胰淀素抑制高糖刺激INS-1细胞内钙离子浓度升高的作用机制

 目的 分析阐明胰淀素短时间作用于INS-1细胞、抑制高糖刺激的细胞内钙离子浓度（［Ca²⁺］_i）升高的机制。方法 采用钙离子荧光指示剂Fluo-4/AM负载细胞后,激光共聚焦显微镜下连续动态观察INS-1细胞经胰淀素孵育前后在葡萄糖、KCl、咖啡因和卡巴胆碱存在条件下［Ca²⁺］_i荧光强度变化。结果 （1）单纯16.7 mmol/L葡萄糖刺激使细胞内钙离子荧光强度变化的曲线下面积（AUC）为990±16;0.5 μmol/L胰淀素使16.7 mmol/L葡萄糖刺激的胞内荧光强度有所下降（AUC为831±10）, 1.0、5.0、10.0 μmol/L胰淀素均可使细胞内荧光强度显著降低（AUC分别为555±9、535±6、531±5）,与单纯葡萄糖刺激组比较差异有统计学意义,且呈现剂量依赖趋势。（2）10.0 μmol/L胰淀素可使30 mmol/L KCl刺激的荧光强度明显减低,与单纯KCl刺激组相比（AUC：168±5比311±11）差异有统计学意义。（3） 10.0 μmol/L胰淀素预处理后咖啡因和卡巴胆碱刺激的胞内荧光强度与单纯咖啡因和卡巴胆碱刺激组相比差异无统计学意义。结论 高浓度胰淀素的短时间作用对INS-1细胞经咖啡因和卡巴胆碱刺激的内质网鱼尼丁受体(ryanodine receptor,RyR)、三磷酸肌醇(IP₃)钙库释放没有影响,但可使高糖及KCl刺激的胞内荧光强度降低。推测胰淀素短时间作用使 ［Ca²⁺］_i减少的现象,主要是通过影响膜上钙通道实现的,与胞内钙库的释放无直接相关性。     

Astrocyte-induced cortical vasodilation is mediated by D-serine and endothelial nitric oxide synthase

Astrocytes play a critical role in neurovascular coupling by providing a physical linkage from synapses to arterioles and releasing vaso-active gliotransmitters. We identified a gliotransmitter pathway by which astrocytes influence arteriole lumen diameter. Astrocytes synthesize and release NMDA receptor coagonist, D-serine, in response to neurotransmitter input. Mouse cortical slice astrocyte activation by metabotropic glutamate receptors or photolysis of caged Ca²⁺ produced dilation of penetrating arterioles in a manner attenuated by scavenging D-serine with D-amino acid oxidase, deleting the enzyme responsible for D-serine synthesis (serine racemase) or blocking NMDA receptor glycine coagonist sites with 5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid. We also found that dilatory responses were dramatically reduced by inhibition or elimination of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and that the vasodilatory effect of endothelial nitric oxide synthase is likely mediated by suppressing levels of the vasoconstrictor arachidonic acid metabolite, 20-hydroxy arachidonic acid. Our results provide evidence that D-serine coactivation of NMDA receptors and endothelial nitric oxide synthase is involved in astrocyte-mediated neurovascular coupling.     

Wide long lasting perinuclear Ca2+ release events generated by an interaction between ryanodine and IP3 receptors in canine Purkinje cells

The purpose of this study was to determine whether IP₃Rs contribute to the generation of wide long lasting perinuclear Ca²⁺ release events in canine Purkinje cells. Spontaneous Ca²⁺ release events (elevations of basal [Ca²⁺] equivalent to F/F₀ 3.4SD over F₀) were imaged using Fluo-4AM and 2D confocal microscope. Only cells free of Ca²⁺ waves were analyzed. Subsarcolemmal region (SSL) was defined as 5 μm from cell edges. Core was the remaining cell. The majority of events (94%, 0.0035 ± 0.0007 events (ev)/μm²/s, N = 34 cells) were detected within a single frame (typical events, TE). However, a subpopulation (6.0%, 0.00022 ± 0.00005 ev/μm²/s, N = 41 cells: wide long lasting events, WLE) lasted for several frames, showed a greater spatial extent (51.0 ± 3.9 vs. TE 9.0 ± 0.3 μm², P < 0.01) and higher amplitude (F/F₀ 1.38 ± 0.02 vs. TE 1.20 ± 0.003, P < 0.01). WLE event rate was increased by phenylephrine (10 μM, P < 0.01), inhibited by 2APB and U73122 (P < 0.05), and abolished by tetracaine (1 mM) and ryanodine (100 μM). While SSL WLEs were scattered randomly, Core WLEs (n = 69 events) were predominantly distributed longitudinally 18.2 ± 1.6 μm from the center of nuclei. Immunocytochemistry showed that IP₃R1s were located not only at SSL region but also near both ends of nucleus overlapping with RyRs. In Purkinje cells, wide long lasting Ca²⁺ release events occur in SSL and in specific perinuclear regions. They are likely due to RyRs and IP₃R1s evoked Ca²⁺ release and may play a role in Ca²⁺ dependent nuclear processes.     

