Overexpression of the sarcolemmal calcium pump in the myocardium of transgenic rats

Recent Advances in the Production of Genome-Edited Rats

The rat is an important animal model for understanding gene function and developing human disease models. Knocking out a gene function in rats was difficult until recently, when a series of genome editing (GE) technologies, including zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and the type II bacterial clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9) systems were successfully applied for gene modification (as exemplified by gene-specific knockout and knock-in) in the endogenous target genes of various organisms including rats. Owing to its simple application for gene modification and its ease of use, the CRISPR/Cas9 system is now commonly used worldwide. The most important aspect of this process is the selection of the method used to deliver GE components to rat embryos. In earlier stages, the microinjection (MI) of GE components into the cytoplasm and/or nuclei of a zygote was frequently employed. However, this method is associated with the use of an expensive manipulator system, the skills required to operate it, and the egg transfer (ET) of MI-treated embryos to recipient females for further development. In vitro electroporation (EP) of zygotes is next recognized as a simple and rapid method to introduce GE components to produce GE animals. Furthermore, in vitro transduction of rat embryos with adeno-associated viruses is potentially effective for obtaining GE rats. However, these two approaches also require ET. The use of gene-engineered embryonic stem cells or spermatogonial stem cells appears to be of interest to obtain GE rats; however, the procedure itself is difficult and laborious. Genome-editing via oviductal nucleic acids delivery (GONAD) (or improved GONAD (i-GONAD)) is a novel method allowing for the in situ production of GE zygotes existing within the oviductal lumen. This can be performed by the simple intraoviductal injection of GE components and subsequent in vivo EP toward the injected oviducts and does not require ET. In this review, we describe the development of various approaches for producing GE rats together with an assessment of their technical advantages and limitations, and present new GE-related technologies and current achievements using those rats in relation to human diseases.

Calcium Signaling in Cardiomyocyte Function

Rhythmic increases in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration underlie the contractile function of the heart. These heart muscle-wide changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ are induced and coordinated by electrical depolarization of the cardiomyocyte sarcolemma by the action potential. Originating at the sinoatrial node, conduction of this electrical signal throughout the heart ensures synchronization of individual myocytes into an effective cardiac pump. Ca²⁺ signaling pathways also regulate gene expression and cardiomyocyte growth during development and in pathology. These fundamental roles of Ca²⁺ in the heart are illustrated by the prevalence of altered Ca²⁺ homeostasis in cardiovascular diseases. Indeed, heart failure (an inability of the heart to support hemodynamic needs), rhythmic disturbances, and inappropriate cardiac growth all share an involvement of altered Ca²⁺ handling. The prevalence of these pathologies, contributing to a third of all deaths in the developed world as well as to substantial morbidity makes understanding the mechanisms of Ca²⁺ handling and dysregulation in cardiomyocytes of great importance.

Cardiac-specific inducible overexpression of human plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase 4b is cardioprotective and improves survival in mice following ischemic injury

Background: Heart failure (HF) is associated with reduced expression of plasma membrane Ca²⁺-ATPase 4 (PMCA4). Cardiac-specific overexpression of human PMCA4b in mice inhibited nNOS activity and reduced cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting calcineurin. Here we examine temporally regulated cardiac-specific overexpression of hPMCA4b in mouse models of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) ex vivo, and HF following experimental myocardial infarction (MI) in vivoMethods and results: Doxycycline-regulated cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression and activity of hPMCA4b produced adaptive changes in expression levels of Ca²⁺-regulatory genes, and induced hypertrophy without significant differences in Ca²⁺ transients or diastolic Ca²⁺ concentrations. Total cardiac NOS and nNOS-specific activities were reduced in mice with cardiac overexpression of hPMCA4b while nNOS, eNOS and iNOS protein levels did not differ. hMPCA4b-overexpressing mice also exhibited elevated systolic blood pressure vs. controls, with increased contractility and lusitropy in vivo In isolated hearts undergoing IRI, hPMCA4b overexpression was cardioprotective. NO donor-treated hearts overexpressing hPMCA4b showed reduced LVDP and larger infarct size versus vehicle-treated hearts undergoing IRI, demonstrating that the cardioprotective benefits of hPMCA4b-repressed nNOS are lost by restoring NO availability. Finally, both pre-existing and post-MI induction of hPMCA4b overexpression reduced infarct expansion and improved survival from HF.Conclusions: Cardiac PMCA4b regulates nNOS activity, cardiac mass and contractility, such that PMCA4b overexpression preserves cardiac function following IRI, heightens cardiac performance and limits infarct progression, cardiac hypertrophy and HF, even when induced late post-MI. These data identify PMCA4b as a novel therapeutic target for IRI and HF.

Cholesterol Depletion Alters Cardiomyocyte Subcellular Signaling and Increases Contractility

Membrane cholesterol levels play an important factor in regulating cell function. Sarcolemmal cholesterol is concentrated in lipid rafts and caveolae, which are flask-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane. The scaffolding protein caveolin permits the enrichment of cholesterol in caveolae, and caveolin interactions with numerous proteins regulate their function. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute reductions in cardiomyocyte cholesterol levels alter subcellular protein kinase activation, intracellular Ca²⁺ and contractility. Methods: Ventricular myocytes, isolated from adult Sprague Dawley rats, were treated with the cholesterol reducing agent methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD, 5 mM, 1 hr, room temperature). Total cellular cholesterol levels, caveolin-3 localization, subcellular, ERK and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, contractility, and [Ca²⁺]i were assessed. Results: Treatment with MβCD reduced cholesterol levels by ~45 and shifted caveolin-3 from cytoskeleton and triton-insoluble fractions to the triton-soluble fraction, and increased ERK isoform phosphorylation in cytoskeletal, cytosolic, triton-soluble and triton-insoluble membrane fractions without altering their subcellular distributions. In contrast the primary effect of MβCD was on p38 subcellular distribution of p38α with little effect on p38 phosphorylation. Cholesterol depletion increased cardiomyocyte twitch amplitude and the rates of shortening and relaxation in conjunction with increased diastolic and systolic [Ca²⁺]i. Conclusions: These results indicate that acute reductions in membrane cholesterol levels differentially modulate basal cardiomyocyte subcellular MAPK signaling, as well as increasing [Ca²⁺]_i and contractility.

A Novel Mutation in Isoform 3 of the Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Pump Impairs Cellular Ca2+ Homeostasis in a Patient with Cerebellar Ataxia and Laminin Subunit 1α Mutations

The particular importance of Ca(2+) signaling to neurons demands its precise regulation within their cytoplasm. Isoform 3 of the plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPase (the PMCA3 pump), which is highly expressed in brain and cerebellum, plays an important role in the regulation of neuronal Ca(2+). A genetic defect of the PMCA3 pump has been described in one family with X-linked congenital cerebellar ataxia. Here we describe a novel mutation in the ATP2B3 gene in a patient with global developmental delay, generalized hypotonia and cerebellar ataxia. The mutation (a R482H replacement) impairs the Ca(2+) ejection function of the pump. It reduces the ability of the pump expressed in model cells to control Ca(2+) transients generated by cell stimulation and impairs its Ca(2+) extrusion function under conditions of low resting cytosolic Ca(2+) as well. In silico analysis of the structural effect of the mutation suggests a reduced stabilization of the portion of the pump surrounding the mutated residue in the Ca(2+)-bound state. The patient also carries two missense mutations in LAMA1, encoding laminin subunit 1α. On the basis of the family pedigree of the patient, the presence of both PMCA3 and laminin subunit 1α mutations appears to be necessary for the development of the disease. Considering the observed defect in cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and the previous finding that PMCAs act as digenic modulators in Ca(2+)-linked pathologies, the PMCA3 dysfunction along with LAMA1 mutations could act synergistically to cause the neurological phenotype.

