ad libitum-fed rats permitted to exercise by daily spontaneous wheel running (AE), and the combination of the dietary and exercise interventions (RE). Ad libitum-fed, sedentary rats comprised the control group. 31P NMR spectra of the gastrocnemius muscle (GM) were collected in vivo at rest and during two periods of electrical stimulation. Neither caloric restriction nor exercise affected the ratio of phosphocreatine to ATP or pH at rest. During the first stimulation and after recovery, the RE group had a significantly smaller decline in pH than did the other groups (P < 0.05). During the second period of stimulation, the decrease in pH was much smaller in all groups than during the first stimulation, with no differences observed among the groups. The combination of caloric restriction and exercise resulted in a significant attenuation in the decline in developed force during the second period of stimulation (P < 0.05). A biochemical correlate of this was a significantly higher concentration of citrate synthase in the GM samples from the RE rats (32.7 +/- 5.4 micromol. min-1. g-1) compared with the AE rats (17.6 +/- 5.7 micromol. min-1. g-1; P < 0.05). Our experiments thus demonstrated a synergistic effect of long-term caloric restriction and free exercise on muscle bioenergetics during electrical stimulation.

PUFA and aging modulate cardiac mitochondrial membrane lipid composition and Ca2+ activation of PDH

Aberrations in cell Ca2+ homeostasis have been known to parallel both changes in membrane lipid composition and aging. Previous work has shown that the lowered efficiency of work performance, which occurs in isolated hearts from rats fed a diet rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), relative to those fed n-3 PUFA, could be raised by mitochondrial (Mito) Ca2+ transport inhibition. We tested whether, after Ca2+-dependent stress, the Ca2+-dependent activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHA/PDHTotal) and Mito Ca2+ cycling could be manipulated by varying the ratio of n-3 to n-6 PUFA in Mito membranes in young (6 mo) and aged (24 mo) isolated rat hearts treated to n-3 or n-6 PUFA-rich diet. Inotropic stimulation by 1 microM norepinephrine (NE) of 24-mo n-6 PUFA-rich hearts elevated total Mito Ca2+ content 38% more than in 6-mo hearts (P < 0. 05). However, both the NE-induced rise in Mito Ca2+ and the difference in response between 6- and 24-mo hearts were partially abolished by n-3 PUFA treatment. NE increased the fractional activation of PDH by 44% above control levels in the 6-mo group compared with 49% in the 24-mo group after n-6 PUFA diet. However, NE stimulation of PDHA was attenuated by n-3 PUFA diet, attaining values only 29 and 23% above control levels in 6- and 24-mo mitochondria, respectively (P < 0.05). Global ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) in n-6 PUFA hearts gave rise to higher levels of total Mito Ca2+ concentration (P < 0.0001) and PDHA (P < 0.0001) compared with n-3 PUFA. Ruthenium red (3.4 microM) abolished the effects of I/R in all groups. With aging, heart Mito membrane phosphatidylcholine was increased after n-6 PUFA-rich diet (by approximately 15%, P < 0.05), whereas cardiolipin and n-3 PUFA content were diminished by 31% (P < 0.05) and 73% (P < 0.05), respectively. These effects were prevented by n-3 PUFA-rich diet. The present study, by directly manipulating the cardiac Mito membrane n-3-to-n-6 PUFA ratio, shows that the activation of Ca2+-dependent PDH can be augmented when the n-3-to-n-6 PUFA ratio is low (n-6 PUFA-rich diet; 24-mo hearts) or attenuated when this ratio is relatively high (n-3 PUFA-rich diet). We propose that one of the consequences of dietary-induced manipulation of membrane phospholipids and PUFAs may be the altered flux of Ca2+ across the Mito membrane and thus altered intramitochondrial Ca2+-dependent processes.

Age-associated change in mitochondrial DNA damage

There is an age-associated decline in the mitochondrial function of the Wistar rat heart. Previous reports from this lab have shown a decrease in mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity associated with a reduction in COX gene and protein expression and a similar decrease in the rate of mitochondrial protein synthesis. Damage to mitochondrial DNA may contribute to this decline. Using the HPLC-Coularray system (ESA, USA), we measured levels of nuclear and mitochondrial 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) from 6-month (young) and 23-month-old (senescent) rat liver DNA. We measured the sensitivity of the technique by damaging calf thymus DNA with photoactivated methylene blue for 30s up to 2h. The levels of damage were linear over the entire time course including the shorter times which showed levels comparable to those expected in liver. For the liver data, 8-oxodG was reported as a fraction of 2-deoxyguanosine (2-dG). There was no change in the levels of 8-oxodG levels in the nuclear DNA from 6 to 23-months of age. However, the levels of 8-oxodG increased 2.5-fold in the mitochondrial DNA with age. At 6 months, the level of 8-oxodG in mtDNA was 5-fold higher than nuclear and increased to approximately 12-fold higher by 23 months of age. These findings agree with other reports showing an age-associated increase in levels of mtDNA damage; however, the degree to which it increases is smaller. Such damage to the mitochondrial DNA may contribute to the age-associated decline in mitochondrial function.

Mitochondrial calcium transporting pathways during hypoxia and reoxygenation in single rat cardiomyocytes

OBJECTIVE

Mitochondrial [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]m) rises in parallel with cytosolic [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]c) following ATP-depletion rigor contracture induced by hypoxia in isolated cardiomyocytes. We investigated the pathways involved in the hypoxia induced changes in [Ca2+]m by using known inhibitors of mitochondrial Ca2+ transport, namely ruthenium red, an inhibitor of the Ca2+ uniporter (the normal influx route) and clonazepam, an inhibitor of Na+/Ca2+ exchange, (the normal efflux route).

METHODS

[Ca2+]m was determined from indo-1/am loaded rat myocytes where the cytosolic fluorescence signal had been quenched by superfusion with Mn2+. [Ca2+]c was measured by loading myocytes with indo-1 pentapotassium salt during the isolation procedure. Cells were placed in a specially developed chamber for induction of hypoxia and reoxygenated 40 min after rigor development.

RESULTS

50% of control cells hypercontracted upon reoxygenation; this correlated with a [Ca2+]m or [Ca2+]c higher than approximately 350 nM at the end of rigor. Clonazepam completely abolished the rigor-induced rise in [Ca2+]m but not [Ca2+]c. On reoxygenation [Ca2+]m increased over the first 5 min and remained elevated whereas [Ca2+]c fell. In the presence of ruthenium red a dramatic increase in [Ca2+]m occurred 5-10 min after rigor development (the indo-1 fluorescence signal was saturated); [Ca2+]c also increased but to a lesser extent. On reoxygenation, [Ca2+]m fell rapidly even though cells hypercontracted and [Ca2+]c remained elevated.

CONCLUSIONS

During hypoxia following rigor development Ca2+ uptake into mitochondria occurs largely via the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger rather than the Ca2+ uniporter whereas on reoxygenation the transporters resume their normal directionality.

Interactions between bioenergetics and mitochondrial biogenesis

We studied the interaction between energy metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis during myogenesis in C2C12 myoblasts. Metabolic rate was nearly constant throughout differentiation, although there was a shift in the relative importance of glycolytic and oxidative metabolism, accompanied by increases in pyruvate dehydrogenase activation state and total activity. These changes in mitochondrial bioenergetic parameters observed during differentiation occurred in the absence of a hypermetabolic stress. A chronic (3 day) energetic stress was imposed on differentiated myotubes using sodium azide to inhibit oxidative metabolism. When used at low concentrations, azide inhibited more than 70% of cytochrome oxidase (COX) activity without changes in bioenergetics (either lactate production or creatine phosphorylation) or mRNA for mitochondrial enzymes. Higher azide concentrations resulted in changes in bioenergetic parameters and increases in steady state COX II mRNA levels. Azide did not affect mtDNA copy number or mRNA levels for other mitochondrial transcripts, suggesting azide affects stability, rather than synthesis, of COX II mRNA. These results indicate that changes in bioenergetics can alter mitochondrial genetic regulation, but that mitochondrial biogenesis accompanying differentiation occurs in the absence of hypermetabolic challenge.