Subunit stoichiometry of human Orai1 and Orai3 channels in closed and open states

We applied single-molecule photobleaching to investigate the stoichiometry of human Orai1 and Orai3 channels tagged with eGFP and expressed in mammalian cells. Orai1 was detected predominantly as dimers under resting conditions and as tetramers when coexpressed with C-STIM1 to activate Ca(2+) influx. Orai1 was also found to be tetrameric when coexpressed with STIM1 and evaluated following fixation. We show that fixation rapidly causes release of Ca(2+), redistribution of STIM1 to the plasma membrane, and STIM1/Orai1 puncta formation, and may cause the channel to be in the activated state. Consistent with this possibility, Orai1 was found predominantly as a dimer when coexpressed with STIM1 in living cells under resting conditions. We further show that Orai3, like Orai1, is dimeric under resting conditions and is predominantly tetrameric when activated by C-STIM1. Interestingly, a dimeric Orai3 stoichiometry was found both before and during application of 2-aminoethyldiphenyl borate (2-APB) to activate a nonselective cation conductance in its STIM1-independent mode. We conclude that the human Orai1 and Orai3 channels undergo a dimer-to-tetramer transition to form a Ca(2+)-selective pore during store-operated activation and that Orai3 forms a dimeric nonselective cation pore upon activation by 2-APB.     

POST, partner of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), targets STIM1 to multiple transporters

Specialized proteins in the plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and mitochondria tightly regulate intracellular calcium. A unique mechanism called store-operated calcium entry is activated when ER calcium is depleted, serving to restore intra-ER calcium levels. An ER calcium sensor, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), translocates within the ER membrane upon store depletion to the juxtaplasma membrane domain, where it interacts with intracellular domains of a highly calcium-selective plasma membrane ion channel, Orai1. STIM1 gates Orai1, allowing calcium to enter the cytoplasm, where it repletes the ER store via calcium-ATPases pumps. Here, we performed affinity purification of Orai1 from Jurkat cells to identify partner of STIM1 (POST), a 10-transmembrane-spanning segment protein of unknown function. The protein is located in the plasma membrane and ER. POST-Orai1 binding is store depletion-independent. On store depletion, the protein binds STIM1 and moves within the ER to localize near the cell membrane. This protein, TMEM20 (POST), does not affect store-operated calcium entry but does reduce plasma membrane Ca(2+) pump activity. Store depletion promotes STIM1-POST complex binding to smooth ER and plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPases (SERCAs and PMCAs, respectively), Na/K-ATPase, as well as to the nuclear transporters, importins-β and exportins.     

Characterization of ionic currents and electrophysiological properties of goldfish somatotropes in primary culture

Growth hormone release in goldfish is partly dependent on voltage-sensitive Ca²⁺ channels but somatotrope electrophysiological events affecting such channel activities have not been elucidated in this system. The electrophysiological properties of goldfish somatotropes in primary culture were studied using the whole-cell and amphotericin B-perforated patch-clamp techniques. Intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) of identified somatotropes was measured using Fura-2/AM dye. Goldfish somatotropes had an average resting membrane potential of −78.4 ± 4.6 mV and membrane input resistance of 6.2 ± 0.2 GΩ. Voltage steps from a holding potential of −90 mV elicited a non-inactivating outward current and transient inward currents at potentials more positive than 0 and −30 mV, respectively. Isolated current recordings indicate the presence of 4-aminopyridine- and tetraethylammonium (TEA)-sensitive K⁺, tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive Na⁺, and nifedipine (L-type)- and ω-conotoxin GVIA (N-type)-sensitive Ca²⁺ channels. Goldfish somatotropes rarely fire action potentials (APs) spontaneously, but single APs can be induced at the start of a depolarizing current step; this single AP was abolished by TTX and significantly reduced by nifedipine and ω-conotoxin GVIA. TEA increased AP duration and triggered repetitive AP firing resulting in an increase in [Ca²⁺]_i, whereas TTX, nifedipine and ω-conotoxin GVIA inhibited TEA-induced [Ca²⁺]_i pulses. These results indicate that in goldfish somatotropes, TEA-sensitive K⁺ channels regulate excitability while TTX-sensitive Na⁺ channels together with N- and L-type Ca channels mediates the depolarization phase of APs. Opening of voltage-sensitive Ca²⁺ channels during AP firing leads to increases in [Ca²⁺]_i.     