Identification of caveolar resident proteins in ventricular myocytes using a quantitative proteomic approach: dynamic changes in caveolar composition following adrenoceptor activation

The lipid raft concept proposes that membrane environments enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids cluster certain proteins and form platforms to integrate cell signaling. In cardiac muscle, caveolae concentrate signaling molecules and ion transporters, and play a vital role in adrenergic regulation of excitation–contraction coupling, and consequently cardiac contractility. Proteomic analysis of cardiac caveolae is hampered by the presence of contaminants that have sometimes, erroneously, been proposed to be resident in these domains. Here we present the first unbiased analysis of the proteome of cardiac caveolae, and investigate dynamic changes in their protein constituents following adrenoreceptor (AR) stimulation.

Rat ventricular myocytes were treated with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) to deplete cholesterol and disrupt caveolae. Buoyant caveolin-enriched microdomains (BCEMs) were prepared from MβCD-treated and control cell lysates using a standard discontinuous sucrose gradient. BCEMs were harvested, pelleted, and resolubilized, then alkylated, digested, and labeled with iTRAQ reagents, and proteins identified by LC-MS/MS on a LTQ Orbitrap Velos Pro. Proteins were defined as BCEM resident if they were consistently depleted from the BCEM fraction following MβCD treatment. Selective activation of α-, β1-, and β2-AR prior to preparation of BCEMs was achieved by application of agonist/antagonist pairs for 10 min in populations of field-stimulated myocytes.

We typically identified 600–850 proteins per experiment, of which, 249 were defined as high-confidence BCEM residents. Functional annotation clustering indicates cardiac BCEMs are enriched in integrin signaling, guanine nucleotide binding, ion transport, and insulin signaling clusters. Proteins possessing a caveolin binding motif were poorly enriched in BCEMs, suggesting this is not the only mechanism that targets proteins to caveolae. With the notable exception of the cavin family, very few proteins show altered abundance in BCEMs following AR activation, suggesting signaling complexes are preformed in BCEMs to ensure a rapid and high fidelity response to adrenergic stimulation in cardiac muscle.

Ablation of plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform 4 prevents development of hypertrophy in a model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

The mechanisms linking the expression of sarcomeric mutant proteins to the development of pathological hypertrophy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) remain poorly understood. We investigated the role of the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase PMCA4 in the HCM phenotype using a transgenic model that expresses mutant (Glu180Gly) α-tropomyosin (Tm180) in heart. Immunoblot analysis revealed that cardiac PMCA4 expression was upregulated early in Tm180 disease pathogenesis. This was accompanied by an increase in levels of the L-type Ca(2+)-channel, which is implicated in pathological hypertrophy. When Tm180 mice were crossed with a PMCA4-null line, loss of PMCA4 caused the abrogation of hypertrophy in Tm180/PMCA4-null double mutant mice. RT-PCR analysis of Tm180/PMCA4-null hearts revealed blunting of the fetal program and reversion of pro-fibrotic Col1a1 and Col3a1 gene expression to wild-type levels. This was accompanied by evidence of reduced L-type Ca(2+)-channel expression, and diminished calcineurin activity. Expression of the metabolic substrate transporters glucose transporter 4 and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b was preserved and Tm180-related changes in mRNA levels of various contractile stress-related proteins including the cardiac ankyrin protein CARP and the N2B isoform of titin were reversed in Tm180/PMCA4-null hearts. cGMP levels were increased and phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein was elevated in Tm180/PMCA4-null hearts. These changes were associated with a sharp reduction in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in Tm180/PMCA4-null hearts, which occurred despite persistence of Tm180-related impairment of relaxation dynamics. These results reveal a novel and specific role for PMCA4 in the Tm180 hypertrophic phenotype, with the "protective" effects of PMCA4 deficiency encompassing multiple determinants of HCM-related hypertrophy.

Development and characterization of a novel fluorescent indicator protein PMCA4-GCaMP2 in cardiomyocytes

Isoform 4 of the plasma membrane calcium/calmodulin dependent ATPase (PMCA4) has recently emerged as an important regulator of several key pathophysiological processes in the heart, such as contractility and hypertrophy. However, direct monitoring of PMCA4 activity and assessment of calcium dynamics in its vicinity in cardiomyocytes are difficult due to the lack of molecular tools. In this study, we developed novel calcium fluorescent indicators by fusing the GCaMP2 calcium sensor to the N-terminus of PMCA4 to generate the PMCA4-GCaMP2 fusion molecule. We also identified a novel specific inhibitor of PMCA4, which might be useful for studying the role of this molecule in cardiomyocytes and other cell types. Using an adenoviral system we successfully expressed PMCA4-GCaMP2 in both neonatal and adult rat cardiomyocytes. This fusion molecule was correctly targeted to the plasma membrane and co-localised with caveolin-3. It could monitor signal oscillations in electrically stimulated cardiomyocytes. The PMCA4-GCaMP2 generated a higher signal amplitude and faster signal decay rate compared to a mutant inactive PMCA4(mut)GCaMP2 fusion protein, in electrically stimulated neonatal and adult rat cardiomyocytes. A small molecule library screen enabled us to identify a novel selective inhibitor for PMCA4, which we found to reduce signal amplitude of PMCA4-GCaMP2 and prolong the time of signal decay (Tau) to a level comparable with the signal generated by PMCA4(mut)GCaMP2. In addition, PMCA4-GCaMP2 but not the mutant form produced an enhanced signal in response to β-adrenergic stimulation. Together, the PMCA4-GCaMP2 and PMCA4(mut)GCaMP2 demonstrate calcium dynamics in the vicinity of the pump under active or inactive conditions, respectively. In summary, the PMCA4-GCaMP2 together with the novel specific inhibitor provides new means with which to monitor calcium dynamics in the vicinity of a calcium transporter in cardiomyocytes and may become a useful tool to further study the biological functions of PMCA4. In addition, similar approaches could be useful for studying the activity of other calcium transporters during excitation-contraction coupling in the heart.

Plasma membrane calcium ATPase 4b inhibits nitric oxide generation through calcium-induced dynamic interaction with neuronal nitric oxide synthase

The activation and deactivation of Ca(2+)- and calmodulindependent neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the central nervous system must be tightly controlled to prevent excessive nitric oxide (NO) generation. Considering plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) is a key deactivator of nNOS, the present investigation aims to determine the key events involved in nNOS deactivation of by PMCA in living cells to maintain its cellular context. Using time-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), we determined the occurrence of Ca(2+)-induced protein-protein interactions between plasma membrane calcium ATPase 4b (PMCA4b) and nNOS in living cells. PMCA activation significantly decreased the intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations ([Ca(2+)]i), which deactivates nNOS and slowdowns NO synthesis. Under the basal [Ca(2+)]i caused by PMCA activation, no protein-protein interactions were observed between PMCA4b and nNOS. Furthermore, both the PDZ domain of nNOS and the PDZ-binding motif of PMCA4b were essential for the protein-protein interaction. The involvement of lipid raft microdomains on the activity of PMCA4b and nNOS was also investigated. Unlike other PMCA isoforms, PMCA4 was relatively more concentrated in the raft fractions. Disruption of lipid rafts altered the intracellular localization of PMCA4b and affected the interaction between PMCA4b and nNOS, which suggest that the unique lipid raft distribution of PMCA4 may be responsible for its regulation of nNOS activity. In summary, lipid rafts may act as platforms for the PMCA4b regulation of nNOS activity and the transient tethering of nNOS to PMCA4b is responsible for rapid nNOS deactivation.