Role of mitochondrial calcium transport in the control of substrate oxidation

This paper reviews the model of the control of mitochondrial substrate oxidation by Ca2+ ions. The mechanism is the activation by Ca2+ of four mitochondrial dehydrogenases, viz. glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (PDH), NAD-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD-IDH) and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH). This results in the increase, or near-maintenance, of mitochondrial NADH/NAD ratios in the activated state, depending upon the tissue and the degree of 'downstream' activation by Ca2+, likely at the level of the F1Fo ATPase. Higher values of the redox span of the respiratory chain allow for greatly increased fluxes through oxidative phosphorylation with a minimal drop in protonmotive force and phosphorylation potential. As PDH, NAD-IDH and OGDH are all located within the inner mitochondrial membrane, it is changes in matrix free Ca2+ [Ca2+]m which act as a signal to these activities. In this article, we review recent work in which [Ca2+]m is measured in cells and tissues, using different techniques, with special emphasis on the question of the degree of damping of [Ca2+]m relative to changes in cytosol free Ca2+ in cells with rapid transients in cytosol Ca2+, e.g. cardiac myocytes. Further, we put forward the point of view that the failure of mitochondrial energy transduction to keep pace with cellular energy needs in some forms of heart failure may involve a failure of [Ca2+]m to be raised adequately to allow the activation of the dehydrogenases. We present new data to show that this is so in cardiac myocytes isolated from animals suffering from chronic, streptozocin-induced diabetes. This raises the possibility of therapy based upon partial inhibition of mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux pathways, thereby raising [Ca2+]m at a given, time-average value of cytosol free Ca+2.

Age-associated changes in mitochondrial mRNA expression and translation in the Wistar rat heart

The purpose of this research is to determine possible causes and mechanisms involved in the age-associated decline in mitochondrial activity. We have focused on cytochrome c oxidase because it is comprised of both nuclear and mitochondrial-encoded subunits and may provide some insight into the coordination of the two genomes. In agreement with previous reports, we show an approximate 30% decrease in cardiac cytochrome c oxidase activity at 24 months compared to 6 months with no change in the activity of the nuclear encoded citrate synthase of the mitochondrial matrix. The rate of the mitochondrial protein synthesis as shown by [35S]methionine incorporation decreased approximately 35% in the 24-month-old rat compared to the 6-month-old rat. The decrease in protein synthesis was associated with a 30-50% reduction in the levels of most individually radiolabeled translation products including the COX subunits and specifically, a 23% decrease in COX1 protein steady-state levels according to Western analysis. Similarly, there was a decrease in the mRNA steady-state levels of both nuclear and mitochondrial-encoded subunits of cytochrome c oxidase. These results suggest that a number of different mechanisms are involved in the age-associated decrease in heart mitochondrial activity and these are discussed.

An oxidative damage-specific endonuclease from rat liver mitochondria

Reactive oxygen species have been shown to generate mutagenic lesions in DNA. One of the most abundant lesions in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA is 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). We report here the partial purification and characterization of a mitochondrial oxidative damage endonuclease (mtODE) from rat liver that recognizes and incises at 8-oxoG and abasic sites in duplex DNA. Rat liver mitochondria were purified by differential and Percoll gradient centrifugation, and mtODE was extracted from Triton X-100-solubilized mitochondria. Incision activity was measured using a radiolabeled double-stranded DNA oligonucleotide containing a unique 8-oxoG, and reaction products were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Gel filtration chromatography predicts mtODE's molecular mass to be between 25 and 30 kDa. mtODE has a monovalent cation optimum between 50 and 100 mM KCl and a pH optimum between 7.5 and 8. mtODE does not require any co-factors and is active in the presence of 5 mM EDTA. It is specific for 8-oxoG and preferentially incises at 8-oxoG:C base pairs. mtODE is a putative 8-oxoG glycosylase/lyase enzyme, because it can be covalently linked to the 8-oxoG oligonucleotide by sodium borohydride reduction. Comparison of mtODE's activity with other known 8-oxoG glycosylases/lyases and mitochondrial enzymes reveals that this may be a novel protein.

Mitochondrial biogenesis during cellular differentiation

Mitochondrial biogenesis was studied during differentiation of two immortalized cell lines (C2C12, 3T3) with enzyme measurements, Northern blots, and quantitative ultrastructure. Citrate synthase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (nuclear encoded, mitochondrial matrix location) showed linear, four- to sixfold increases in enzymatic activity in C2C12 cells but increased exponentially in 3T3 cells. Cytochrome oxidase and NADH dehydrogenase (nuclear and mitochondrial encoded, cristae location) increased to a lesser extent and with a pattern dissimilar to the first group. Northern blots and activity of succinate dehydrogenase (cristae location but entirely nuclear encoded) suggested the groupings were based on location of the genes rather than the mature enzyme. However, quantitative electron microscopy and comparisons with adult tissue suggested that mitochondrial ultrastructure can influence the change in cristae enzymes. Cristae surface area per unit mitochondrial volume and per unit cell volume increased much less than did cristae enzymes. Available space on the inner membrane may become limiting and account for some aspects of the pattern of change in electron transport enzymes during differentiation.

Dependence of H2O2 formation by rat heart mitochondria on substrate availability and donor age

We have examined the substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivity of H2O2 formation by rat heart mitochondria. Active H2O2 production requires both a high fractional reduction of Complex I (indexed by NADH/NAD+ + NADH ratio) and a high membrane potential, delta psi. These conditions are achieved with supraphysiological concentrations of succinate. With physiological concentrations of NAD-linked substrates, rates of H2O2 formation are much lower (less than 0.1% of respiratory chain electron flux) but may be stimulated by the Complex III inhibitor antimycin A, but not by myxothiazol. Addition of Mn2+ to give 10 nmol/mg of mitochondrial protein enhances H2O2 production with all substrate combinations, possibly by repleting mitochondrial superoxide dismutase with this cation. Contrary to previously published work, no increased activity of H2O2 production was found with heart mitochondria from senescent (24 month) rats, relative to young adults (6 month).

Regulation of pancreatic beta-cell mitochondrial metabolism: influence of Ca2+, substrate and ADP

To gain insight into the regulation of pancreatic beta-cell mitochondrial metabolism, the direct effects on respiration of different mitochondrial substrates, variations in the ATP/ADP ratio and free Ca2+ were examined using isolated mitochondria and permeabilized clonal pancreatic beta-cells (HIT). Respiration from pyruvate was high and not influenced by Ca2+ in State 3 or under various redox states and fixed values of the ATP/ADP ratio; nevertheless, high Ca2+ elevated pyridine nucleotide fluorescence, indicating activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase by Ca2+. Furthermore, in the presence of pyruvate, elevated Ca2+ stimulated CO2 production from pyruvate, increased citrate production and efflux from the mitochondria and inhibited CO2 production from palmitate. The latter observation suggests that beta-cell fatty acid oxidation is not regulated exclusively by malonyl-CoA but also by the mitochondrial redox state. alpha-Glycerophosphate (alpha-GP) oxidation was Ca(2+)-dependent with a half-maximal rate observed at around 300 nM Ca2+. We have recently demonstrated that increases in respiration precede increases in Ca2+ in glucose-stimulated clonal pancreatic beta-cells (HIT), indicating that Ca2+ is not responsible for the initial stimulation of respiration [Civelek, Deeney, Kubik, Schultz, Tornheim and Corkey (1996) Biochem. J. 315, 1015-1019]. It is suggested that respiration is stimulated by increased substrate (alpha-GP and pyruvate) supply together with oscillatory increases in ADP [Nilsson, Schultz, Berggren, Corkey and Tornheim (1996) Biochem. J. 314, 91-94]. The rise in Ca2+, which in itself may not significantly increase net respiration, could have the important functions of (1) activating the alpha-GP shuttle, to maintain an oxidized cytosol and high glycolytic flux; (2) activating pyruvate dehydrogenase, and indirectly pyruvate carboxylase, to sustain production of citrate and hence the putative signal coupling factors, malonyl-CoA and acyl-CoA; and (3) increasing mitochondrial redox state to implement the switch from fatty acid to pyruvate oxidation.