Epinephrine-induced Ca2+ influx in vascular endothelial cells is mediated by CNGA2 channels

Epinephrine, through its action on β-adrenoceptors, may induce endothelium-dependent vascular dilation, and this action is partly mediated by a cytosolic Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_i) change in endothelial cells. In the present study, we explored the molecular identity of the channels that mediate epinephrine-induced endothelial Ca²⁺ influx and subsequent vascular relaxation. Patch clamp recorded an epinephrine- and cAMP-activated cation current in the primary cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) and H5V endothelial cells. L-cis-diltiazem and LY-83583, two selective inhibitors for cyclic nucleotide-gated channels, diminished this cation current. Furthermore, this cation current was greatly reduced by a CNGA2-specific siRNA in H5V cells. With the use of fluorescent Ca²⁺ dye, it was found that epinephrine and isoprenaline, a β-adrenoceptor agonist, induced endothelial Ca²⁺ influx in the presence of bradykinin. This Ca²⁺ influx was inhibited by L-cis-diltiazem and LY-83583, and by a β₂-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI-118551. CNGA2-specific siRNA also diminished this Ca²⁺ influx in H5V cells. Furthermore, L-cis-diltiazem and LY-83583 inhibited the endothelial Ca²⁺ influx in isolated mouse aortic strips. L-cis-diltiazem also markedly reduced the endothelium-dependent vascular dilation to isoprenaline in isolated mouse aortic segments. In summary, CNG channels, CNGA2 in particular, mediate β-adrenoceptor agonist-induced endothelial Ca²⁺ influx and subsequent vascular dilation.     

Beat-to-beat Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of sinoatrial nodal pacemaker cell rate and rhythm

Whether intracellular Ca²⁺ regulates sinoatrial node cell (SANC) action potential (AP) firing rate on a beat-to-beat basis is controversial. To directly test the hypothesis of beat-to-beat intracellular Ca²⁺ regulation of the rate and rhythm of SANC we loaded single isolated SANC with a caged Ca²⁺ buffer, NP-EGTA, and simultaneously recorded membrane potential and intracellular Ca²⁺. Prior to introduction of the caged Ca²⁺ buffer, spontaneous local Ca²⁺ releases (LCRs) during diastolic depolarization were tightly coupled to rhythmic APs (r² = 0.9). The buffer markedly prolonged the decay time (T₅₀) and moderately reduced the amplitude of the AP-induced Ca²⁺ transient and partially depleted the SR load, suppressed spontaneous diastolic LCRs and uncoupled them from AP generation, and caused AP firing to become markedly slower and dysrhythmic. When Ca²⁺ was acutely released from the caged compound by flash photolysis, intracellular Ca²⁺ dynamics were acutely restored and rhythmic APs resumed immediately at a normal rate. After a few rhythmic cycles, however, these effects of the flash waned as interference with Ca²⁺ dynamics by the caged buffer was reestablished. Our results directly support the hypothesis that intracellular Ca²⁺ regulates normal SANC automaticity on a beat-to-beat basis.     

Passive transport pathways for Ca and Co in human red blood cells. Co as a tracer for Ca influx