Microarray analyses of genes regulated by isoflurane anesthesia in vivo: a novel approach to identifying potential preconditioning mechanisms

BACKGROUND

Although general anesthetics are recognized for their potential to render patients unconscious during surgery, exposure can also lead to long-term outcomes of both cellular damage and protection. As regards the latter, delayed anesthetic preconditioning is an evolutionarily conserved physiological response that has the potential for protecting against ischemic injury in a number of tissues. Although it is known that delayed preconditioning requires de novo protein synthesis, knowledge of anesthetic-regulated genes is incomplete. In this study, we used the conserved nature of preconditioning to analyze differentially regulated genes in 3 different rat tissues. We hypothesized that by selecting those genes regulated in multiple tissues, we could develop a focused list of gene candidates potentially involved in delayed anesthetic preconditioning.

METHODS

Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with a 2% isoflurane/98% air mixture for 90 minutes. Immediately after anesthetic exposure, animals were euthanized and liver, kidney, and heart were removed and total RNA was isolated. Differential gene expression was determined using rat oligonucleotide gene arrays. Array data were analyzed to select for genes that were significantly regulated in multiple tissues.

RESULTS

All 3 tissues showed differentially regulated genes in response to a clinically relevant exposure to isoflurane. Analysis of coordinately regulated genes yielded a focused list of 34 potential gene candidates with a range of ontologies including regulation of inflammation, modulation of apoptosis, regulation of ion gradients, and maintenance of energy pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

Through using an analysis approach focusing on coordinately regulated genes, we were able to generate a focused list of interesting gene candidates with potential to enable future preconditioning studies.

Identification of PDZ Domain Containing Proteins Interacting with 1.2 and PMCA4b

PDZ (PSD-95/Disc large/Zonula occludens-1) protein interaction domains bind to cytoplasmic protein C-termini of transmembrane proteins. In order to identify new interaction partners of the voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channel 1.2 and the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase 4b (PMCA4b), we used PDZ domain arrays probing for 124 PDZ domains. We confirmed this by GST pull-downs and immunoprecipitations. In PDZ arrays, strongest interactions with 1.2 and PMCA4b were found for the PDZ domains of SAP-102, MAST-205, MAGI-1, MAGI-2, MAGI-3, and ZO-1. We observed binding of the 1.2 C-terminus to PDZ domains of NHERF1/2, Mint-2, and CASK. PMCA4b was observed to interact with Mint-2 and its known interactions with Chapsyn-110 and CASK were confirmed. Furthermore, we validated interaction of 1.2 and PMCA4b with NHERF1/2, CASK, MAST-205 and MAGI-3 via immunoprecipitation. We also verified the interaction of 1.2 and nNOS and hypothesized that nNOS overexpression might reduce Ca2+ influx through 1.2. To address this, we measured Ca2+ currents in HEK 293 cells co-expressing 1.2 and nNOS and observed reduced voltage-dependent 1.2 activation. Taken together, we conclude that 1.2 and PMCA4b bind promiscuously to various PDZ domains, and that our data provides the basis for further investigation of the physiological consequences of these interactions.

Redox control of cardiac excitability

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been associated with various human diseases, and considerable attention has been paid to investigate their physiological effects. Various ROS are synthesized in the mitochondria and accumulate in the cytoplasm if the cellular antioxidant defense mechanism fails. The critical balance of this ROS synthesis and antioxidant defense systems is termed the redox system of the cell. Various cardiovascular diseases have also been affected by redox to different degrees. ROS have been indicated as both detrimental and protective, via different cellular pathways, for cardiac myocyte functions, electrophysiology, and pharmacology. Mostly, the ROS functions depend on the type and amount of ROS synthesized. While the literature clearly indicates ROS effects on cardiac contractility, their effects on cardiac excitability are relatively under appreciated. Cardiac excitability depends on the functions of various cardiac sarcolemal or mitochondrial ion channels carrying various depolarizing or repolarizing currents that also maintain cellular ionic homeostasis. ROS alter the functions of these ion channels to various degrees to determine excitability by affecting the cellular resting potential and the morphology of the cardiac action potential. Thus, redox balance regulates cardiac excitability, and under pathological regulation, may alter action potential propagation to cause arrhythmia. Understanding how redox affects cellular excitability may lead to potential prophylaxis or treatment for various arrhythmias. This review will focus on the studies of redox and cardiac excitation.

Regulation of the cardiac sodium pump

In cardiac muscle, the sarcolemmal sodium/potassium ATPase is the principal quantitative means of active transport at the myocyte cell surface, and its activity is essential for maintaining the trans-sarcolemmal sodium gradient that drives ion exchange and transport processes that are critical for cardiac function. The 72-residue phosphoprotein phospholemman regulates the sodium pump in the heart: unphosphorylated phospholemman inhibits the pump, and phospholemman phosphorylation increases pump activity. Phospholemman is subject to a remarkable plethora of post-translational modifications for such a small protein: the combination of three phosphorylation sites, two palmitoylation sites, and one glutathionylation site means that phospholemman integrates multiple signaling events to control the cardiac sodium pump. Since misregulation of cytosolic sodium contributes to contractile and metabolic dysfunction during cardiac failure, a complete understanding of the mechanisms that control the cardiac sodium pump is vital. This review explores our current understanding of these mechanisms.

Plasma membrane calcium pump (PMCA4)-neuronal nitric-oxide synthase complex regulates cardiac contractility through modulation of a compartmentalized cyclic nucleotide microdomain

Identification of the signaling pathways that regulate cyclic nucleotide microdomains is essential to our understanding of cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. Although there is growing evidence that the plasma membrane Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent ATPase 4 (PMCA4) is a regulator of neuronal nitric-oxide synthase, the physiological consequence of this regulation is unclear. We therefore tested the hypothesis that PMCA4 has a key structural role in tethering neuronal nitric-oxide synthase to a highly compartmentalized domain in the cardiac cell membrane. This structural role has functional consequences on cAMP and cGMP signaling in a PMCA4-governed microdomain, which ultimately regulates cardiac contractility. In vivo contractility and calcium amplitude were increased in PMCA4 knock-out animals (PMCA4(-/-)) with no change in diastolic relaxation or the rate of calcium decay, showing that PMCA4 has a function distinct from beat-to-beat calcium transport. Surprisingly, in PMCA4(-/-), over 36% of membrane-associated neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS) protein and activity was delocalized to the cytosol with no change in total nNOS protein, resulting in a significant decrease in microdomain cGMP, which in turn led to a significant elevation in local cAMP levels through a decrease in PDE2 activity (measured by FRET-based sensors). This resulted in increased L-type calcium channel activity and ryanodine receptor phosphorylation and hence increased contractility. In the heart, in addition to subsarcolemmal calcium transport, PMCA4 acts as a structural molecule that maintains the spatial and functional integrity of the nNOS signaling complex in a defined microdomain. This has profound consequences for the regulation of local cyclic nucleotide and hence cardiac β-adrenergic signaling.

Calcium signaling dysfunction in heart disease

In the heart, Ca(2+) is crucial for the regulation of contraction and intracellular signaling, processes, which are vital to the functioning of the healthy heart. Ca(2+) -activated signaling pathways must function against a background of large, rapid, and tightly regulated changes in intracellular free Ca(2+) concentrations during each contraction and relaxation cycle. This review highlights a number of proteins that regulate signaling Ca(2+) in both normal and pathological conditions including cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, and discusses how these pathways are not regulated by the marked elevation in free intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+) ](i)) during contraction but require smaller sustained increases in Ca(2+) concentration. In addition, we present published evidence that the pool of Ca(2+) that regulates signaling is compartmentalized into distinct cellular microdomains and is thus distinct from that regulating contraction.