Mitochondrial electron transport chain activities and DNA deletions in regions of the rat brain

Deletions in human mitochondrial DNA cause various mitochondrial myopathies and increase markedly with age in highly oxidative tissues, but exhibit a differential distribution in the brain. In order to determine whether a similar pattern occurs in rat brain the levels of a 4.8 kb deletion and electron transport complex activities were measured in the striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex of young adult and senescent male Wistar rats. Deletion-containing mtDNA was present at relatively similar levels (0.0003%) in all regions in 6 mo rats, but increased 25-, 7-, 3-, and 2-fold in the striatum, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and cerebellum, respectively, of 22-23 mo old rats. To assess the relationship between fractional occurrence of a deletion and oxidative phosphorylation capacity, the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes I, III, IV and V, the mitochondrial ATP-ase, each of which contains subunits encoded in mtDNA, were determined in homogenates. No age-related decrements in activity were observed in any of the brain regions. Thus, while mtDNA deletions increase with age and to a large extent mirror the pattern observed in the human brain, they appear to have no effect on capacity for oxidative phosphorylation of distinct brain regions. Any reductions in capacity that may be present are likely to occur only at the level of individual cells.

Mitochondrial membrane potential in single living adult rat cardiac myocytes exposed to anoxia or metabolic inhibition

1. The relation between mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi m) and cell function was investigated in single adult rat cardiac myocytes during anoxia and reoxygenation. delta psi m was studied by loading myocytes with JC-1 (5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'- tetra-ethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide), a fluorescent probe characterized by two emission peaks (539 and 597 nm with excitation at 490 nm) corresponding to monomer and aggregate forms of the dye. 2. De-energizing conditions applied to mitochondria, cell suspensions or single cells decreased the aggregate emission and increased the monomer emission. This latter result cannot be explained by changes of JC-1 concentration in the aqueous mitochondrial matrix phase indicating that hydrophobic interaction of the probe with membranes has to be taken into account to explain JC-1 fluorescence properties in isolated mitochondria or intact cells. 3. A different sensitivity of the two JC-1 forms to delta psi m changes was shown in isolated mitochondria by the effects of ADP and FCCP and the calibration with K+ diffusion potentials. The monomer emission was responsive to values of delta psi m below 140 mV, which hardly modified the aggregate emission. Thus JC-1 represents a unique double sensor which can provide semi-quantitative information in both low and high potential ranges. 4. At the onset of glucose-free anoxia the epifluorescence of individual myocytes studied in the single excitation (490 nm)-double emission (530 and 590 nm) mode showed a gradual decline of the aggregate emission, which reached a plateau while electrically stimulated (0.2 Hz) contraction was still retained. The subsequent failure of contraction was followed by the rise of the emission at 530 nm, corresponding to the monomer form of the dye, concomitantly with the development of rigor contracture. 5. The onset of the rigor was preceded by the increase in intracellular Mg2+ concentration ([Mg2+]i) monitored by mag-indo-1 epifluorescence. Since under these experimental conditions intracellular [Ca2+] and pH are fairly stable, the increase in [Mg2+]i was likely to be produced by a decrease in ATP content. 6. The inhibition of mitochondrial ATPase induced by oligomycin during anoxia was associated with a rapid and simultaneous change of both the components of JC-1 fluorescence, suggesting that delta psi m, instead of producing ATP, is generated by glycolytic ATP during anoxia. 7. The readmission of oxygen induced a rapid decrease of the monomer emission and a slower increase of the aggregate emission. These fluorescence changes were not necessarily associated with the recovery of mechanical function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Physiological role of mitochondrial Ca2+ transport

A model has been proposed in which mitochondrial Ca2+ ion transport serves to regulate mitochondrial matrix free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]m), with the advantage to the animal that this allows the regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase and the tricarboxylate cycle in response to energy demand. This article examines recent evidence for dehydrogenase activation and for increases in [Ca2+]m in response to increased tissue energy demands, especially in cardiac myocytes and in heart. It critiques recent results on beat-to-beat variation in [Ca2+]m in cardiac muscle and also briefly surveys the impact of mitochondrial Ca2+ transport on transient changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ in excitable tissues. Finally, it proposes that a failure to elevate [Ca2+]m sufficiently in response to work load may underlie some cardiomyopathies of metabolic origin.

Volatile anesthetic effects on sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca content and sarcolemmal Ca flux in isolated rat cardiac cell suspensions

BACKGROUND

Cardiac cellular Ca metabolism is central to the control of the inotropic state of the heart and is altered in various ways by the volatile anesthetics halothane, enflurane and isoflurane. Specifically, differences among the agents regarding their effect on the uptake and release of Ca from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) have been found, but the nature of such differences is not yet certain. At the sarcolemma, the effects of the anesthetics on the peak Ca current generally are believed to be similar among the three agents, but their impact on other aspects of sarcolemmal Ca transport is less understood. The authors sought to measure the direct action of these agents on SR Ca content and, in the same preparation, to provide a measure of Ca transfer across the sarcolemma during sustained depolarizations.

METHODS

In stirred suspensions of quiescent rat cardiac cells, the effects were measured of halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane on changes in quin2Ca fluorescence produced by the addition of caffeine (10 mM) and by depolarization with increased extracellular K+. The peak of the fluorescence response to caffeine, which is due to a sudden release of Ca from the SR into the cytoplasm, was used as an index of SR Ca content. Analysis of the fluorescence increase that occurred after increasing extracellular K+ from 5 mM to 30 mM in the presence of caffeine provided a measure of net Ca influx across the sarcolemma during sustained depolarizations.

RESULTS

The Ca channel blocker nitrendipine maximally inhibited 77% of the initial net Ca influx during 30 mM K+ depolarization, indicating that most of this influx involves L-type Ca channels. Of the volatile anesthetics, isoflurane (2.6 vol% or 0.57 mM) and enflurane (4.3 vol% or 1.25 mM) inhibited initial net Ca influx during K depolarization significantly more than halothane (1.7 vol% or 0.50 mM), which had no apparent effect. Isoflurane caused no transient change in cytoplasmic Ca concentration and had no effect on the SR Ca content of these quiescent cells. Enflurane (4.3 vol%) caused a significant reduction in SR Ca content.

CONCLUSIONS

As previously reported, halothane depleted the SR of Ca in quiescent rat cardiac cells, and the present results indicate that enflurane had a similar effect. However, isoflurane did not produce any SR Ca depletion and thus must not significantly alter the balance between SR Ca efflux and uptake in these quiescent cells. The different effects of the three volatile anesthetics on a Ca influx largely carried by L-type Ca channels stand in contrast to the reported findings of similar inhibition of peak L-channel current among the three agents. This result may indicate a differential action (at least in the case of halothane) on peak and steady-state Ca currents.

Role of calcium in respiratory control

Ca2+ ions activate four mitochondrial enzymes (viz. glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase, NAD-isocitrate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase) that are involved in substrate dehydrogenation and production of NADH as a substrate for oxidative phosphorylation. As cytosol Ca2+, and presumably mitochondrial Ca2+, concentrations are raised during muscle contraction, this is thought to provide a mechanism whereby the activity of oxidative phosphorylation is raised in working muscle without the necessity of unacceptably large decreases in adenine nucleotide phosphorylation potential. These ideas are explored in this article, with particular reference to the activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase in cardiac and skeletal muscle preparations and its dependence upon both cytosolic and intramitochondrial Ca2+ ion concentrations.

Intramitochondrial free calcium in cardiac myocytes in relation to dehydrogenase activation

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to quantitate intramitochondrial free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]m) in cardiac myocytes under conditions of stimulation previously shown to cause activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase.

METHODS

[Ca2+]m was monitored in single, isolated rat cardiac myocytes using fluorescence microscopy following the loading of the cells with the fluorescent chelating agent indo-1, in its permeant acetoxymethylester form, and the selective quenching of cytosolic fluorescence with MnCl2. The extent of contraction upon electrical stimulation was also measured.

RESULTS

Electrical stimulation at 2 Hz and higher frequency raised [Ca2+]m significantly, and this was potentiated by exposure to isoprenaline. However, isoprenaline had no effect in quiescent cells, in which [Ca2+]m was raised above resting values by partial replacement of Na+ in the medium. The mitochondrial uncoupling agent carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) raised [Ca2+]m in unstimulated cells, but lowered it in cells subjected to electrical stimulation at 2 Hz or more, to partial Na+ replacement, or to the alkaloid veratridine.