The passive transport of calcium and cobalt and their interference were studied in human red cells using ⁴⁵Ca and ⁵⁷Co as tracers. In ATP-depleted cells, with the ATP concentration reduced to about 1 μM, the progress curve for ⁴⁵Ca uptake at 1 mM rapidly levels off with time, consistent with a residual Ca-pump activity building up at increasing [Ca^T]_c to reach at [Ca^T]_c about 5 μmol (l cells)^{− 1} a maximal pump rate that nearly countermands the passive Ca influx, resulting in a linear net uptake at a low level. In ATP-depleted cells treated with vanadate, supposed to cause Ca-pump arrest, a residual pump activity is still present at high [Ca^T]_c. Moreover, vanadate markedly increases the passive Ca²⁺ influx. The residual Ca-pump activity in ATP-depleted cells is fuelled by breakdown of the large 2,3-DPG pool, rate-limited by the sustainable ATP-turnover at about 40–50 μmol (l cells)^{− 1} h^{− 1}. The apparent Ca²⁺ affinity of the Ca-pump appears to be markedly reduced compared to fed cells. The 2,3-DPG breakdown can be prevented by inhibition of the 2,3-DPG phosphatase by tetrathionate, and under these conditions the ⁴⁵Ca uptake is markedly increased and linear with time, with the unidirectional Ca influx at 1 mM Ca²⁺ estimated at 50–60 μmol (l cells)^{− 1} h^{− 1}. The Ca influx increases with the extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration with a saturating component, with K_½(Ca) about 0.3 mM, plus a non-saturating component. From ⁴⁵Ca-loaded, ATP-depleted cells the residual Ca-pump can also be detected as a vanadate- and tetrathionate-sensitive efflux. The ⁴⁵Ca efflux is markedly accelerated by external Ca²⁺, both in control cells and in the presence of vanadate or tetrathionate, suggesting efflux by carrier-mediated Ca/Ca exchange.The ⁵⁷Co uptake is similar in fed cells and in ATP-depleted cells (exposed to iodoacetamide), consistent with the notion that Co²⁺ is not transported by the Ca-pump. The transporter is thus neither SH-group nor ATP or phosphorylation dependent. The ⁵⁷Co uptake shows several similarities with the ⁴⁵Ca uptake in ATP-depleted cells supplemented with tetrathionate. The uptake is linear with time, and increases with the cobalt concentration with a saturating component, with J_max about 16 μmol (l cells)^{− 1} h^{− 1} and K_½(Co) about 0.1 mM, plus a non-saturating component. The ⁵⁷Co and ⁴⁵Ca uptake shows mutual inhibition, and at least the stochastic Ca²⁺ influx is inhibited by Co²⁺. The ⁵⁷Co and ⁴⁵Ca uptake are both insensitive to the 1,4-dihydropyridine Ca-channel blocker nifedipine, even at 100 μM. The ⁵⁷Co uptake is increased at high negative membrane potentials, indicating that the uptake is at least partially electrogenic. The ⁵⁷Co influx amounts to about half the ⁴⁵Ca influx in ATP-depleted cells. It is speculated that the basal Ca²⁺ and Co²⁺ uptake could be mediated by a common transporter, probably with a channel-like and a carrier-mediated component, and that ⁵⁷Co could be useful as a tracer for at least the channel-like Ca²⁺ entry pathway in red cells, since it is not itself transported by the Ca-pump and, moreover, is effectively buffered in the cytosol by binding to hemoglobin, without interfering with Ca²⁺ buffering. The molecular identity of the putative common transporter(s) remains to be defined.     

Distinct intracellular Ca2+ response to extracellular adenosine triphosphate in pancreatic beta-cells in rats and mice

Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) has distinct effects on insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells between rats and mice. Using a confocal microscope, we compared changes between rats and mice in cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺]_c) in pancreatic β-cells stimulated by extracellular ATP. Extracellular ATP (50 μM) induced calcium release from intracellular calcium stores by activating P2Y receptors in both rat and mouse β-cells. The intracellular calcium release stimulated by extracellular ATP is significantly smaller in amplitude and longer in duration in rat β-cells than in mouse. In response to extracellular ATP, rat β-cells activate store-operated calcium entry following intracellular calcium release. This response is lacking in mouse β-cells. Rat and mouse β-cells both responded to 9 mM glucose by increasing [Ca²⁺]_c. This increase, however, was pronounced only in the rat β-cells. In 9 mM glucose, extracellular ATP induced a pro-nounced calcium release above the increased level of [Ca²⁺]_c in rat β-cells. In mouse β-cells, however, extracellular ATP did not exhibit calcium release on top of the increased level of [Ca²⁺]_c in 9 mM glucose. These results demonstrate distinct responses between rat and mouse β-cells to extracellular ATP under the condition of low and high glucose. Considering that extracellular ATP inhibits insulin secretion from mouse β-cells but stimulates insulin secretion from rat β-cells, we suggest that store-operated Ca²⁺ entry may be related to exocytosis in pancreatic rat β-cells.     

Development and regeneration of hair cells share common functional features

The structural phenotype of neural connections in the auditory brainstem is sculpted by spontaneous and stimulus-induced neural activities during development. However, functional and molecular mechanisms of spontaneous action potentials (SAPs) in the developing cochlea are unknown. Additionally, it is unclear how regenerating hair cells establish their neural ranking in the constellation of neurons in the brainstem. We have demonstrated that a transient Ca(2+) current produced by the Ca(v)3.1 channel is expressed early in development to initiate spontaneous Ca(2+) spikes. Ca(v)1.3 currents, typical of mature hair cells, appeared later in development. Moreover, there is a surprising disappearance of the Ca(v)3.1 current that coincides with the attenuation of the transient Ca(2+) current as the electrical properties of hair cells transition to the mature phenotype. Remarkably, this process is recapitulated during hair-cell regeneration, suggesting that the transient expression of Ca(v)3.1 and the ensuing SAPs are signatures of hair cell development and regeneration.     