The plasma membrane Ca²+ ATPase and the plasma membrane sodium calcium exchanger cooperate in the regulation of cell calcium

Calcium is an ambivalent signal: it is essential for the correct functioning of cell life, but may also become dangerous to it. The plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPase (PMCA) and the plasma membrane Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) are the two mechanisms responsible for Ca(2+) extrusion. The NCX has low Ca(2+) affinity but high capacity for Ca(2+) transport, whereas the PMCA has a high Ca(2+) affinity but low transport capacity for it. Thus, traditionally, the PMCA pump has been attributed a housekeeping role in maintaining cytosolic Ca(2+), and the NCX the dynamic role of counteracting large cytosolic Ca(2+) variations (especially in excitable cells). This view of the roles of the two Ca(2+) extrusion systems has been recently revised, as the specific functional properties of the numerous PMCA isoforms and splicing variants suggests that they may have evolved to cover both the basal Ca(2+) regulation (in the 100 nM range) and the Ca(2+) transients generated by cell stimulation (in the μM range).

Local signals with global impacts and clinical implications: lessons from the plasma membrane calcium pump (PMCA4)

Calcium has been unequivocally regarded as a key signal messenger in almost every cell type. Calcium regulates a number of important cellular functions including cell growth, myofilament contraction, cell survival and apoptosis as well as gene transcription. A complex regulatory mechanism of cellular calcium is needed to fine tune the precise calcium concentration in each subcellular location and also to transmit the signals carried by the calcium pool to the correct end target. In this article we will review the recently emerging role of the plasma membrane calcium/calmodulin dependent ATPase isoform 4 (PMCA4) in regulating calcium signalling. We will then focus on the function of this molecule in cardiomyocytes, in which PMCA4 forms protein-protein interactions with several key signalling molecules. Recent evidence has shown in vivo physiological functionalities and possible clinical implications of the PMCA4 signalling complex. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 11th European Symposium on Calcium.

Insights into the oligomerization process of the C-terminal domain of human plasma membrane Ca²+-ATPase

Plasma membrane calcium pumps (PMCAs) sustain a primary transport system for the specific removal of cytosolic calcium ions from eukaryotic cells. PMCAs are characterized by the presence of a C-terminal domain referred to as a regulatory domain. This domain is target of several regulatory mechanisms: activation by Ca²+-calmodulin complex and acidic phospholipids, phosphorylation by kinase A and C, proteolysis by calpain and oligomerization. As far as oligomerization is concerned, the C-terminal domain seems to be crucial for this process. We have cloned the C-terminal domain of the human PMCA isoform 1b, and characterized its properties in solution. The expressed protein maintains its tendency to oligomerize in aqueous solutions, but it is dissociated by amphipathic molecules such as diacylglycerol and sodium dodecyl sulphate. The presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate stabilizes the domain as a compact structure in monomeric form retaining the secondary structure elements, as shown by small angle neutron scattering and circular dichroism measurements. The importance of oligomerization for the regulation of PMCA activity and intracellular calcium concentration is discussed.

Evaluation of plasma membrane calcium/calmodulin-dependent ATPase isoform 4 as a potential target for fertility control

The array of contraceptives currently available is clearly inadequate and does not meet consumer demands since it is estimated that up to a quarter of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended. There is, therefore, an overwhelming global need to develop new effective, safe, ideally non-hormonal contraceptives for both male and female use. The contraceptive field, unlike other areas such as cancer, has a dearth of new targets. We have addressed this issue and propose that isoform 4 of the plasma membrane calcium ATPase is a potentially exciting novel target for fertility control. The plasma membrane calcium ATPase is a ubiquitously expressed calcium pump whose primary function in the majority of cells is to extrude calcium to the extracellular milieu. Two isoforms of this gene family, PMCA1 and PMCA4, are expressed in spermatozoa, with PMCA4 being the predominant isoform. Although this gene is ubiquitously expressed, its function is highly tissue-specific. Genetic deletion of PMCA4, in PMCA4 knockout mice, led to 100% infertility specifically in the male mutant mice due to a selective defect in sperm motility. It is important to note that the gene deletion did not affect normal mating characteristics in these mice. This phenotype was mimicked in wild-type sperm treated with the non-specific PMCA inhibitor 5-(and 6-) carboxyeosin diacetate succinimidyl ester; a proof-of-principle that inhibition of PMCA4 has potential importance in the control of fertility. This review outlines the potential for PMCA4 to be a novel target for fertility control by acting to inhibit sperm motility. It will outline the characteristics that make this target drugable and will describe methodologies to identify and validate novel inhibitors of this target.

Plasma membrane calcium ATPase proteins as novel regulators of signal transduction pathways

Emerging evidence suggests that plasma membrane calcium ATPases (PMCAs) play a key role as regulators of calcium-triggered signal transduction pathways via interaction with partner proteins. PMCAs regulate these pathways by targeting specific proteins to cellular sub-domains where the levels of intracellular free calcium are kept low by the calcium ejection properties of PMCAs. According to this model, PMCAs have been shown to interact functionally with the calcium-sensitive proteins neuronal nitric oxide synthase, calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase, calcineurin and endothelial nitric oxidase synthase. Transgenic animals with altered expression of PMCAs are being used to evaluate the physiological significance of these interactions. To date, PMCA interactions with calcium-dependent partner proteins have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system via regulation of the nitric oxide and calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells pathways. This new evidence suggests that PMCAs play a more sophisticated role than the mere ejection of calcium from the cells, by acting as modulators of signaling transduction pathways.

There goes the neighborhood: pathological alterations in T-tubule morphology and consequences for cardiomyocyte Ca2+ handling

T-tubules are invaginations of the cardiomyocyte membrane into the cell interior which form a tortuous network. T-tubules provide proximity between the electrically excitable cell membrane and the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the main intracellular Ca²⁺ store. Tight coupling between the rapidly spreading action potential and Ca²⁺ release units in the SR membrane ensures synchronous Ca²⁺ release throughout the cardiomyocyte. This is a requirement for rapid and powerful contraction. In recent years, it has become clear that T-tubule structure and composition are altered in several pathological states which may importantly contribute to contractile defects in these conditions. In this review, we describe the “neighborhood” of proteins in the dyadic cleft which locally controls cardiomyocyte Ca²⁺ homeostasis and how alterations in T-tubule structure and composition may alter this neighborhood during heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and diabetic cardiomyopathy. Based on this evidence, we propose that T-tubules have the potential to serve as novel therapeutic targets.

Calcium Pumps in Health and Disease

Ca2+-ATPases (pumps) are key actors in the regulation of Ca2+ in eukaryotic cells and are thus essential to the correct functioning of the cell machinery. They have high affinity for Ca2+ and can efficiently regulate it down to very low concentration levels. Two of the pumps have been known for decades (the SERCA and PMCA pumps); one (the SPCA pump) has only become known recently. Each pump is the product of a multigene family, the number of isoforms being further increased by alternative splicing of the primary transcripts. The three pumps share the basic features of the catalytic mechanism but differ in a number of properties related to tissue distribution, regulation, and role in the cellular homeostasis of Ca2+. The molecular understanding of the function of the pumps has received great impetus from the solution of the three-dimensional structure of one of them, the SERCA pump. These spectacular advances in the structure and molecular mechanism of the pumps have been accompanied by the emergence and rapid expansion of the topic of pump malfunction, which has paralleled the rapid expansion of knowledge in the topic of Ca2+-signaling dysfunction. Most of the pump defects described so far are genetic: when they are very severe, they produce gross and global disturbances of Ca2+ homeostasis that are incompatible with cell life. However, pump defects may also be of a type that produce subtler, often tissue-specific disturbances that affect individual components of the Ca2+-controlling and/or processing machinery. They do not bring cells to immediate death but seriously compromise their normal functioning.

