Calcium-induced inactivation of calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle

Ca2+ stores regulate ryanodine receptor Ca2+ release channels via luminal and cytosolic Ca2+ sites

1. In muscle, intracellular calcium concentration, hence skeletal muscle force and cardiac output, is regulated by uptake and release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The ryanodine receptor (RyR) forms the calcium release channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. 2. The free [Ca2+] in the sarcoplasmic reticulum regulates the excitability of this store by stimulating the Ca2+ release channels in its membrane. This process involves Ca2+-sensing mechanisms on both the luminal and cytoplasmic sides of the RyR. In the cardiac RyR, these have been shown to be a luminal Ca2+ activation site (L-site; 60 micromol/L affinity), a cytoplasmic activation site (A-site; 0.9 micromol/L affinity) and a cytoplasmic Ca2+ inactivation site (I2-site; 1.2 micromol/L affinity). 3. Cardiac RyR activation by luminal Ca2+ occurs by a multistep process dubbed 'luminal-triggered Ca2+ feed-through'. Binding of Ca2+ to the L-site initiates brief (1 msec) openings at a rate of up to 10/s. Once the pore is open, luminal Ca2+ has access to the A-site (producing up to 30-fold prolongation of openings) and to the I2-site (causing inactivation at high levels of Ca2+ feed-through). 4. The present paper reviews the evidence for the principal aspects of the 'luminal-triggered Ca2+ feed-through' model, the properties of the various Ca2+-dependent gating mechanisms and their likely role in controlling sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release in cardiac muscle. 5. The model makes the following important predictions: (i) there will be a close link between luminal and cytoplasmic regulation of RyRs and any cofactor that prolongs channel openings triggered by cytoplasmic Ca2+ will also promote RyR activation by luminal Ca2+; (ii) luminal Mg2+ (1 mmol/L) is essential for the control of SR excitability in cardiac muscle by luminal Ca2+; and (iii) the different RyR isoforms in skeletal and cardiac muscle will be controlled quite differently by the luminal milieu. For example, Mg2+ in the SR lumen (approximately 1 mmol/L) can strongly inhibit RyR2 by competing with Ca2+ for the L-site, whereas RyR1 is not affected by luminal Mg2+.

Induction of calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle by xanthone and norathyriol

1. Effects of xanthone and its derivative, 1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone (norathyriol), on Ca2+ release and ryanodine binding were studied in isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles from rabbit skeletal muscle. 2. Both xanthone and norathyriol dose-dependently induced Ca2+ release from the actively loaded SR vesicles which was blocked by ruthenium red, a specific Ca2+ release inhibitor, and Mg2+. 3. Xanthone and norathyriol also dose-dependently increased apparent [3H]-ryanodine binding. Norathyriol, but not xanthone, produced a synergistic effect on binding activation when added concurrently with caffeine. 4. In the presence of Mg2+, which inhibits ryanodine binding, both caffeine and norathyriol, but not xanthone, could restore the binding to the level observed in the absence of Mg2+. 5. Xanthone activated the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of isolated SR vesicles dose-dependently reaching 70% activation at 300 microM. 6. When tested in mouse diaphragm, norathyriol potentiated the muscle contraction followed by twitch depression and contracture in either a Ca(2+) -free bathing solution or one containing 2.5 mM Ca2+. These norathyriol-induced effects on muscle were inhibited by pretreatment with ruthenium red or ryanodine. 7. These data suggest that xanthone and norathyriol can induce Ca2+ release from the SR of skeletal muscle through a direct interaction with the Ca2+ release channel, also known as the ryanodine receptor.

Iodoacetate-induced skeletal muscle contracture: changes in ADP, calcium, phosphate, and pH

The effects of iodoacetic acid (IAA) and ischemic contraction were studied in rat extensor digitorum longus muscles. Ischemic stimulation of IAA-treated muscles produced contracture. We measured total muscle water content, distribution of water between intracellular and extracellular spaces, creatine concentration ([Cr]), creatine phosphate concentration ([PCr]), [ATP], [Pi], intracellular pH, and intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) at the onset of contracture. [ADP] was calculated from the equilibrium of the creatine kinase reaction using the measured values of [ATP], [PCr], [Cr], and pH. At the onset of contracture there was a 75% reduction of [PCr], a 12-fold increase in [ADP], and an 11-fold increase in [Ca2+]i compared with unstimulated IAA-treated muscles. [ATP] was not depleted at contracture compared with unstimulated IAA-treated muscles, and [Pi] increased less in muscles at contracture compared with stimulated control muscles. The persistent tension in contractures probably resulted from increased [Ca2+]i combined with increased myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity due to elevated [ADP] and relatively reduced intracellular acidification and [Pi].