Mechanisms of oxyradical production in substance P stimulated rheumatoid synovial cells

We examined the intracellular mechanisms of substance P induced oxyradical production in rheumatoid synovial cells by the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence method. After stimulation with substance P (30 M), single synovial A (macrophage-like) or B (fibroblast-like) cells released oxyradicals such as superoxide anions (OZ) and/or hypochlorous anions (OCl^–) under a microscope equipped with an ultrasensitive photonic image intensifier. The substance P induced oxyradical production was blocked by a tachykinin NK₁ (NK₁) receptor antagonist, GR82334, GTP-binding protein (G-protein) inactivators, GDPS and islet-activating protein (IAP), and a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, U-73122. Substance P (30 M) also induced a transient increase in the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) in both synovial A and B cells as measured by a Ca²⁺ indicator, fura 2. BAPTA-AM and an inositol-1,4-5-triphosphate (IP₃) receptor antagonist, heparin, inhibited the substance P induced increase in [Ca²⁺]_i, but they had no effects on oxyradical production. In contrast to the effects of BAPTA-AM and heparin, protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors, H-7 and calphostin C, completely inhibited substance P induced oxyradical production without any significant effects on [Ca²⁺]_i increase. These findings suggest that the NK₁ receptor/PLC-linked diacylglycerol (DAG) formation with the resulting activation of PKC is the main signal transduction pathway for substance P stimulated oxyradical production in synovial cells.     

Tricyclic antidepressant imipramine reduces the insulin secretory rate in islet cells of Wistar albino rats through a calcium antagonistic action

Aims/hypothesis Treatments with antidepressants have been associated with modifications in glucose homeostasis. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, on insulin-secreting cells.Methods Insulin radioimmunoassay, radioisotopic, fluorimetric and patch-clamp methods were used to characterise the effects of imipramine on ionic and secretory events in pancreatic islet cells from Wistar albino rats.Results Imipramine induced a dose-dependent decrease in glucose-stimulated insulin output (IC₅₀=5.2 µmol/l). It also provoked a concentration-dependent reduction in ⁴⁵Ca outflow from islets perifused in the presence of 16.7 mmol/l glucose. Moreover, imipramine inhibited the increase in ⁴⁵Ca outflow mediated by K⁺ depolarisation. Patch-clamp recordings further revealed that imipramine provoked a marked and reversible decrease of the inward Ca²⁺ current. In single islet cells, imipramine counteracted the rise in [Ca²⁺]_i evoked by glucose or high K⁺ concentrations.Conclusions/interpretation These data indicate that imipramine dose-dependently reduces the insulin secretory rate from rat pancreatic beta cells. Such an effect appears to be mediated by the inhibition of voltage-sensitive Ca²⁺ channels with subsequent reduction in Ca²⁺ entry. Thus, it is possible that some adverse effects of imipramine are related, at least in part, to its capacity to behave as a Ca²⁺ entry blocker.Abbreviations FOR fractional outflow rate     

The Purkinje cell; 2008 style

Cardiac Purkinje fibers, due to their unique anatomical location, cell structure and electrophysiologic characteristics, play an important role in cardiac conduction and arrhythmogenesis. Purkinje cell action potentials are longer than their ventricular counterpart, and display two levels of resting potential. Purkinje cells provide for rapid propagation of the cardiac impulse to ventricular cells and have pacemaker and triggered activity, which differs from ventricular cells. Additionally, a unique intracellular Ca²⁺ release coordination has been revealed recently for the normal Purkinje cell. However, since the isolation of single Purkinje cells is difficult, particularly in small animals, research using Purkinje cells has been restricted. This review concentrates on comparison of Purkinje and ventricular cells in the morphology of the action potential, ionic channel function and molecular determinants by summarizing our present day knowledge of Purkinje cells.     

Free calcium and calmodulin levels in acinar carcinoma and normal acinar cells of rat pancreas