Cardiac nitric oxide synthase-1 localization within the cardiomyocyte is accompanied by the adaptor protein, CAPON

The mechanism(s) regulating nitric oxide synthase-1 (NOS1) localization within the cardiac myocyte in health and disease remains unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that the PDZ-binding domain interaction between CAPON (carboxy-terminal PDZ ligand of NOS1), a NOS1 adaptor protein and NOS1, contribute to NOS1 localization in specific organelles within cardiomyocytes. Ventricular cardiomyocytes and whole heart homogenates were isolated from sham and post-myocardial infarction (MI) wild-type (C57BL/6) and NOS1(-/-) female mice for quantification of CAPON protein expression levels. NOS1, CAPON, xanthine oxidoreductase and Dexras1, a CAPON binding partner, were all present and enriched in isolated cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) fractions. CAPON co-immunoprecipitated with the mu and alpha isoforms of NOS1 in whole heart lysates, and co-localization of CAPON and NOS1 was demonstrated in the SR and mitochondria with dual immuno-gold electron microscopy. Following MI, CAPON and NOS1 both redistributed to caveolae and colocalized with caveolin-3. In addition, following MI, expression level of CAPON remained unchanged and Dexras1 was reduced, CAPON binding to xanthine oxidoreductase was augmented and the plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) increased. In NOS1 deficient myocytes, CAPON abundance in the SR was reduced, and redistribution to caveolae and PMCA binding after MI was absent. Together these findings support the hypothesis that NOS1 redistribution in injured myocardium requires the formation of a complex with the PDZ adaptor protein CAPON.

Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase isoform 4 antagonizes cardiac hypertrophy in association with calcineurin inhibition in rodents

How Ca2+-dependent signaling effectors are regulated in cardiomyocytes, given the extreme cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration changes that underlie contraction, remains unknown. Cardiomyocyte plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) extrudes Ca2+ but has little effect on excitation-contraction coupling, suggesting its potential role in controlling Ca2+-dependent signaling effectors such as calcineurin. We generated cardiac-specific inducible PMCA4b transgenic mice that displayed normal global Ca2+ transient and cellular contraction levels and reduced cardiac hypertrophy following transverse aortic constriction (TAC) or phenylephrine/Ang II infusion, but showed no reduction in exercise-induced hypertrophy. Transgenic mice were protected from decompensation and fibrosis following long-term TAC. The PMCA4b transgene reduced the hypertrophic augmentation associated with transient receptor potential canonical 3 channel overexpression, but not that associated with activated calcineurin. Furthermore, Pmca4 gene-targeted mice showed increased cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure events after TAC. Physical associations between PMCA4b and calcineurin were enhanced by TAC and by agonist stimulation of cultured neonatal cardiomyocytes. PMCA4b reduced calcineurin nuclear factor of activated T cell-luciferase activity after TAC and in cultured neonatal cardiomyocytes after agonist stimulation. PMCA4b overexpression inhibited cultured cardiomyocyte hypertrophy following agonist stimulation, but much less so in a Ca2+ pumping-deficient PMCA4b mutant. Thus, Pmca4b likely reduces the local Ca2+ signals involved in reactive cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via calcineurin regulation.

Specific role of neuronal nitric-oxide synthase when tethered to the plasma membrane calcium pump in regulating the beta-adrenergic signal in the myocardium

The cardiac neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS) has been described as a modulator of cardiac contractility. We have demonstrated previously that isoform 4b of the sarcolemmal calcium pump (PMCA4b) binds to nNOS in the heart and that this complex regulates beta-adrenergic signal transmission in vivo. Here, we investigated whether the nNOS-PMCA4b complex serves as a specific signaling modulator in the heart. PMCA4b transgenic mice (PMCA4b-TG) showed a significant reduction in nNOS and total NOS activities as well as in cGMP levels in the heart compared with their wild type (WT) littermates. In contrast, PMCA4b-TG hearts showed an elevation in cAMP levels compared with the WT. Adult cardiomyocytes isolated from PMCA4b-TG mice demonstrated a 3-fold increase in Ser(16) phospholamban (PLB) phosphorylation as well as Ser(22) and Ser(23) cardiac troponin I (cTnI) phosphorylation at base line compared with the WT. In addition, the relative induction of PLB phosphorylation and cTnI phosphorylation following isoproterenol treatment was severely reduced in PMCA4b-TG myocytes, explaining the blunted physiological response to the beta-adrenergic stimulation. In keeping with the data from the transgenic animals, neonatal rat cardiomyocytes overexpressing PMCA4b showed a significant reduction in nitric oxide and cGMP levels. This was accompanied by an increase in cAMP levels, which led to an increase in both PLB and cTnI phosphorylation at base line. Elevated cAMP levels were likely due to the modulation of cardiac phosphodiesterase, which determined the balance between cGMP and cAMP following PMCA4b overexpression. In conclusion, these results showed that the nNOS-PMCA4b complex regulates contractility via cAMP and phosphorylation of both PLB and cTnI.

Functional effects of caloxin 1c2, a novel engineered selective inhibitor of plasma membrane Ca(2+)-pump isoform 4, on coronary artery

Coronary artery smooth muscle expresses the plasma membrane Ca²⁺ pump (PMCA) isoforms PMCA4 and PMCA1. We previously reported the peptide inhibitor caloxin 1b1 that was obtained by using extracellular domain 1 of PMCA4 as the target (Am J Physiol Cell.290 [2006] C1341). To engineer inhibitors with greater affinity and isoform selectivity, we have now created a phage display library of caloxin 1b1-like peptides. We screened this library by affinity chromatography with PMCA from erythrocyte ghosts that contain mainly PMCA4 to obtain caloxin 1c2. Key properties of caloxin 1c2 are (a) Ki = 2.3 ± 0.3 μM which corresponds to a 20× higher affinity for PMCA4 than that of caloxin 1b1 and (b) it is selective for PMCA4 since it has greater than 10-fold affinity for PMCA4 than for PMCA1, 2 or 3. It had the following functional effects on coronary artery smooth muscle: (a) it increased basal tone of the de-endothelialized arteries; the increase being similar at 10, 20 or 50 μM, and (b) it enhanced the increase in the force of contraction at 0.05 but not at 1.6 mM extracellular Ca²⁺ when Ca²⁺ extrusion via the Na⁺–Ca²⁺ exchanger and the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ pump were inhibited. We conclude that PMCA4 is pivotal to Ca²⁺ extrusion in coronary artery smooth muscle. We anticipate caloxin 1c2 to aid in understanding the role of PMCA4 in signal transduction and home-ostasis due to its isoform selectivity and ability to act when added extracellularly.