Ca(2+)-dependent negative control mechanism for Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release in crayfish muscle

The mechanism of termination of Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum has been investigated in voltage clamped cut crayfish muscle fibres loaded with rhod-2. During depolarizing steps evoking calcium current (ICa), Ca2+ release was first activated. Then the release rapidly (tau approximately 6 ms) declined, as evidenced by the rate of change of the intracellular fluorescence signal representing a Ca2+ transient. The rapid termination of release was not accounted for by inactivation of the trigger ICa or depletion of Ca2+ from the SR, since the rate at which release declined was constant under conditions where the rate of ICa inactivation and the amount of Ca2+ released varied widely. Pre-elevations of [Ca2+]i with prepulses or photolysis of caged Ca2+ caused depression of Ca2+ release during a subsequent test pulse. When the rate of ICa onset was varied by applying voltage ramps with different slopes, currents with fast onset elicited larger Ca2+ release than calcium currents with slower onset, even though the amplitude of the currents was the same. These results suggest that a Ca(2+)-dependent negative control mechanism exists which mediates the termination of CICR independently of the duration of the trigger ICa and before significant depletion of Ca2+ in the SR occurs.

Inactivation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium channel by protein kinase

The ryanodine receptor protein of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes is a calcium ion channel which allows movement of calcium from the SR lumen into the cytoplasm during muscle activation. Gating of this channel is modulated by a number of physiologically important substances including calcium. Interestingly, calcium has both activating and inactivating effects which are concentration- and tissue-specific. In skeletal muscle, calcium-dependent inactivation of calcium release occurs at concentrations reached physiologically, suggesting that calcium may modulate the release process by a negative feedback mechanism. To determine the cellular mechanism responsible for calcium-dependent inactivation, we have investigated the ability of protein phosphorylation to affect single channel gating behaviour using the patch clamp technique. Here we demonstrate that the ryanodine receptor protein/calcium release channel of skeletal muscle SR is inactivated under conditions permissive for protein phosphorylation. This inactivation is reversed by the application of phosphatase and prevented by a peptide inhibitor specific for calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. The results provide evidence for an endogenous protein kinase which is closely associated with the ryanodine receptor protein and regulates channel gating.

Contribution of sarcolemmal sodium-calcium exchange and intracellular calcium release to force development in isolated canine ventricular muscle

The aim of this work was to determine the relationship between peak twitch amplitude and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content during changes of stimulation frequency in isolated canine ventricle, and to estimate the extent to which these changes were dependent upon sarcolemmal Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange. In physiological [Na+]o, increased stimulation frequency in the 0.2-2-Hz range resulted in a positive inotropic effect characterized by an increase in peak twitch amplitude and a decrease in the duration of contraction, measured as changes in isometric force development or unloaded cell shortening in intact muscle and isolated single cells, respectively. Action potentials recorded from single cells indicated that the inotropic effect was associated with a progressive decrease of action potential duration and a marked reduction in average time spent by the cell near the resting potential during the stimulus train. The frequency-dependent increase of peak twitch force was correlated with an increase of Ca2+ uptake into and release from the SR. This was estimated indirectly using the phasic contractile response to rapid (less than 1 s) lowering of perfusate temperature from 37 degrees C to 0-2 degrees C and changes of twitch amplitude resulting from perturbations in the pattern of electrical stimulation. Lowering [Na+]o from 140 to 70 mM resulted in an increase of contractile strength, which was accompanied by a similar increase of apparent SR Ca2+ content, both of which could be abolished by exposure to ryanodine (1 x 10(-8) M), caffeine (3 x 10(-3) M), or nifedipine (2 x 10(-6) M). Increased stimulation frequency in 70 mM [Na+]o resulted in a negative contractile staircase, characterized by a graded decrease of peak isometric force development or unloaded cell shortening. SR Ca2+ content estimated under identical conditions remained unaltered. Rate constants derived from mechanical restitution studies implied that the depressant effect of increased stimulation frequency in 70 mM [Na+]o was not a consequence of a decreased rate of refilling of a releasable pool of Ca2+ within the cell. These results demonstrate that frequency-dependent changes of contractile strength and intracellular Ca2+ loading in 140 mM [Na+]o require the presence of a functional sarcolemmal Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange process. The possibility that the negative staircase in 70 mM [Na+]o is related to inhibition of Ca(2+)-induced release of Ca2+ from the SR by various cellular mechanisms is discussed.