Summary Exposure of acinar carcinoma cells and normal acinar cells of rat pancreas to the muscarinic agonist drug carbamylcholine stimulated⁴⁵Ca²⁺ outflux from⁴⁵Ca²⁺-labeled cells. More rapid outflux of⁴⁵Ca²⁺ was detected for carcinoma cells following muscarinic stimulation than for normal cells. Direct flurometric measurement of cytosolic Ca²⁺ under basal (unstimulated) conditions in quin 2-loaded cells revealed significantly lower concentration of free Ca²⁺ in carcinoma cells (≈180 nM) than in normal cells (≈200 nM). Stimulation with 1 mM carbamylcholine increased the cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration in carcinoma and normal cells to ≈ 1900 nM, after which carcinoma cells removed cytosolic Ca²⁺ at a faster rate to a post-stimulation plateau concentration of ≈140 nM, in comparison to normal cells which, obtained a poststimulation stimulation plateau concentration of ≈ 300 nM. Essentially identical differences between carcinoma and normal cells were detected upon stimulation with the peptidergic agonist cholecystokinin octapeptide. Finally, carcinoma cells demonstrated ≈ times greater calmodulin concentration than normal acinar cells. Also, the calmodulin antagonist drug W7 (N-6-(aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene sulfonamide) inhibited the carbamylcholine-induced release of intracellular Ca²⁺ in acinar carcinoma cells. These results indicate that neoplastic pancreatic acinar cells have retained mechanisms of muscarinic- and peptidergic-stimulated intracellular Ca²⁺ release, and implicate calmodulin as a regualatory in secretagogue activation of intracellular Ca²⁺ release. We propose that the more rapid decline of intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration following muscarinic or peptidergic stimulation and the increased intracellular calmodulin concentration indicate calmodulin-mediated down-regulation of free cytosolic Ca²⁺ in acinar carcinoma cells to levels lower than those of normal cells.     

Migration of primary cultured rabbit gastric epithelial cells requires intact protein kinase C and Ca2+/calmodulin activity

Superficial gastric mucosal injury is rapidly repaired by epithelial cell migration. This study aims to characterize the intracellular signal transduction pathways underlying the repair process. Primary monolayer cultures of rabbit gastric epithelial cells were wounded. The measured spontaneous cell migration speed at the edge of the wound was 457 ± 89 m/24 hr. Epidermal growth factor stimulated and genistein (receptor tyrosine protein kinase inhibitor) inhibited cell migration significantly. Down-regulation of protein Kinase C (PKC) with long-term phorbol 12-myristate 13-acsetate or inhibition with calphostin-C significantly inhibited cell migration. Blocking of Ca²⁺ channels with verapamil and endogenous Ca²⁺ release with TMB-8 or inhibition of the Ca²⁺/calmodulin complex with calmidazolium likewise significantly inhibited migration speed and also abolished the rise of [Ca²⁺]_i, which was measured in migrating cells. Modulation of the cAMP-PKA pathway or prostaglandin synthesis had no influence on cell migration. Gastric epithelial cell migration implies activation of receptor tyrosine kinase. It is associated with increased [Ca²⁺]_i and requires an intact Ca²⁺/calmodulin complex. Intact PKC activity also is needed.     

Endogenous glycogen prevents Ca2+ overload and hypercontracture in harp seal myocardial cells during simulated ischemia

The purpose of this study was to determine if elevated myocardial glycogen content could obviate Ca(2+) overload and subsequent myocardial injury in the setting of low oxygen and diminished exogenous substrate supplies. Isolated harp seal cardiomyocytes, recognized as having large glycogen stores, were incubated under conditions simulating ischemia (oxygen and substrate deprivation) for 1 h. Rat cardiomyocytes were used for comparison. Freshly isolated seal cardiomyocytes contained approximately 10 times more glycogen than those from rats (479 +/- 39 vs. 48 +/- 5 nmol glucose/mg dry weight (dry wt), mean +/- S.E., n = 6), and during ischemia lactate production was significantly greater in seal compared to rat cardiomyocytes (660 +/- 99 vs. 97 +/- 14 nmol/mg dry wt), while glycogen content decreased both in seal (from 479 +/- 39 to 315 +/- 58 nmol glucose/mg dry wt) and rat cardiomyocytes (from 48 +/- 5 to 18 +/- 5 nmol glucose/mg dry wt). Cellular ATP was well maintained in ischemic seal cardiomyocytes, whereas it showed a 65% decline (from 31 +/- 3 to 11 +/- 1 nmol ATP/mg dry wt) in rat cardiomyocytes. Similarly, total seal cardiomyocyte Ca(2+) content was not affected by ischemia, while Ca(2+) increased from 8.5 +/- 2.0 to 13.3 +/- 2.0 nmol/mg dry wt in ischemic rat myocytes. Rat cardiomyocytes also showed a notable decline in the percentage of rod-shaped cells in response to ischemia (from 66 +/- 4% to 30 +/- 3%), and cell morphology was unaffected in seal incubations. Addition of iodoacetate (IAA, an inhibitor of glycolysis) to seal cardiomyocytes, on top of substrate and oxygen deprivation, reduced the cellular content of ATP by 52.9 +/- 4.4% (from 25 +/- 4 to 11 +/- 2 nmol ATP/mg dry wt) and the percentage of rod-shaped myocytes from 51 +/- 3% to 28 +/- 4%, while total Ca(2+) content was unchanged by these conditions. Seal cardiomyocytes thus tolerate low oxygen conditions better than rat cardiomyocytes. This finding is most likely due to a higher glycolysis rate in seals, fueled by larger myocardial glycogen stores.     