CONCLUSIONS

The values of [Ca2+]m in quiescent myocytes (approximately 100 nmol.litre-1) would be associated with very little activation by Ca2+ of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase, based on determination of K0.5 value of 650 nmol.litre-1 in work with mitochondrial suspensions. By contrast, the values of [Ca2+]m associated with electrical stimulation at 2 Hz or greater in the presence of beta adrenergic activation (> 500 nmol.litre-1) would be associated with significant dehydrogenase activation. The effect of beta adrenergic activation is only seen in the presence of electrical stimulation and probably involves enhancement of systolic transients in cytosol [Ca2+]. Effects of uncoupling agents validate the conclusions on the direction and magnitude of the mitochondrial Ca2+ gradient in situ in living myocytes.

Modulation of calcium homeostasis in cultured rat aortic endothelial cells by intracellular acidification

Acidosis produces vasodilation in a process that may involve the vascular endothelium. Because synthesis and release of endothelium-derived vasodilatory substances are linked to an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i), we examined the effect of intracellular acidification on cultured rat aortic endothelial cells loaded either with the pH-sensitive probe carboxy-seminaphthorhodafluor-1 or the Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent probe indo 1. The basal cytosolic pH (pHi) of endothelial monolayers in a 5% CO2-HCO3- buffer was 7.27 +/- 0.02 and that in a bicarbonate-free solution was 7.22 +/- 0.03. Acidification was induced either by removal of NH4Cl (delta pHi = -0.10 +/- 0.02), changing from a bicarbonate-free to a 5% CO2-HCO3(-)-buffered solution at constant buffer pH (delta pHi = -0.18 +/- 0.03), or changing from a 5% to a 20% CO2-HCO3- solution (delta pHi = -0.27 +/- 0.07). Regardless of the method used, intracellular acidification increased [Ca2+]i as indexed by indo 1 fluorescence. The increase in [Ca2+]i induced by changing from a 5 to a 20% CO2-HCO3- solution was not significantly altered by removal of buffer Ca2+ either before or after depletion of bradykinin- and thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. Thus intracellular acidification of vascular endothelial cells releases Ca2+ into the cytosol either from pH-sensitive intracellular buffer sites, mitochondria, or from bradykinin- and thapsigargin-insensitive intracellular stores. This Ca2+ mobilization may be linked to endothelial synthesis and release of vasodilatory substances during acidosis.

Effects of acidosis on resting cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca2+ in mammalian myocardium

Acidosis increases resting cytosolic [Ca2+], (Cai) of myocardial preparations; however, neither the Ca2+ sources for the increase in Cai nor the effect of acidosis on mitochondrial free [Ca2+], (Cam) have been characterized. In this study cytosolic pH (pHi) was monitored in adult rat left ventricular myocytes loaded with the acetoxymethyl ester (AM form) of SNARF-1. A stable decrease in the pHi of 0.52 +/- 0.05 U (n = 16) was obtained by switching from a bicarbonate buffer equilibrated with 5% CO2 to a buffer equilibrated with 20% CO2. Electrical stimulation at either 0.5 or 1.5 Hz had no effect on pHi in 5% CO2, nor did it affect the magnitude of pHi decrease in response to hypercarbic acidosis. Cai was measured in myocytes loaded with indo-1/free acid and Cam was monitored in cells loaded with indo-1/AM after quenching cytosolic indo-1 fluorescence with MnCl2. In quiescent intact myocytes bathed in 1.5 mM [Ca2+], hypercarbia increased Cai from 130 +/- 5 to 221 +/- 13 nM. However, when acidosis was effected in electrically stimulated myocytes, diastolic Cai increased more than resting Cai in quiescent myocytes, and during pacing at 1.5 Hz diastolic Cai was higher (285 +/- 17 nM) than at 0.5 Hz (245 +/- 18 nM; P < 0.05). The magnitude of Cai increase in quiescent myocytes was not affected either by sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ depletion with ryanodine or by SR Ca2+ depletion and concomitant superfusion with a Ca(2+)-free buffer. In unstimulated intact myocytes hypercarbia increased Cam from 95 +/- 12 to 147 +/- 19 nM and this response was not modified either by ryanodine and a Ca(2+)-free buffer or by 50 microM ruthenium red in order to block the mitochondrial uniporter. In mitochondrial suspensions loaded either with BCECF/AM or indo-1/AM, acidosis produced by lactic acid addition decreased both intra- and extramitochondrial pH and increased Cam. Studies of mitochondrial suspensions bathed in indo-1/free acid-containing solution showed an increase in extramitochondrial Ca2+ after the addition of lactic acid. Thus, in quiescent myocytes, cytoplasmic and intramitochondrial buffers, rather than transsarcolemmal Ca2+ influx or SR Ca2+ release, are the likely Ca2+ sources for the increase in Cai and Cam, respectively; additionally, Ca2+ efflux from the mitochondria may contribute to the raise in Cai. In contrast, in response to acidosis, diastolic Cai in electrically stimulated myocytes increases more than resting Cai in quiescent cells; this suggests that during pacing, net cell Ca2+ gain contributes to enhance diastolic Cai.

Altered pyruvate dehydrogenase control and mitochondrial free Ca2+ in hearts of cardiomyopathic hamsters

The fraction of total pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active, dephosphorylated form is much lower in the glucose-perfused isolated hearts of two myopathic strains of Syrian hamster (BIO 14.6 and TO-2) than in the hearts of healthy control animals (F1B). The myopathic hearts also develop significantly less pressure under these conditions. Experiments with isolated myocytes from the BIO 14.6 heart reveal that intramitochondrial free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]m), a positive effector of pyruvate dehydrogenase interconversion, rises much less in response to a protocol of increased frequency of electrical stimulation and adrenergic stimulation than does [Ca2+]m in cells from the healthy control animals (viz from 248 +/- 15 to 348 +/- 44 nM in BIO 14.6 vs. from 241 +/- 35 to 830 +/- 124 nM in F1B, at 4 Hz). As the concentration of Ca2+ that produces half-maximal activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase within mitochondria is 650 nM, this difference between strains is likely the mechanism of the altered enzyme interconversion. The lesser response of [Ca2+]m to electrical stimulation in the BIO 14.6 cells probably results mainly from smaller systolic transients in cytosolic free Ca2+ in response to excitation of single myocytes from the BIO 14.6 animal. Lowered values of [Ca2+]m within the range described would compromise not only pyruvate dehydrogenase activity, but also flux through the tricarboxylate cycle in the myopathic heart, owing to the sensitivity of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase to Ca2+. This may explain the decreased activity of oxidative phosphorylation and performance of work in the myopathic heart.

Cytosolic pH measurements in single cardiac myocytes using carboxy-seminaphthorhodafluor-1

This study examines the use of carboxy-seminaphthorhodafluor-1 (C-SNARF-1) as an indicator of cytosolic pH in isolated rat cardiac myocytes. The emission spectrum of C-SNARF-1 when excited at 530 nm contains two well-separated peaks at approximately 590 and 640 nm, corresponding to the acidic and basic forms of the indicator. This spectral feature allows the indicator to be used in the single excitation, dual emission ratio mode. When C-SNARF-1 is loaded into rat cardiac myocytes as the membrane permeant ester derivative, C-SNARF-1/AM, the indicator localizes within the cytosol with virtually no partitioning into the mitochondria. C-SNARF-1 does not load into isolated mitochondria in suspension. There was no evidence for the presence of non-deesterified C-SNARF-1 within the cells. C-SNARF-1 can be calibrated in situ using a technique that abolishes all transsarcolemmal pH gradients. A 0.7-unit shift in the apparent pK (pKapp = pK-log10) between the in vitro calibration and the in situ calibration is consistent with a change in beta (I640 to pH 9/I640 at pH 5) in the cytosolic environment (beta in situ/beta in vitro = 0.21) and not a change in the true pK of the indicator. The contribution of cellular autofluorescence to the total signal can be made negligible. There is no effect of C-SNARF-1 on the contractile properties of rat cardiac myocytes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dehydrogenase activation by Ca2+ in cells and tissues

The activation of intramitochondrial dehydrogenases by Ca2+ provides a link between the intensity of work performance by a tissue and the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase and the tricarboxylate cycle, and hence the rate of ATP production by the mitochondria. Several aspects of this model of the control of oxidative phosphorylation are examined in this article, with particular emphasis on mitochondrial functioning in situ in cardiac myocytes and in the intact heart. Recent use of the fluorescent Ca2+ chelating agents indo-1 and fura-2 has allowed a more quantitative description of the dependence of dehydrogenase activity upon concentration of free intramitochondrial Ca2+, in experiments with isolated mitochondria. Further, a novel technique developed by Miyata et al. has allowed description of free intramitochondrial Ca2+ within a single cardiac myocyte, and the conclusion that this parameter changes in response to electrical excitation of the cell over a range which would be expected to give substantial modulation of dehydrogenase activity.

