Helen S. Mason

Cyclic GMP-dependent Protein Kinase Activates Cloned BKCa Channels Expressed in Mammalian Cells by Direct Phosphorylation at Serine 1072

NO-induced activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) increases the open probability of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels and results in smooth muscle relaxation. However, the molecular mechanism of channel regulation by the NO-PKG pathway has not been determined on cloned channels. The present study was designed to clarify PKG-mediated modulation of channels at the molecular level. The cDNA encoding the α-subunit of the large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel,cslo-α, was expressed in HEK293 cells. Whole cell and single channel characteristics of cslo-α exhibited functional features of native large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels in smooth muscle cells. The NO-donor sodium nitroprusside increased outward current 2.3-fold in whole cell recordings. In cell-attached patches, sodium nitroprusside increased the channel open probability (NPo) ofcslo-α channels 3.3-fold without affecting unitary conductance. The stimulatory effect of sodium nitroprusside was inhibited by the PKG-inhibitor KT5823. Direct application of PKG-Iα to the cytosolic surface of inside-out patches increased NPo 3.2-fold only in the presence of ATP and cGMP without affecting unitary conductance. A point mutation of cslo-α in which Ser-1072 (the only optimal consensus sequence for PKG phosphorylation) was replaced by Ala abolished the PKG effect on NPo in inside-out patches and the effect of SNP in cell attached patches. These results indicate that PKG activates cslo-α by direct phosphorylation at serine 1072.

Functional and molecular expression of a voltage-dependent K+ channel (Kv1.1) in interstitial cells of Cajal

Located within the gastrointestinal (GI) musculature are networks of cells known as interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). ICC are associated with several functions including pacemaker activity that generates electrical slow waves and neurotransmission regulating GI motility. In this study we identified a voltage‐dependent K+ channel (Kv1.1) expressed in ICC and neurons but not in smooth muscle cells. Transcriptional analyses demonstrated that Kv1.1 was expressed in whole tissue but not in isolated smooth muscle cells. Immunohistochemical co‐localization of Kv1.1 with c‐kit (a specific marker for ICC) and vimentin (a specific marker of neurons and ICC) indicated that Kv1.1‐like immunoreactivity (Kv1.1‐LI) was present in ICC and neurons of GI tissues of the dog, guinea‐pig and mouse. Kv1.1‐LI was not observed in smooth muscle cells of the circular and longitudinal muscle layers. Kv1.1 was cloned from a canine colonic cDNA library and expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Pharmacological investigation of the electrophysiological properties of Kv1.1 demonstrated that the mamba snake toxin dendrotoxin‐K (DTX‐K) blocked the Kv1.1 outward current when expressed as a homotetrameric complex (EC50= 0.34 nm). Other Kv channels were insensitive to DTX‐K. When Kv1.1 was expressed as a heterotetrameric complex with Kv1.5, block by DTX‐K dominated, indicating that one or more subunits of Kv1.1 rendered the heterotetrameric channel sensitive to DTX‐K. In patch‐clamp experiments on cultured murine fundus ICC, DTX‐K blocked a component of the delayed rectifier outward current. The remaining, DTX‐insensitive current (i.e. current in the presence of 10−8m DTX‐K) was outwardly rectifying, rapidly activating, non‐inactivating during 500 ms step depolarizations, and could be blocked by both tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP). In conclusion, Kv1.1 is expressed by ICC of several species. DTX‐K is a specific blocker of Kv1.1 and heterotetrameric channels containing Kv1.1. This information is useful as a means of identifying ICC and in studies of the role of delayed rectifier K+ currents in ICC functions.