The store-operated Ca2+ entry complex comprises a small cluster of STIM1 associated with one Orai1 channel

Increases in cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration regulate diverse cellular activities and are usually evoked by opening of Ca²⁺ channels in intracellular Ca²⁺ stores and the plasma membrane (PM). For the many signals that evoke formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃), IP₃ receptors coordinate the contributions of these two Ca²⁺ sources by mediating Ca²⁺ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Loss of Ca²⁺ from the ER then activates store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE) by causing dimers of STIM1 to cluster and unfurl cytosolic domains that interact with the PM Ca²⁺ channel, Orai1, causing its pore to open. The relative concentrations of STIM1 and Orai1 are important, but most analyses of their interactions use overexpressed proteins that perturb the stoichiometry. We tagged endogenous STIM1 with EGFP using CRISPR/Cas9. SOCE evoked by loss of ER Ca²⁺ was unaffected by the tag. Step-photobleaching analysis of cells with empty Ca²⁺ stores revealed an average of 14.5 STIM1 molecules within each sub-PM punctum. The fluorescence intensity distributions of immunostained Orai1 puncta were minimally affected by store depletion, and similar for Orai1 colocalized with STIM1 puncta or remote from them. We conclude that each native SOCE complex is likely to include only a few STIM1 dimers associated with a single Orai1 channel. Our results, demonstrating that STIM1 does not assemble clusters of interacting Orai channels, suggest mechanisms for digital regulation of SOCE by local depletion of the ER.