Regulation of myocardial glycogenolysis during post-ischemic reperfusion

Myocardial glycogen and the factors which primarily regulate its metabolism were studied during post-ischemic reperfusion. Myocardial [13C]glycogen was continuously monitored by 13C-NMR spectroscopy in beating rat hearts perfused with oxygenated solutions containing [1-13C]glucose (5 mM) and insulin, during normal flow at 15 ml/min (n = 5), and during reperfusion after 30 min of 1 ml/min (n = 5), or 0 ml/min (n = 4) ischemia. Mean myocardial [13C]glycogen fell during reperfusion from 1.1 +/- 0.6 at the end of zero-flow ischemia to 0.4 +/- 0.4 mumol of [13C]glucosyl units/g wet wt (P less than 0.02) over the first 7 min of reperfusion; it also fell during reflow following 1 ml/min ischemia, from 2.3 +/- 1.4 to 1.7 +/- 1.0 mumol (P less than 0.03) over the same interval. In parallel experiments, glycogen phosphorylase % a (GPA%) content was higher at the end of 30 min of 0 ml/min (37.3 +/- 7.3%, P less than 0.01), and trended higher after 1 ml/min flow (30.8 +/- 12.1%, P = 0.18) than under baseline conditions (20.1 +/- 7.4%). However GPA% returned to baseline values within 1 min of reflow after both 0 and 1 ml/min ischemic periods (20.6 +/- 3.0% and 19.0 +/- 8.0%, respectively). Inorganic phosphate, as determined by simultaneous 31P-NMR, remained elevated during early reperfusion relative to baseline, and significantly correlated with the extent of decline in [13C]glycogen during reperfusion (r = 0.79, P less than 0.01). Thus, glycogen breakdown continues to occur during early post-ischemic reperfusion, but the mechanism is not related to elevated GPA%, and may be due to persistently increased inorganic phosphate at that time.

Measurement of mitochondrial free Ca2+ concentration in living single rat cardiac myocytes

A technique that allows the continuous measurement of mitochondrial free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]m) in a single living cardiac myocyte is described. It involves the introduction of the fluorescent chelating agent indo-1 into the cell by exposure to the acetoxymethyl ester, followed by selective quenching of the fluorescence of indo-1 in the cytosol by Mn2+. The identity of the remaining fluorescence due to intramitochondrial indo-1 is established by its resistance to treatment of the cell with digitonin at concentrations that release cytosolic but not mitochondrial enzymes and by the finding that ruthenium red and carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone prevent its response to elevated cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]c). [Ca2+]m is found to be low (less than 100 nM) in unstimulated cells and to rise in procedures that chronically elevate [Ca2+]c, such as Na+ replacement. The gradient [Ca2+]m/[Ca2+]c is less than unity at values of [Ca2+]c of less than 500 nM but rapidly increases at higher values of [Ca2+]c. Although there is no detectable increase in [Ca2+]m during a single electrical stimulation, [Ca2+]m increases up to 600 nM as the pacing frequency is raised to 4 Hz in the presence of norepinephrine; this increase occurs over the course of many contractions. It is concluded that these findings are consistent with an increase in [Ca2+]m acting as a signal to increase dehydrogenase activity, and hence flux through oxidative phosphorylation, in response to increased work loads.

Ethanol acutely and reversibly suppresses excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac myocytes

We used adult rat cardiac myocytes to examine the acute effects of 0.1-5.0% (vol/vol) ethanol (ETOH) on 1) the cytosolic [Ca2+] (Cai) transient measured as the change in indo 1 fluorescence at 410/490 nm and contraction elicited by electrical stimulation of single cells and 2) the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content in cell suspensions. During stimulation at 1 Hz, clinically relevant ETOH correlations (0.1-0.15% [vol/vol]) caused a 10-15% decrease in the contraction amplitude, measured by myocyte edge tracking, without decreasing the Cai transient that initiates contraction. At higher ETOH concentrations (1-5% [vol/vol]), ETOH caused profound contractile depression and also reduced the magnitude of the Cai transient. These effects were reversed within minutes of ETOH washout. Addition of norepinephrine (10 microM) to the bathing solution or an increase in bathing [Ca2+] in the continued presence of ETOH could also reverse its effects. The relation of the amplitude of the Cai transient to the contraction amplitude measured across a range of bathing [Ca2+] was shifted by ETOH, such that for a given Cai transient a marked reduction in contraction amplitude occurred. In unstimulated myocyte suspensions, ETOH (1-5% [vol/vol]) caused a concentration-dependent depletion of SR Ca2+ content, manifested as a diminution in the Cai increase elicited by caffeine in the presence of extracellular EGTA and no added Ca2+. Thus, in rat cardiac myocytes a reduction in the myofilament Ca2+ response, possibly due to a decrease in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity, is a mechanism for contractile depression due to clinically relevant ETOH concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Inhibition of the veratridine-induced increase in cytosolic Ca2+ and respiration by Ca2+ antagonists in isolated cardiac myocytes

1. We studied the effect of verapamil, nitrendipine, 3',4'-dichlorobenzamil (DCB) and Cd2+ on the increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]c) and the rate of O2-uptake induced by depolarization of isolated rat cardiac myocytes with veratridine. 2. The degree of inhibition by the several drugs tested on the increase in [Ca2+]c and respiration was dependent on extracellular Ca2+, pH and Na+. 3. Low verapamil and nitrendipine concentrations (2.5 microM) were fully effective in Ca2+ channel blockade, as indicated from experiments with isoproterenol and in a low-Na+ medium. 4. A complete inhibition of veratridine-induced increase in [Ca2+]c and O2-uptake was attained with higher Ca2+ blocker concentrations (25-30 microM), implying that these processes depend to a major extent on some other Ca2+ transport system, probably Na+/Ca2+ exchange.

Contraction and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content in single myocytes of guinea pig heart: effect of ryanodine

The relationship between the ability of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to accumulate and retain Ca2+ and the electrically stimulated contractions (ESCs) of isolated cells from guinea pig ventricular myocardium was investigated. Caffeine contractures or rapid cooling contractures were used as a relative measure of the SR Ca2+ content. Depletion of SR Ca2+ by short exposure to caffeine (15 mM) or by prolonged rest resulted in a reduction of the amplitude of the ESCs by 83 +/- 14 and 65 +/- 11% (means +/- SD), respectively. This result points to SR as a major source of the Ca2+ that activates contraction. However, depriving the SR of the ability to retain Ca2+ by means of prolonged (up to 75 min) exposure to 0.1 microM ryanodine (as shown by the absence of contractile response to caffeine or cooling) did not prevent an ESC of nearly normal amplitude (81 +/- 24% control), albeit with a reduced contraction velocity and a time to peak contraction prolonged by 51 +/- 11%. Additionally, while rest decay of ESCs was present after ryanodine treatment, the time for the ESCs to recover their steady-state amplitude was prolonged at least twofold. Thus, in contrast with the normal guinea pig cells, ESCs of the myocytes exposed to ryanodine are controlled by sarcolemmal processes. This change in the state of excitation-contraction coupling results mainly in modification of the time course of the ESCs and of the time course of the response of the cells to the change in the rate of stimulation.

Activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase by electrical stimulation, and low-Na+ perfusion of guinea-pig heart

(1) Electrical stimulation (2 Hz) of guinea-pig hearts, perfused with medium containing 11 mM D-glucose plus 0.1 mM octanoate as substrate, resulted in an increase in the percentage of pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active form (PDHa) from 16 to 68%. (2) Rapid isolation of mitochondria by a technique designed to minimize net loss or gain of Ca2+ revealed an increase in mitochondrial Ca2+ content of the stimulated hearts, as measured with 45Ca (2.74 +/- 0.27 versus 1.37 +/- 0.11 nmol/mg protein; stimulated versus rested). (3) Perfusion of rested hearts with a medium containing a reduced Na+ concentration (20 mM, with the remainder replaced with Li+) also gave increased values of PDHa content (30.9% versus 16% for the normal, physiological medium). This procedure is known to raise cytosol Ca2+ concentrations and would be expected to give mitochondrial Ca2+ loading. (4) These results are consistent with a role of mitochondrial Ca2+ in activating pyruvate dehydrogenase in the intact heart.