Ca2+ clearance and contractility in vascular smooth muscle: evidence from gene-altered murine models

The central importance of calcium clearance proteins, and their regulators, in the modulation of myocardial contractility and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) has long been established. Key players identified include the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger, the Na(+)-K(+) ATPase, the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase and associated phospholamban. Gene-targeted and transgenic murine models have been critical in the elucidation of their function. The study of these proteins in the regulation of contractile parameters in vascular smooth muscle, on the other hand, is less well studied. More recently, gene-targeted and transgenic models have expanded our knowledge of Ca(2+) clearance proteins and their role in both tonic and phasic smooth muscle contractility. In this review, we will briefly treat the mechanisms which underlie Ca(2+) clearance in smooth muscle. These will be addressed in light of studies using gene-modified mouse models, the results of which will be compared and contrasted with those in the cardiomyocyte. The recently identified human mutations in phospholamban, which lead to dilated cardiomyopathy, are also present in vascular and other smooth muscle. Given the importance of these Ca(2+) clearance systems to modulation of smooth muscle, it is likely that mutations will also lead to smooth muscle pathology.

Plasma-membrane calcium pumps and hereditary deafness

In mammals, four different genes encode four PMCA (plasma-membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase) isoforms. PMCA1 and 4 are expressed ubiquitously, and PMCA2 and 3 are expressed predominantly in the central nervous system. More than 30 variants are generated by mechanisms of alternative splicing. The physiological meaning of the existence of so many isoforms is not clear, but evidently it must be related to the cell-specific demands of Ca(2+) homoeostasis. Recent studies suggest that the alternatively spliced regions in PMCA are responsible for specific targeting to plasma membrane domains, and proteins that bind specifically to the pumps could contribute to further regulation of Ca(2+) control. In addition, the combination of proteins obtained by alternative splicing occurring at two different sites could be responsible for different functional characteristics of the pumps.

The regulatory function of plasma-membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) in the heart

The PMCA (plasma-membrane Ca2+-ATPase) is a ubiquitously expressed calcium-extruding enzymatic pump important in the control of intracellular calcium concentration. Unlike in non-excitable cells, where PMCA is the only system for calcium extrusion, in excitable cells, such as cardiomyocytes, PMCA has been shown to play only a minor role in calcium homoeostasis compared with the NCX (sodium/calcium exchanger), another system of calcium extrusion. However, increasing evidence points to an important role for PMCA in signal transduction; of particular interest in cardiac physiology is the modulation of nNOS (neuronal nitric oxide synthase) by isoform 4b of PMCA. In the present paper, we will discuss recent advances that support a key role for PMCA4 in modulating the nitric oxide signalling pathway in the heart.

Caloxins: a novel class of selective plasma membrane Ca2+ pump inhibitors obtained using biotechnology

Plasma membrane Ca2+ pumps (PMCA) extrude cellular Ca2+ with a high affinity and hence play a major role in Ca2+ homeostasis and signaling. Caloxins (selective extracellular PMCA inhibitors) would aid in elucidating the physiology of PMCA. PMCA proteins have five extracellular domains (exdoms). Our hypotheses are: 1) peptides that bind selectively to each exdom can be invented by screening a random peptide library, and 2) a peptide can modulate PMCA activity by binding to one of the exdoms. The first caloxin 2a1, selected for binding exdom 2 was selective for PMCA (Ki=529 microM). It has been used to examine the physiological role of PMCA. PMCA isoforms are encoded by four genes. PMCA isoform expression differs in various cell types, with PMCA1 and 4 being the most widely distributed. There are differences between PMCA1-4 exdom 1 sequences, which may be exploited for inventing isoform selective caloxins. Using exdom 1 of PMCA4 as a target, modified screening procedures and mutagenesis led to the high-affinity caloxin 1c2 (Ki=2.3 microM for PMCA4). It is selective for PMCA4 over PMCA1, 2, or 3. We hope that caloxins can be used to discern the roles of individual PMCA isoforms in Ca2+ homeostasis and signaling. Caloxins may also become clinically useful in cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, retinopathy, cancer, and contraception.

The regulation of the Na/Ca exchanger and plasmalemmal Ca2+ ATPase by other proteins

Na/Ca exchanger (NCX) and plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase are the Ca2+ efflux mechanisms known in mammalian cells. NCX is the main transporter to efflux intracellular Ca2+ in the heart. NCX protein contains nine putative transmembrane domains and a large intracellular loop joining two sets of the transmembrane domains. The intracellular loop regulates the activity of the NCX by interacting with other proteins and nonprotein factors, such as ions, PIP2. Several proteins that are associated with NCX have been identified recently. Similarly, plasmalemmal Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) has 10 putative transmembrane domains, and the C-terminal intracellular region inhibits transporter activity. There are several proteins associated with PMCA, and the roles of the associated proteins of PMCA vary from specific localization to involving PMCA in signal transduction. Elucidation of structural and functional roles played by these associated proteins of NCX and PMCA will provide opportunities to develop drugs of potential therapeutic value.

Plasma membrane calcium ATPase and its relationship to nitric oxide signaling in the heart

The plasma membrane calcium/calmodulin-dependent ATPase (PMCA) is a ubiquitously expressed calcium-extruding enzymatic pump. In the majority of cells the main function of PMCA is as the only system to extrude calcium from the cytosol, however, in the excitable cells of the heart it has only a minor role in the bulk removal of calcium compared to the sodium-calcium exchanger. There is increasing evidence to suggest that PMCA has an additional role as a potential modulator of a number of signal transduction pathways. Of key interest in the heart is the functional interaction between the calcium/calmodulin-dependent enzyme neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and isoform 4 of PMCA. Nitric oxide production from nNOS is known to be important in the regulation of excitation-contraction (EC) coupling and subsequently contractility. This article will focus on recent evidence suggesting that PMCA4 has a regulatory role in the nitric oxide signaling pathway in the heart.

The sarcolemmal calcium pump, alpha-1 syntrophin, and neuronal nitric-oxide synthase are parts of a macromolecular protein complex

The main role of the plasma membrane Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent ATPase (PMCA) is in the removal of Ca2+ from the cytosol. Recently, we and others have suggested a new function for PMCA as a modulator of signal transduction pathways. This paper shows the physical interaction between PMCA (isoforms 1 and 4) and alpha-1 syntrophin and proposes a ternary complex of interaction between endogenous PMCA, alpha-1 syntrophin, and NOS-1 in cardiac cells. We have identified that the linker region between the pleckstrin homology 2 (PH2) and the syntrophin unique (SU) domains, corresponding to amino acids 399-447 of alpha-1 syntrophin, is crucial for interaction with PMCA1 and -4. The PH2 and the SU domains alone failed to interact with PMCA. The functionality of the interaction was demonstrated by investigating the inhibition of neuronal nitric-oxide synthase-1 (NOS-1); PMCA is a negative regulator of NOS-1-dependent NO production, and overexpression of alpha-1 syntrophin and PMCA4 resulted in strongly increased inhibition of NO production. Analysis of the expression levels of alpha-1 syntrophin protein in the heart, skeletal muscle, brain, uterus, kidney, or liver of PMCA4-/- mice, did not reveal any differences when compared with those found in the same tissues of wild-type mice. These results suggest that PMCA4 is tethered to the syntrophin complex as a regulator of NOS-1, but its absence does not cause collapse of the complex, contrary to what has been reported for other proteins within the complex, such as dystrophin. In conclusion, the present data demonstrate for the first time the localization of PMCA1b and -4b to the syntrophin.dystrophin complex in the heart and provide a specific molecular mechanism of interaction as well as functionality.