In generating the cytosolic Ca²⁺ signals that regulate cellular activities, cells call upon two sources of Ca²⁺: the extracellular space, accessed through Ca²⁺ channels in the plasma membrane (PM), and Ca²⁺ sequestered within intracellular stores, primarily within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In animal cells, the many receptors that stimulate formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃) provide coordinated access to both Ca²⁺ sources (1). IP₃ stimulates the opening of IP₃ receptors (IP₃R), which are large Ca²⁺-permeable channels expressed mostly within ER membranes. IP₃ thereby triggers Ca²⁺ release from the ER (2, 3). The link to extracellular Ca²⁺ is provided by store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE), which is activated by loss of Ca²⁺ from the ER. The reduction in ER free-Ca²⁺ concentration causes Ca²⁺ to dissociate from the luminal Ca²⁺-binding sites of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), a dimeric protein embedded in ER membranes. This loss of Ca²⁺ causes STIM1 to unfurl cytosolic domains that interact with the PM Ca²⁺ channel, Orai1, causing its pore to open and Ca²⁺ to flow into the cell through the SOCE pathway (Fig. 1A) (4, 5). Available evidence suggests that STIM1 must bind to the C-terminal tail of each of the six subunits of an Orai1 channel for optimal activity, with lesser occupancies reducing activity and modifying channel properties (6–10). The interactions between STIM1 and Orai1 occur at membrane contact sites (MCS), where the two membranes are organized to provide a gap of about 10–30 nm, across which the two proteins directly interact (11–13). Orai channels are unusual in having no structural semblance to other ion channels and in having their opening controlled by direct interactions between proteins in different membranes (Fig. 1A). Competing models suggest that dimeric STIM1 binds either to a pair of C-terminal tails within a single channel (6 STIM1 molecules per hexameric Orai1 channel) (Fig. 1 B, a), or that each dimer interacts with only a single C-terminal tail leaving the remaining STIM1 subunit free to cross-link with a different Orai1 channel (12 STIM1 molecules around a single Orai1 channel) (Fig. 1 B, b) (see references in ref. 14). The latter arrangement has been proposed to allow assembly of close-packed Orai1 clusters (Fig. 1 B, c) and to explain the variable stoichiometry of Orai1 to STIM1 at MCS (14).Open in a separate windowFig. 1.SOCE is unaffected by tagging of endogenous STIM1. (A) SOCE is activated when loss of Ca²⁺ from the ER, usually mediated by IP₃Rs, causes Ca²⁺ to dissociate from the EF hands of dimeric STIM1. This causes STIM1 to unfurl its cytosolic domain, unmasking the C-terminal polybasic tail (PBT) and CRAC (Ca²⁺-release-activated channel)-activation domain (CAD) Association of the PBT with PM phosphoinositides causes STIM1 to accumulate at MCS, where the CAD captures the C-terminal tail of Orai1. Binding of STIM1 to each of the six subunits of Orai1 opens the Ca²⁺ channel, allowing SOCE to occur (9). (B) Orai1 is a hexamer, comprising three pairs of dimers (33). Dimeric STIM1 may activate Orai1 by binding as three dimers (B, a), or as six dimers (B, b) with the residual STIM1 subunit free to interact with another Orai1 channel (B, c) (14). (C) Structure of the edited STIM1-EGFP. (D) TIRF images of STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells treated with STIM1 or nonsilencing (NS) shRNA before emptying of Ca²⁺ stores. (Scale bar, 10 µm.) (E) Summary results (individual values, mean ± SD, n = 3 independent experiments, each with ∼30 cells analyzed) show whole-cell fluorescence intensities from TIRF images of STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells treated with the indicated shRNA. Results from WT cells are also shown (n = 4). ****P < 0.0001, ANOVA with Bonferroni test, relative to WT cells. (F) In-gel fluorescence of lysates from WT or STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells (protein loadings in μg). The STIM1-EGFP band (arrow) and molecular mass markers (kDa) are shown. Similar results were obtained in four independent analyses. (G) WB for STIM1 and β-actin for WT and STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells. Protein loadings (μg) and molecular mass markers (kDa) are shown. Arrows show positions of native and EGFP-tagged STIM1. (H) Summary results (individual values, mean ± SD, n = 9) show expression of STIM1-EGFP relative to all STIM1 in STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells (red), and total STIM1 expression in WT and edited cells (black). (I) Effects of histamine in Ca²⁺-free HBS on the peak increase in [Ca²⁺]_c (Δ[Ca²⁺]_c) in populations of WT and STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells. Mean ± SEM from four experiments, each with six determinations. (J) Effects of CPA in Ca²⁺-free HBS on the peak increase in [Ca²⁺]_c (Δ[Ca²⁺]_c) in populations of WT and STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells. Mean ± SEM from four experiments, each with six determinations. (K) Populations of cells were treated (5 min) with CPA in Ca²⁺-free HBS to evoke graded depletion of ER Ca²⁺ stores before addition of extracellular Ca²⁺ (final free [Ca²⁺] ∼10 mM). Results (mean ± SEM, n = 6, each with six determinations) show the amplitude of the SOCE in WT and STIM1-EGFP HeLa cells. See also SI Appendix, Figs. S1 and S2.Opening of most ion channels is regulated by changes in membrane potential or by binding of soluble stimuli, where the relationship between stimulus intensity and response is readily amenable to experimental analysis. The unusual behavior of SOCE, where direct interactions between proteins embedded in different membranes control channel opening (Fig. 1A), makes it more difficult to define stimulus–response relationships and highlights the need to understand the amounts of STIM1 and Orai1 within the MCS where the interactions occur. When STIM1 or Orai1 are overexpressed their behaviors are perturbed, yet most analyses of their interactions have involved overexpression of the proteins. These difficulties motivated the present study, which was designed to determine the number of native STIM1 molecules associated with each SOCE signaling complex.     

Increase in electrically-stimulated Ca2+ release and suppression of caffeine response in diaphragm muscle of alloxan-diabetic mice compared with the denervation effect

Summary Changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ release in the diaphragm muscle of alloxan-diabetic mice were compared with changes in normal muscles and non-diabetic denervated muscles. We measured Ca²⁺ transient aequorin luminescence by direct electrical stimulation of these muscles. External Ca²⁺-free solution readily decreased the Ca²⁺ transient in normal muscles but had less of an effect in diabetic muscles. Only when the muscles were pre-injected with EGTA (reducing intracellular levels of free Ca²⁺) did the Ca²⁺ transients decrease significantly in diabetic muscles, however, there was no effect in denervated muscles. The caffeine-induced increase in Ca²⁺ transients, however, was delayed in both diabetic muscles and non-diabetic denervated muscles. The caffeine response was observed in normal muscles under the external Ca²⁺-free conditions even after EGTA-pretreatment, whereas it was suppressed, after a brief increase, in both diabetic and non-diabetic denervated muscles. These results demonstrate (1) the insensitivity of intracellular Ca²⁺ mobilization to external Ca²⁺ levels and the ready accumulation of intracellular Ca²⁺ in the cytosol in the diabetic state, (2) increased permeability to Ca²⁺ in the denervated state and (3) impairment of the Ca²⁺ pool which responds to caffeine in both diabetes and the non-diabetic denervated state. Diabetic neuromyopathy thus appears to be a state of abnormal Ca²⁺-mobilization caused secondarily by high levels of blood glucose.