Influence of NAD-linked dehydrogenase activity on flux through oxidative phosphorylation

1. We have examined systematically the relationship between the percentage reduction of cardiac mitochondrial NAD and the flux through oxidative phosphorylation, as measured by O2 uptake. Reduction of NAD was varied by varying the concentration of palmitoyl-L-carnitine, pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate or glutamate in the presence of malate as the oxidizable substrate. 2. In the presence of ADP (State 3 respiration) there was a substantially linear positive relationship between O2 uptake and the percentage reduction of NAD. Coupled respiration in the absence of ADP also showed an increase with increasing NADH, with the exact shape of the relationship being variable. 3. When pyruvate and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity were increased by increasing medium Ca2+ concentration within the range 5 nM to 1.23 microM, at non-saturating substrate concentrations, there was again a positive relationship between O2 uptake and the reduction of NAD; however, rates of O2 uptake tended to be higher at given values of NAD reduction when the incubation medium contained Ca2+. This is taken to indicate an activation by Ca2+ of the enzymes of phosphorylation or of the respiratory chain, in addition to the dehydrogenase activation. 4. When carboxyatractyloside plus ADP were used to generate 50% State 3 rates of O2 uptake with pyruvate or 2-oxoglutarate, sensitivity to Ca2+ was retained. However, when oligomycin plus 1 mM-ADP and 1 mM-ATP were used to generate 50% State 3, no such dependence was seen. 5. The results are interpreted to indicate a substantial role for substrate dehydrogenation in the overall regulation of oxidative phosphorylation when substrates are available at near-physiological concentrations.

Phorbol ester and dioctanoylglycerol stimulate membrane association of protein kinase C and have a negative inotropic effect mediated by changes in cytosolic Ca2+ in adult rat cardiac myocytes

We used left ventricular myocytes from adult rats to investigate the effect of 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and of sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol (DiC-8) on the membrane association of protein kinase C (PKC), cytosolic [Ca2+], (Cai) homeostasis, and the contractile properties of single cardiac cells. Because PKC activity is known to be highly Ca2+ sensitive, the K+ concentration of the bathing medium was raised from 5 to 30 mM in some experiments, a perturbation known to depolarize the cell and increase Cai. In cell suspensions both PMA (3 x 10(-10) and 3 x 10(-7) M) and DiC-8 (10(-5) and 10(-4) M) increased membrane association of PKC. The effect of PMA (10(-7) M) on PKC translocation was enhanced in 30 mM KCl compared with 5 mM KCl. During steady field stimulation at 1 Hz in 1 mM bathing [Ca2+], both PMA (10(-7) M) and DiC-8 (10(-5) M) decreased twitch amplitude to approximately 60% of control in 5 mM KCl, and the negative inotropic effect of either drug was more pronounced in 30 mM KCl than in 5 mM KCl. In single cardiac myocytes loaded with the Ca2+ indicator indo-1 and bathed in 5 mM KCl, we simultaneously measured cell length and Cai. The myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+ was assessed by the relation between contraction amplitude and the peak of the Cai transient. The negative inotropic effect of both PMA and DiC-8 was related to a diminished amplitude of the Cai transient and not to a decreased myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+. In the absence of electrical stimulation, PMA (10(-7) M) and DiC-8 (10(-5) M) decreased the frequency of contractile waves due to spontaneous Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and DiC-8 also decreased resting Cai. Thus, activation of PKC, which is thought to occur as part of the response of cardiac muscle to alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation, is associated with a negative inotropic action due to a smaller Cai transient rather than to a decrease in the myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+. These effects on the membrane association of PKC and on contractility are enhanced by cell depolarization achieved by raising [KCl] in the bathing medium.

Simultaneous measurement of Ca2+, contraction, and potential in cardiac myocytes

A system is described that can simultaneously record cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), cell length, and either membrane potential or current in single cardiac myocytes loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator indo-1. Fluorescence is excited by epi-illumination with 3.8-microsecond flashes of 350 +/- 5 nm light from a xenon arc. Indo-1 fluoresence is measured simultaneously in spectral windows of 391-434 nm and 457-507 nm, and the ratio of indo-1 emission in the two bands is computed as a measure of [Ca2+]i for each flash. With cells loaded with the permeant acetoxymethyl ester of indo-1, quantitation of [Ca2+]i is not precise, owing to subcellular compartmentation of indo-1; however, the instrument would allow full quantitation if indo-1 free acid was introduced by microinjection. Simultaneously, cell length is measured on-line from the bright-field image of the cell. Because fluorescence collection is time gated during the brief flash, and red light (650-750 nm) is used for the bright-field image, cell length and [Ca2+]i measurements are obtained simultaneously without cross talk. Membrane potential or current can be recorded simultaneously with indo-1 fluorescence and cell length via standard patch-clamping techniques.

Interactive alpha- and beta-adrenergic actions of norepinephrine in rat cardiac myocytes

We investigated the effects of the physiological neurotransmitter norepinephrine on the contractile properties and Ca2+ dynamics of isolated cardiac myocytes, with particular emphasis on possible interactions between alpha- and beta-adrenergic effects. Individual rat ventricular myocytes were electrically stimulated at a frequency of 1 Hz. Norepinephrine (10(-9) to 10(-5) M) increased extent and velocity of shortening and decreased the contraction duration. beta-Adrenergic activation gave a greater enhancement of extent and velocity of shortening than did norepinephrine alone (i.e. alpha plus beta). Neither alpha 1 nor alpha 2 adrenergic activation individually produced a significant impact upon contraction. Using suspensions of myocytes loaded with Quin-2, we also studied resting levels of cytosolic Ca2+ ([ Ca2+]c), the increase of [Ca2+]c due to caffeine-addition (as an index of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content) and the subsequent increase in [Ca2+]c due to depolarization with 30 mM K+ (as an index of sarcolemmal voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity). Norepinephrine decreased resting [Ca2+]c, increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content and increased Ca2+ channel activity. beta-Adrenergic activation produced the same effect on resting [Ca2+]c and sarcoplasmic reticulum content, but gave significantly greater activation of sarcolemmal Ca2+ channel activity, than did norepinephrine (alpha plus beta). By contrast, alpha-adrenergic stimulation had no effect on resting [Ca2+]c or sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content. We conclude that beta-mediated effects predominate in the action of the physiological agonist norepinephrine on cardiac myocytes. However, alpha (specifically alpha 1)-adrenergic effects are significant in diminishing the potentiation of the extent and velocity of shortening, and of depolarization-induced entry of Ca2+ into the cell, which is seen on beta-stimulation alone. Thus, there may be an intrinsic feedback effect in the actions of norepinephrine on the cardiac myocyte.

Decrease with senescence in the norepinephrine-induced phosphorylation of myofilament proteins in isolated rat cardiac myocytes

(1) The effects of norepinephrine on protein phosphorylation in isolated rat cardiac ventricular myocytes were determined by autoradiography on 32P-labelled proteins separated by electrophoresis; (2) In cells from young adult rats (6 months old) there was a marked increase due to norepinephrine (10(-8) to 10(-4) M) in the incorporation of 32P into proteins identified on the grounds of molecular weight as troponin I and C-protein: in cells from senescent rats (24 months old) this increase was much attenuated. (3) Age-associated decrements in protein phosphorylation were much diminished when maximally effective concentrations of the adenylate cyclase-activator forskolin and the cyclic AMP analog 8(4-chlorophenylthio) cyclic AMP were used instead of norepinephrine. Moreover, age-associated differences were abolished if the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine was present in addition to norepinephrine, or alone. (4) Study of the rates of dephosphorylation of troponin I, as initiated with the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol, showed no change in half-time as a function of age: this indicates no change in protein phosphatase activity. (5) These results suggest that there is less active net formation of cyclic-AMP in senescent heart cells in response to the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, giving a lesser activation of c-AMP-dependent protein kinase and less phosphorylation of these target proteins.