Comparative capacitative calcium entry mechanisms in canine pulmonary and renal arterial smooth muscle cells

Experiments were performed to determine whether capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE) can be activated in canine pulmonary and renal arterial smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) and whether activation of CCE parallels the different functional structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in these two cell types. The cytosolic [Ca2+] was measured by imaging fura‐2‐loaded individual cells. Increases in the cytosolic [Ca2+] due to store depletion in pulmonary ASMCs required simultaneous depletion of both the inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (InsP3)‐ and ryanodine (RY)‐sensitive SR Ca2+ stores. In contrast, the cytosolic [Ca2+] rises in renal ASMCs occurred when the SR stores were depleted through either the InsP3 or RY pathways. The increase in the cytosolic [Ca2+] due to store depletion in both pulmonary and renal ASMCs was present in cells that were voltage clamped and was abolished when cells were perfused with a Ca2+‐free bathing solution. Rapid quenching of the fura‐2 signal by 100 μM Mn2+ following SR store depletion indicated that extracellular Ca2+ entry increased in both cell types and also verified that activation of CCE in pulmonary ASMCs required the simultaneous depletion of the InsP3‐ and RY‐sensitive SR Ca2+ stores, while CCE could be activated in renal ASMCs by the depletion of either of the InsP3‐ or RY‐sensitive SR stores. Store depletion Ca2+ entry in both pulmonary and renal ASMCs was strongly inhibited by Ni2+ (0.1–10 mM), slightly inhibited by Cd2+ (200–500 μM), but was not significantly affected by the voltage‐gated Ca2+ channel (VGCC) blocker nisoldipine (10 μM). The non‐selective cation channel blocker Gd3+ (100 μM) inhibited a portion of the Ca2+ entry in 6 of 18 renal but not pulmonary ASMCs. These results provide evidence that SR Ca2+ store depletion activates CCE in parallel with the organization of intracellular Ca2+ stores in canine pulmonary and renal ASMCs.

Novel voltage-dependent non-selective cation conductance in murine colonic myocytes

Two components of voltage‐gated, inward currents were observed from murine colonic myocytes. One component had properties of L‐type Ca2+ currents and was inhibited by nicardipine (5 × 10−7m). A second component did not ‘run down’ during dialysis and was resistant to nicardipine (up to 10−6m). The nicardipine‐insensitive current was activated by small depolarizations above the holding potential and reversed near 0 mV. This low‐voltage‐activated current (ILVA) was resolved with step depolarizations positive to ‐60 mV, and the current rapidly inactivated upon sustained depolarization. The voltage of half‐inactivation was ‐65 mV. Inactivation and activation time constants at ‐45 mV were 86 and 15 ms, respectively. The half‐recovery time from inactivation was 98 ms at ‐45 mV. ILVA peaked at ‐40 mV and the current reversed at 0 mV. I lva was inhibited by Ni2+ (IC50= 1.4 × 10−5m), mibefradil (10−6 to 10−5m), and extracellular Ba2+. Replacement of extracellular Na+ with N‐methyl‐d‐glucamine inhibited ILVA and shifted the reversal potential to ‐7 mV. Increasing extracellular Ca2+ (5 × 10−3m) increased the amplitude of ILVA and shifted the reversal potential to +22 mV. ILVA was also blocked by extracellular Cs+ (10−4m) and Gd3+ (10−6m). Warming increased the rates of activation and deactivation without affecting the amplitude of the peak current. We conclude that the second component of voltage‐dependent inward current in murine colonic myocytes is not a ‘T‐type’ Ca2+ current but rather a novel, voltage‐gated non‐selective cation current. Activation of this current could be important in the recovery of membrane potential following inhibitory junction potentials in gastrointestinal smooth muscle or in mediating responses to agonists.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor–Mediated Inhibition of K+ Channel Subunit Kv2.2 in Brain Stem and Hypothalamic Neurons

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has powerful modulatory actions on cardiovascular function that are mediated by specific receptors located on neurons within the hypothalamus and brain stem. Incubation of neuronal cocultures of rat hypothalamus and brain stem with Ang II elicits an Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor-mediated inhibition of total outward K+ current that contributes to an increase in neuronal firing rate. However, the exact K+ conductance(s) that is inhibited by Ang II are not established. Pharmacological manipulation of total neuronal outward K+ current revealed a component of K+ current sensitive to quinine, tetraethylammonium, and 4-aminopyridine, with IC50 values of 21.7 micromol/L, 1.49 mmol/L, and 890 micromol/L, respectively, and insensitive to alpha-dendrotoxin (100 to 500 nmol/L), charybdotoxin (100 to 500 nmol/L), and mast cell degranulating peptide (1 micromol/L). Collectively, these data suggest the presence of Kv2.2 and Kv3.1b. Biophysical examination of the quinine-sensitive neuronal K+ current demonstrated a macroscopic conductance with similar biophysical properties to those of Kv2.2 and Kv3.1b. Ang II (100 nmol/L), in the presence of the AT2 receptor blocker PD123,319, elicited an inhibition of neuronal K+ current that was abolished by quinine (50 micromol/L). Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed the presence of Kv2.2 and Kv3.1b mRNA in these neurons. However, Western blot analyses demonstrated that only Kv2.2 protein was present. Coexpression of Kv2.2 and the AT1 receptor in Xenopus oocytes demonstrated an Ang II-induced inhibition of Kv2.2 current. Therefore, these data suggest that inhibition of Kv2.2 contributes to the AT1 receptor-mediated reduction of neuronal K+ current and subsequently to the modulation of cardiovascular function.