Localization of cardiac L-type Ca(2+) channels to a caveolar macromolecular signaling complex is required for beta(2)-adrenergic regulation

L-type Ca(2+) channels play a critical role in regulating Ca(2+)-dependent signaling in cardiac myocytes, including excitation-contraction coupling; however, the subcellular localization of cardiac L-type Ca(2+) channels and their regulation are incompletely understood. Caveolae are specialized microdomains of the plasmalemma rich in signaling molecules and supported by the structural protein caveolin-3 in muscle. Here we demonstrate that a subpopulation of L-type Ca(2+) channels is localized to caveolae in ventricular myocytes as part of a macromolecular signaling complex necessary for beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (AR) regulation of I(Ca,L). Immunofluorescence studies of isolated ventricular myocytes using confocal microscopy detected extensive colocalization of caveolin-3 and the major pore-forming subunit of the L-type Ca channel (Ca(v)1.2). Immunogold electron microscopy revealed that these proteins colocalize in caveolae. Immunoprecipitation from ventricular myocytes using anti-Ca(v)1.2 or anti-caveolin-3 followed by Western blot analysis showed that caveolin-3, Ca(v)1.2, beta(2)-AR (not beta(1)-AR), G protein alpha(s), adenylyl cyclase, protein kinase A, and protein phosphatase 2a are closely associated. To determine the functional impact of the caveolar-localized beta(2)-AR/Ca(v)1.2 signaling complex, beta(2)-AR stimulation (salbutamol plus atenolol) of I(Ca,L) was examined in pertussis toxin-treated neonatal mouse ventricular myocytes. The stimulation of I(Ca,L) in response to beta(2)-AR activation was eliminated by disruption of caveolae with 10 mM methyl beta-cyclodextrin or by small interfering RNA directed against caveolin-3, whereas beta(1)-AR stimulation (norepinephrine plus prazosin) of I(Ca,L) was not altered. These findings demonstrate that subcellular localization of L-type Ca(2+) channels to caveolar macromolecular signaling complexes is essential for regulation of the channels by specific signaling pathways.

Ca2+-ATPases in non-failing and failing heart: evidence for a novel cardiac sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2 isoform (SERCA2c)

We recently documented the expression of a novel human mRNA variant encoding a yet uncharacterized SERCA [SR (sarcoplasmic reticulum)/ER (endoplasmic reticulum) Ca2+-ATPase] protein, SERCA2c [Gélébart, Martin, Enouf and Papp (2003) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 303, 676-684]. In the present study, we have analysed the expression and functional characteristics of SERCA2c relative to SERCA2a and SERCA2b isoforms upon their stable heterologous expression in HEK-293 cells (human embryonic kidney 293 cells). All SERCA2 proteins induced an increased Ca2+ content in the ER of intact transfected cells. In microsomes prepared from transfected cells, SERCA2c showed a lower apparent affinity for cytosolic Ca2+ than SERCA2a and a catalytic turnover rate similar to SERCA2b. We further demonstrated the expression of the endogenous SERCA2c protein in protein lysates isolated from heart left ventricles using a newly generated SERCA2c-specific antibody. Relative to the known uniform distribution of SERCA2a and SERCA2b in cardiomyocytes of the left ventricle tissue, SERCA2c was only detected in a confined area of cardiomyocytes, in close proximity to the sarcolemma. This finding led us to explore the expression of the presently known cardiac Ca2+-ATPase isoforms in heart failure. Comparative expression of SERCAs and PMCAs (plasma-membrane Ca2+-ATPases) was performed in four nonfailing hearts and five failing hearts displaying mixed cardiomyopathy and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathies. Relative to normal subjects, cardiomyopathic patients express more PMCAs than SERCA2 proteins. Interestingly, SERCA2c expression was significantly increased (166+/-26%) in one patient. Taken together, these results demonstrate the expression of the novel SERCA2c isoform in the heart and may point to a still unrecognized role of PMCAs in cardiomyopathies.

Transgenic modifications of the rat genome

The laboratory rat (R. norvegicus) is a very important experimental animal in several fields of biomedical research. This review describes the various techniques that have been used to generate transgenic rats: classical DNA microinjection and more recently described techniques such as lentiviral vector-mediated DNA transfer into early embryos, sperm-mediated transgenesis, embryo cloning by nuclear transfer and germline mutagenesis. It will also cover techniques associated to transgenesis such as sperm cryopreservation, embryo freezing and determination of zygosity. The availability of several technologies allowing genetic manipulation in the rat coupled to genomic data will allow biomedical research to fully benefit from the rat as an experimental animal.

Plasma membrane calcium pumps in smooth muscle: from fictional molecules to novel inhibitors

Plasma membrane Ca2+pumps (PMCA pumps) are Ca2+-Mg2+ATPases that expel Ca2+from the cytosol to extracellular space and are pivotal to cell survival and function. PMCA pumps are encoded by the genes PMCA1, -2, -3, and -4. Alternative splicing results in a large number of isoforms that differ in their kinetics and activation by calmodulin and protein kinases A and C. Expression by 4 genes and a multifactorial regulation provide redundancy to allow for animal survival despite genetic defects. Heterozygous mice with ablation of any of the PMCA genes survive and only the homozygous mice with PMCA1 ablation are embryolethal. Some PMCA isoforms may also be involved in other cell functions. Biochemical and biophysical studies of PMCA pumps have been limited by their low levels of expression. Delineation of the exact physiological roles of PMCA pumps has been difficult since most cells also express sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+pumps and a Na+-Ca2+-exchanger, both of which can lower cytosolic Ca2+. A major limitation in the field has been the lack of specific inhibitors of PMCA pumps. More recently, a class of inhibitors named caloxins have emerged, and these may aid in delineating the roles of PMCA pumps.Key words: ATPases, hypertension, caloxin, protein kinase A, protein kinase C, calmodulin.

Regulation of intracellular Ca2+ and calcineurin by NO/PKG in proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells

AIM

To determine whether Ca2+/calcineurin mediated the inhibitory effects of nitric oxide /cGMP-dependent protein kinase (NO/PKG) on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC).

METHODS

Proliferation and viability of primary VSMC from rat aorta were measured using [3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay and acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining, respectively. Cytosolic Ca2+ was determined by Fluo-3/AM. Calcineurin protein and its activity were assayed using immunoblotting and free inorganic phosphate analysis, respectively.

RESULTS

(+/-)-S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP) and Sp-8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate (Sp-8-pCPT-cGMPS) decreased phenylephrine (PE)-induced proliferation of VSMC by 27.3% and 36.6%, respectively, but Rp-8-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate (Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS) increased PE-induced proliferation of VSMC. SNAP, Sp-8-pCPT-cGMPS, and Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS did not affect the viability of VSMC. Calcineurin protein was decreased by 63.1% and its activity was decreased by 59.7% in smooth muscle cells (SMC) pretreated with verapamil (Ver) and then stimulated by PE. In SMC pretreated with Ver, the absorbance of cells stimulated by PE decreased by 22.0% and was further inhibited by the additional treatment of SNAP and Sp-8-pCPT-cGMPS. In SMC pretreated with cyclosporin A (CsA), the absorbance of cells stimulated by PE decreased by 36.7%, but could not be further altered by the additional treatment of SNAP, Sp-8-pCPT-cGMPS, and Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS. In addition, Ver inhibited PE-induced intracellular Ca2+ variations, which could be further inhibited by SNAP and Sp-8-pCPT-cGMPS, but not by Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS. Moreover, the increase in calcineurin activity induced by PE was inhibited by SNAP and Sp-8-pCPT-cGMPS, but was promoted by Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS.

CONCLUSION

NO/PKG regulates calcineurin activity via the modulation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, and thus partially inhibits the proliferation of VSMC without affecting their viability.