Evidence indicating that the glucagon-induced increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration in hepatocytes is mediated by an increase in cyclic AMP concentration

The mechanism whereby glucagon causes an increase in the concentration of cytoplasmic free Ca2+, [Ca2+]c, in isolated hepatocytes has been investigated. There have been proposals of cyclic-AMP-dependent and cyclic-AMP-independent mechanisms. In this work, the inactivation of pyruvate kinase was used as an indicator of increases in the activity of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase, A-kinase. [Ca2+]c was measured using the fluorescent probe indo-1. The decrease in activity of pyruvate kinase caused by an increase in [Ca2+]c alone, i.e. mediated by mechanisms not involving cyclic AMP and exemplified by the effect of vasopressin, was of minimal significance under the conditions of the enzyme assay. Studies of the effects of a wide range of glucagon concentrations indicate that any increase in [Ca2+]c caused by glucagon was always associated with a decrease in pyruvate kinase activity. A similar relationship was obtained if glucagon-receptor occupancy was circumvented by using the 8-bromo-derivative of cyclic AMP to activate the A-kinase. It was also found that the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine could potentiate the ability of glucagon to increase [Ca2+]c: no such potentiation was observed when vasopressin was used to raise [Ca2+]c. Together these data indicate that an increase in cyclic AMP concentration, sufficiently great to activate A-kinase, is a mechanism that mediates the glucagon-induced increase in [Ca2+]c.

Dependence of cardiac mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase activity on intramitochondrial free Ca2+ concentration

(1) The free Ca2+ concentration of the matrix of rat heart mitochondria ([Ca2+]m) was determined from the fluorescence of internalized indo-1. The value of the Kd of indo-1-Ca2+ in the mitochondrial matrix was determined to be 95 nM, on the basis of equilibration of [Ca2+]m with the extramitochondrial free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o) in the presence of rotenone, nigericin, valinomycin and Br-A23187. (2) [Ca2+]m responded to energization/de-energization protocols, the inhibition of Ca2+-uptake by Ruthenium Red and the potentiation of Ca2+-efflux by Na+ in a manner which was consistent with the known kinetic properties of the mitochondrial Ca2+-transport processes. (3) The concentration gradient [Ca2+]m/[Ca2+]o was found to be near unity (0.82 +/- 0.18) when mitochondria were incubated in media containing 10 mM-Na+; the additional presence of 1 mM-Mg2+ reduced the gradient to values below unity (0.26 +/- 0.03). The polyamine spermine increased the Ca2+ concentration gradient in the presence of 1 mM-Mg2+. (4) The fraction of pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active form (PDHA) was found to increase with [Ca2+]m, with a K0.5 for activation of approximately 300 nM-Ca2+. This value of the activation constant was not affected by conditions, e.g. addition of Mg2+, which changed the [Ca2+]m/[Ca2+]o concentration gradient, and the presence of different oxidizable substrates, which changed the [NADH/NAD+]m concentration ratio. Thus pyruvate dehydrogenase interconversion responds directly to changes in [Ca2+]m, as inferred in earlier work.

The effect of halothane on the free intracellular calcium concentration of isolated rat heart cells

The free intracellular calcium concentration of suspensions of isolated rat heart cells was monitored during sequential exposures to halothane and caffeine to evaluate cellular mechanisms of the negative inotropic effect of halothane. The calcium-sensitive, fluorescent dye quin2 was used as the indicator of free intracellular calcium. The acute addition of halothane in concentrations greater than or equal to 0.062 mM (0.19 vol%) to suspensions of quiescent rat heart cells at 37 degrees C caused a transient (approximately 1.5 min) increase in free intracellular calcium concentration. The intracellular calcium concentration after the decay of this transient was not detectably different from that prior to the addition of halothane. Neither the reduction of extracellular calcium from 1 mM to 100 nM, nor the prior addition of verapamil (5 microM) decreased this halothane-induced calcium transient. The transient was completely blocked by the prior addition of 10 mM caffeine, which depletes the sarcoplasmic reticulum of calcium. Also, the prior addition of halothane caused a reduction in the calcium transient due to caffeine. The depression of the caffeine-induced calcium transient by halothane was independent of the time interval (up to 4 min) between the additions of halothane and caffeine. These results indicate that halothane causes a net loss of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of quiescent rat heart cells. Thus, halothane has a direct effect at the sarcoplasmic reticulum, probably an enhancement of calcium release, which may explain its depression of myocardial contractility.

Relation between cytosolic free calcium and respiratory rates in cardiac myocytes

Rates of O2 uptake of isolated rat cardiac myocytes were determined as a function of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) that was estimated from intracellular quin2 fluorescence. [Ca2+]c was increased by depolarization with K+ or veratridine. In each case, there was a correlation between increase in [Ca2+]c and stimulation of O2 uptake. Apparent exception seen on raising K+ were resolved on the of an effect of osmolality on O2 uptake rates. Increase in O2 uptake and [Ca2+]c by veratridine was sensitive to variation of extracellular Na+, Ca2+, and pH in a way that suggests a major involvement of the Na+-Ca2+ exchange: partial inhibition by 2.7 microM verapamil and total inhibition by 30 microM 3',4'-dichlorobenzamil were consistent with this conclusion. Attempts were made to assess the quantitative significance of direct activation of respiration by Ca2+ at the level of mitochondrial dehydrogenases vs. an indirect mechanism involving increased ADP generation. Ruthenium red, which blocks the former process but not the latter, gave a small decrease in O2 uptake rates. However, activation of oxidative phosphorylation by ADP was predominant under these conditions of profound and sustained depolarization, based on a lowered mitochondrial NADH content in response to veratridine.

Extracellular ATP has a potent effect to enhance cytosolic calcium and contractility in single ventricular myocytes

The effect of extracellular ATP on the contraction of single rat cardiac myocytes was investigated, together with the effect on the transient change in cytosolic Ca2+ (Cai) elicited by excitation and on the relationship between these two parameters. In unstimulated single myocytes, ATP caused a small increase in Cai (measured as the ratio of fluorescence of Indo-1 at 410 to that at 490 nm. In myocytes bathed in a medium containing 1.0 mM [Ca2+] at 23 degrees C and stimulated at 1 Hz, ATP (1 microM) resulted in a two-threefold increase in amplitude of contraction, as measured by video cinemicrographic techniques. The duration of the Cai-transient was not altered but its amplitude was markedly enhanced, as was the amplitude of contraction. The relation between Cai and contraction-amplitude was not altered by ATP, when measured over a range of extracellular [Ca2+], suggesting that ATP does not affect the myofilament-Ca2+ interaction. The primary site of action of ATP in increasing Cai is at the sarcolemma since the addition to suspensions of myocytes of caffeine (10 mM), which depletes the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load, does not prevent the subsequent increase of Cai due to ATP. Further, lowering of the extracellular [Ca2+] to less than 1 microM with EGTA abolishes the response of Cai to ATP, though not the response to caffeine. Thus in rat cardiac myocytes ATP stimulates trans-sarcolemmal influx of Ca2+: ADP, AMP and adenosine are ineffective. ATP markedly augments the amplitude of the Cai transient elicited by electrical stimulation thus rendering it a potent inotropic agent.