Mediator of DNA damage checkpoint 1 (MDC1) regulates mitotic progression

Human mediator of DNA damage checkpoint 1 (hMDC1) is an essential component of the cellular response to DNA double strand breaks. Recently, hMDC1 has been shown to associate with a subunit of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) (Coster, G., Hayouka, Z., Argaman, L., Strauss, C., Friedler, A., Brandeis, M., and Goldberg, M. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 32053–32064), a key regulator of mitosis, suggesting a possible role for hMDC1 in controlling normal cell cycle progression. Here, we extend this work to show that hMDC1 regulates normal metaphase-to-anaphase transition through its ability to bind directly to the APC/C and modulate its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. In support of a role for hMDC1 in controlling mitotic progression, depletion of hMDC1 by small interfering RNA results in a metaphase arrest that appears to be independent of both BubR1-dependent signaling pathways and ATM/ATR activation. Mitotic cells lacking hMDC1 exhibit markedly reduced levels of APC/C activity characterized by reduced levels of Cdc20, and a failure of Cdc20 to bind the APC/C and CREB-binding protein. We suggest therefore that hMDC1 functionally regulates the normal metaphase-to-anaphase transition by modulating the Cdc20-dependent activation of the APC/C.

Role of basal extracellular Ca2+ entry during 5-HT-induced vasoconstriction of canine pulmonary arteries.

1 Measurements of artery contraction, cytosolic [Ca2+], and Ca2+ permeability were made to examine contractile and cytosolic [Ca2+] responses of canine pulmonary arteries and isolated cells to 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), and to determine the roles of intracellular Ca2+ release and extracellular Ca2+ entry in 5‐HT responses. 2 The EC50 for 5‐HT‐mediated contractions and cytosolic [Ca2+] increases was ∼10−7 M and responses were inhibited by ketanserin, a 5‐HT2A‐receptor antagonist. 3 5‐HT induced cytosolic [Ca2+] increases were blocked by 20 μM Xestospongin‐C and by 2‐APB (IC50=32 μM), inhibitors of InsP3 receptor activation. 4 5‐HT‐mediated contractions were reliant on release of InsP3 but not ryanodine‐sensitive Ca2+ stores. 5 5‐HT‐mediated contractions and cytosolic [Ca2+] increases were partially inhibited by 10 μM nisoldipine, a voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channel blocker. 6 Extracellular Ca2+ removal reduced 5‐HT‐mediated contractions further than nisoldipine and ablated cytosolic [Ca2+] increases and [Ca2+] oscillations. Similar to Ca2+ removal, Ni2+ reduced cytosolic [Ca2+] and [Ca2+] oscillations. 7 Mn2+ quench of fura‐2 and voltage‐clamp experiments showed that 5‐HT failed to activate any significant voltage‐independent Ca2+ entry pathways, including store‐operated and receptor‐activated nonselective cation channels. Ni2+ but not nisoldipine or Gd3+ blocked basal Mn2+ entry. 8 Voltage‐clamp experiments showed that simultaneous depletion of both InsP3 and ryanodine‐sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores activates a current with linear voltage dependence and a reversal potential consistent with it being a nonselective cation channel. 5‐HT did not activate this current. 9 Basal Ca2+ entry, rather than CCE, is important to maintain 5‐HT‐induced cytosolic [Ca2+] responses and contraction in canine pulmonary artery.