Ca2+ clearance in smooth muscle: lessons from gene-altered mice

The regulation of intracellular [Ca(2+)](i) is important for all cells, but in particular for smooth muscle, as [Ca(2+)](i) is a key second messenger leading to contraction. Mechanisms for the cellular clearance of [Ca(2+)](i) form one side of Ca(2+) homeostasis and include: Plasma Membrane Ca(2+) ATPases (PMCA), Sarcoplasmic/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca(2+) ATPases (SERCA), Na(+)-Ca(2+)-exchangers (NCX) when coupled to the Na(+)-K(+) ATPases (NKA) and in some cases mitochondria. The nature and relative contribution of these various components of cytosolic Ca(2+) clearance have long been an important topic for study in smooth muscle, particularly as related to regulation of contractility. These studies have largely depended on inhibition of the various components. Recently advances in gene-targeting and transgenesis have made it possible to add or delete individual components, and importantly specific isoforms from the cell. In this brief review, we will focus on new information on Ca(2+) clearance in smooth muscle gained from studies on gene-altered mice models. These provide a deeper understanding of distinct functional roles for individual isoforms and the interactions between various components.

α-Tropomyosin mutations Asp175Asn and Glu180Gly affect cardiac function in transgenic rats in different ways

To study the mechanisms by which missense mutations in α-tropomyosin cause familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, we generated transgenic rats overexpressing α-tropomyosin with one of two disease-causing mutations, Asp175Asn or Glu180Gly, and analyzed phenotypic changes at molecular, morphological, and physiological levels. The transgenic proteins were stably integrated into the sarcomere, as shown by immunohistochemistry using a human-specific anti-α-tropomyosin antibody, ARG1. In transgenic rats with either α-tropomyosin mutation, molecular markers of cardiac hypertrophy were induced. Ca2+sensitivity of cardiac skinned-fiber preparations from animals with mutation Asp175Asn, but not Glu180Gly, was decreased. Furthermore, elevated frequency and amplitude of spontaneous Ca2+waves were detected only in cardiomyocytes from animals with mutation Asp175Asn, suggesting an increase in intracellular Ca2+concentration compensating for the reduced Ca2+sensitivity of isometric force generation. Accordingly, in Langendorff-perfused heart preparations, myocardial contraction and relaxation were accelerated in animals with mutation Asp175Asn. The results allow us to propose a hypothesis of the pathogenetic changes caused by α-tropomyosin mutation Asp175Asn in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on the basis of changes in Ca2+handling as a sensitive mechanism to compensate for alterations in sarcomeric structure.

Novel functional interaction between the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump 4b and the proapoptotic tumor suppressor Ras-associated factor 1 (RASSF1)

Plasma membrane calmodulin-dependent calcium ATPases (PMCAs) are enzymatic systems implicated in the extrusion of calcium from the cell. We and others have previously identified molecular interactions between the cytoplasmic COOH-terminal end of PMCA and PDZ domain-containing proteins. These interactions suggested a new role for PMCA as a modulator of signal transduction pathways. The existence of other intracellular regions in the PMCA molecule prompted us to investigate the possible participation of other domains in interactions with different partner proteins. A two-hybrid screen of a human fetal heart cDNA library, using the region 652-840 of human PMCA4b (located in the catalytic, second intracellular loop) as bait, revealed a novel interaction between PMCA4b and the tumor suppressor RASSF1, a Ras effector protein involved in H-Ras-mediated apoptosis. Immunofluorescence co-localization, immunoprecipitation, and glutathione S-transferase pull-down experiments performed in mammalian cells provided further confirmation of the physical interaction between the two proteins. The interaction domain has been narrowed down to region 74-123 of RASSF1C (144-193 in RASSF1A) and 652-748 of human PMCA4b. The functionality of this interaction was demonstrated by the inhibition of the epidermal growth factor-dependent activation of the Erk pathway when PMCA4b and RASSF1 were co-expressed. This inhibition was abolished by blocking PMCA/RASSSF1 association with an excess of a green fluorescent protein fusion protein containing the region 50-123 of RASSF1C. This work describes a novel protein-protein interaction involving a domain of PMCA other than the COOH terminus. It suggests a function for PMCA4b as an organizer of macromolecular protein complexes, where PMCA4b could recruit diverse proteins through interaction with different domains. Furthermore, the functional association with RASSF1 indicates a role for PMCA4b in the modulation of Ras-mediated signaling.

Regulation of vascular tone in animals overexpressing the sarcolemmal calcium pump

The mechanisms governing vascular smooth muscle tone are incompletely understood. In particular, the role of the sarcolemmal calcium pump PMCA (plasma membrane calmodulin-dependent calcium ATPase), which extrudes Ca2+ from the cytosol, and its importance compared with the sodium/calcium exchanger remain speculative. To test whether the PMCA is a regulator of vascular tone, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing the human PMCA4b under control of the arterial smooth muscle-specific SM22alpha promoter. This resulted in an elevated systolic blood pressure compared with littermate controls. In PMCA-overexpressing mice, endothelium-dependent relaxation of norepinephrine-preconstricted aortic rings to acetylcholine did not differ from wild type controls (76 +/- 8% versus 79 +/- 8% of maximum relaxation; n = 12, n.s.). De-endothelialized aortas of transgenic mice exhibited stronger maximum contraction to KCl (100 mmol/liter) compared with controls (86 +/- 6% versus 68 +/- 7% of reference KCl contraction at the beginning of the experiment; p <0.05). Preincubation of de-endothelialized vessels with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor l-NAME (l-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl ester) (10-5 mol/liter) resulted in a stronger contraction to KCl (p <0.05 versus without l-NAME), thus unmasking vasodilatory effects of inherent NO production. Maximum contraction to KCl after preincubation with l-NAME did not differ between PMCA mice and controls. In analogy to the results in PMCA-overexpressing mice, contractions of de-endothelialized aortas of neuronal NOS-deficient mice to KCl were significantly increased compared with controls (151 +/- 5% versus 131 +/- 6% of reference KCl contraction; p <0.05). In conclusion, our data suggest a model in which the sarcolemmal Ca2+ pump down-regulates activity of the vascular smooth muscle Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent neuronal NOS by a functionally relevant interaction. Therefore, the PMCA represents a novel regulator of vascular tone.

Hallmarks of ion channel gene expression in end-stage heart failure

Electrical conductance is greatly altered in end-stage heart failure, but little is known about the underlying events. We therefore investigated the expression of genes coding for major inward and outward ion channels, calcium binding proteins, ion receptors, ion exchangers, calcium ATPases, and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases in explanted hearts (n=13) of patients diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. With the exception of Kv11.1 and Kir3.1 and when compared with healthy controls, major sodium, potassium, and calcium ion channels, ion transporters, and exchangers were significantly repressed, but expression of Kv7.1, HCN4, troponin C and I, SERCA1, and phospholamban was elevated. Hierarchical gene cluster analysis provided novel insight into regulated gene networks. Significant induction of the transcriptional repressor m-Bop and the translational repressor NAT1 coincided with repressed cardiac gene expression. The statistically significant negative correlation between repressors and ion channels points to a mechanism of disease. We observed coregulation of ion channels and the androgen receptor and propose a role for this receptor in ion channel regulation. Overall, the reversal of repressed ion channel gene expression in patients with implanted assist devices exemplifies the complex interactions between pressure load/stretch force and heart-specific gene expression.

The molecular basis of myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is the inability of the heart to cope with the metabolic demands of the periphery. It is the common end-stage of many frequent cardiac diseases and is characterized by relentless progression. Mechanisms of progression include renal sodium and water retention, neurohumoral activation and alterations of the protein composition (gene programme) of the heart itself. In this review, we explain the often confusing terminology in the subject, briefly touch upon the peripheral mechanisms of HF, and then focus on the changes in the gene programme of the failing heart and the molecular mechanisms leading to them. Understanding the basic processes underlying HF will help uninitiated readers to gain insight into recent novel approaches to its treatment.