Ryanodine releases calcium from sarcoplasmic reticulum in calcium-tolerant rat cardiac myocytes

1. The hypothesis tested in this study is that ryanodine depletes sarcoplasmic reticulum (s.r.) Ca2+ loading in suspensions of single adult rat cardiac myocytes by effecting Ca2+ release into the myoplasm resulting in an increase in myoplasmic free [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i). The latter was monitored by the fluorescent dye, quin2. 2. The competency of the technique to detect s.r. Ca2+ release was tested by using caffeine to induce Ca2+ release. The addition of 5-10 mM-caffeine to myocytes loaded with quin2 and incubated in a medium containing 1 mM-Ca2+ gives a large, transient increase in fluorescence, which is interpreted as indicating an increase in [Ca2+]i. If the chelating agent EGTA is added to the cell suspension 1-5 min prior to the caffeine, to a concentration sufficient to decrease extracellular Ca2+ to 0.1-0.15 microM, then caffeine again gives a large, transient increase in fluorescence, indicative of the fact that sarcolemmal Ca2+ transport is not necessary for this response. The ionophore ionomycin also raises [Ca2+]i in a transient manner when added after EGTA. The addition of caffeine prior to ionomycin largely diminishes the response to the latter; however, addition of ionomycin prior to caffeine totally abolishes its effect to increase [Ca2+]i. This is taken to indicate that the intracellular store which is releasable by caffeine--and which presumably reflects the s.r.--is also releasable by ionomycin: ionomycin, however, also gives access to another, minor intracellular pool. 3. The plant alkaloid, ryanodine, at concentrations of 10(-8) to 10(-6) M, consistently causes a slow and prolonged increase in [Ca2+]i when added to cell suspensions incubated with 1 mM-extracellular Ca2+. Under conditions precluding net entry of Ca2+ into the cell, viz. 0.1 microM-extracellular Ca2+, ryanodine causes a more limited, partially reversible, increase in [Ca2+]i. 4. When added prior to EGTA, ryanodine attenuates, or prevents, the subsequent response to caffeine: efficacy depends upon the time of pre-incubation (1-10 min) and the concentration of ryanodine (10(-8) to 10(-6) M). When the response to caffeine is largely prevented by ryanodine, the response to ionomycin is also severely attenuated, i.e. there is no evidence that ryanodine causes sequestration of Ca2+ within an ionomycin-sensitive pool.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The glucagon-induced activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase in hepatocytes is diminished by 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. A role for cytoplasmic Ca2+ in dehydrogenase regulation

Phenylephrine, vasopressin and glucagon each increased the amount of active (dephospho) pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) in isolated rat hepatocytes. Treatment with 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) opposed the increase in PDHa caused by both phenylephrine and glucagon, but had no effect on the response to vasopressin: PMA alone had no effect on PDHa. As PMA is known to prevent the phenylephrine-induced increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) and to diminish the increase [Ca2+]c caused by glucagon, while having no effect on the ability of vasopressin to increase [Ca2+]c, these data are consistent with the notion that in intact cells an increase in [Ca2+]c results in an increase in the mitochondrial free Ca2+ concentration, which in turn leads to the activation of PDH. In the presence of 2.5 mM-Ca2+, glucagon caused an increase in NAD(P)H fluorescence in hepatocytes. This increase is taken to reflect an enhanced activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenases. PMA alone had no effect on NAD(P)H fluorescence; it did, however, compromise the increase produced by glucagon. When the extracellular free [Ca2+] was decreased to 0.2 microM, glucagon could still increase NAD(P)H fluorescence. Vasopressin also increased fluorescence under these conditions; however, if vasopressin was added after glucagon, no further increase in fluorescence was observed. Treatment of the cells with PMA resulted in a smaller increase in NAD(P)H fluorescence on addition of glucagon: the subsequent addition of vasopressin now caused a further increase in fluorescence. Changes in [Ca2+]c corresponding to the changes in NAD(P)H fluorescence were observed, again supporting the idea that [Ca2+]c indirectly regulates intramitochondrial dehydrogenase activity in intact cells. PMA alone had no effect on pyruvate kinase activity, and the phorbol ester did not prevent the inactivation caused by glucagon. The latter emphasizes the different mechanisms by which the hormone influences mitochondrial and cytoplasmic metabolism.

Relation between cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration and the control of pyruvate dehydrogenase in isolated cardiac myocytes

The proportion of pyruvate dehydrogenase existing in the active form (PDHA) in suspensions of unstimulated cardiac myocytes oxidizing glucose is approx. 30%. Depolarization of the cells with concentrations of K+ above physiological values leads to an increase in the content of PDHA. Overloading of the cells with Na+ by treatment with veratridine and ouabain gives the same result. Each of these interventions is shown in experiments with Quin 2-loaded myocytes to lead to an increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c). Treatment of the cells with Ruthenium Red, an inhibitor of Ca2+ transport into mitochondria, largely prevents an increase in PDHA in response to addition of KCl or of veratridine plus ouabain. Ruthenium Red does not attenuate the increase in [Ca2+]c that occurs under these conditions. By contrast, treatment of the cells with ryanodine, an inhibitor of sarcoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+ transport and therefore of contraction, does not diminish the response of PDHA content to agents which raise [Ca2+]c; nor does loading of the cells with the Ca2+-chelating agent Quin 2, which also prevents contraction, at appropriate concentrations. It is concluded that an increase in [Ca2+]c causes an increase in PDHA content of cardiac myocytes independently of an increase in mechanical work. In the normal physiological situation the activation of dehydrogenases by Ca2+ is thought to help to maintain the balance of energy supply and demand during periods of increased work-load, which are associated with an increased myoplasmic [Ca2+]c.

4 beta-Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate attenuates the glucagon-induced increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration in isolated rat hepatocytes

Hepatocytes were isolated from rats and then loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator quin2. Glucagon caused a sustained increase (at least 5 min) in the fluorescence of the quin2-loaded cells; the increase was much greater than that observed with control, non-quin2-loaded, cells. These observations indicate that glucagon caused an increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]c). The effects of glucagon were mimicked if forskolin (to activate adenylate cyclase), dibutyryl cyclic AMP or bromo cyclic AMP were added directly to the cells. Thus an increase in cyclic AMP concentration may mediate the effect of glucagon on [Ca2+]c. If 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; an activator of protein kinase C) was added to the cells before glucagon, the magnitude of the increase in [Ca2+]c was greatly diminished. If PMA was added after glucagon it caused a lowering of [Ca2+]c. These effects of PMA on the glucagon-induced increase in [Ca2+]c could not be mimicked if [Ca2+]c was increased by the Ca2+-ionophore ionomycin. Thus an event involved in the mechanism by which glucagon increases [Ca2+]c appears to be required for the action of PMA. If [Ca2+]c was increased by forskolin, dibutyryl cyclic AMP or bromo cyclic AMP, the effect of PMA on [Ca2+]c was similar to that observed when glucagon was used to elevate [Ca2+]c. When [Ca2+]c was raised by dibutyryl cyclic AMP the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine did not prevent the subsequent addition of PMA from causing [Ca2+]c to decrease. These observations suggest that PMA can inhibit the cyclic AMP-induced increase in [Ca2+]c independently of any changes in cyclic AMP concentration. Glucagon appears to increase [Ca2+]c by releasing intracellular stores of Ca2+ and stimulating net influx of Ca2+ into the cell; PMA greatly diminishes both of these effects.

Role of Ca2+ in pyruvate dehydrogenase interconversion in brain mitochondria and synaptosomes

The steady-state content of active (dephospho) pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHA) of suspensions of coupled rat brain mitochondria oxidizing succinate was found to be markedly increased with increasing free Ca2+ ion concentration of the medium, with a half-maximal effect at 10(-6.43) M Ca2+. Other ions were present in these studies at concentrations appropriate for the cytosol. Depolarization of the plasma membrane of synaptosomes caused an increase in the steady-state content of PDHA, with veratridine giving a larger increase than depolarization by 33 mM-KCl. Values were 68 +/- 1% (n = 13) and 81 +/- 1% (n = 19) of maximal activity, for control incubations and incubations in the presence of 30 microM-veratridine, respectively. Measurements of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]cyt.) in these suspensions of synaptosomes, with the use of the fluorescent Ca2+-indicator Quin-2, indicated an increase on depolarization, with the change due to 30 microM-veratridine being larger in extent than that due to 33 mM-KCl. Values were 217 +/- 21 nM (n = 15), 544 +/- 48 nM (n = 15) and 783 +/- 75 nM (n = 14) for control, KCl-depolarized and veratridine-depolarized synaptosomes respectively. Experiments in which synaptosomes were treated with Ruthenium Red, an inhibitor of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, gave much lower resting contents of PDHA (42 +/- 2% of maximal), but failed to prevent totally an increase on depolarization. Addition of an excess of EGTA to the synaptosomal suspension just before the addition of veratridine resulted in a partial diminution in the response of PDHA content. Parallel studies with Quin-2 indicated no increase in [Ca2+]cyt. on addition of veratridine, under these conditions. Thus an increase in [Ca2+]cyt. forms only a part of the mechanism whereby pyruvate dehydrogenase interconversion responds to depolarization. A decrease in the ATP/ADP ratio may also be important, as inferred from the results of experiments with ouabain, which inhibits the Na+ + K+-dependent ATPase.