Regulation of phosphorylase A formation and calcium content in aortic smooth muscle and smooth muscle cells: effects of atrial natriuretic peptide II

Atrial natriuretic peptide II (ANP II) raises cyclic GMP and relaxes vascular smooth muscle in vitro. The manner in which ANP II relaxes vascular smooth muscle is unknown but may involve alterations in the concentration of free intracellular Ca++. To examine this possibility, changes in intracellular Ca++ were monitored in rat aortic strips using the Ca++-dependent conversion of phosphorylase b to a, while Ca++ levels and phosphorylase were measured in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells. ANP II produced time- and concentration-dependent decreases in phosphorylase a and tension in norepinephrine-contracted aortic strips. The decrease in the formation of phosphorylase a was accompanied by an increase in cyclic GMP content. ANP II also decreased phosphorylase a formation in K+-depolarized tissues but to a lesser extent. Agonists such as angiotensin II and arginine vasopressin, and depolarizing concentrations of K+ elevated Ca++ levels in cultured aortic cells. ANP II inhibited Ca++ accumulation to either agonists or K+, but was more effective against agonists. Phosphorylase a formation which was increased by agonists and K+ in cultured cells was also inhibited by ANP II. We conclude that phosphorylase a formation can be a useful indicator of intracellular Ca++ concentrations in smooth muscle preparations and that ANP II regulates Ca++ levels in agonist and depolarized smooth muscle, suggesting that ANP II affects mainly Ca++ removal from the cytoplasm.