Joshua T. Maxwell

Refractoriness of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release determines Ca2+ alternans in atrial myocytes.

Cardiac alternans is a recognized risk factor for cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. At the cellular level, Ca(2+) alternans appears as cytosolic Ca(2+) transients of alternating amplitude at regular beating frequency. Cardiac alternans is a multifactorial process but has been linked to disturbances in intracellular Ca(2+) regulation. In atrial myocytes, we tested the role of voltage-gated Ca(2+) current, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) load, and restitution properties of SR Ca(2+) release for the occurrence of pacing-induced Ca(2+) alternans. Voltage-clamp experiments revealed that peak Ca(2+) current was not affected during alternans, and alternans of end-diastolic SR Ca(2+) load, evaluated by application of caffeine or measured directly with an intra-SR fluorescent Ca(2+) indicator (fluo-5N), were not a requirement for cytosolic Ca(2+) alternans. Restitution properties and kinetics of refractoriness of Ca(2+) release after activation during alternans were evaluated by four different approaches: measurements of 1) the delay (latency) of occurrence of spontaneous global Ca(2+) releases and 2) Ca(2+) spark frequency, both during rest after a large and small alternans Ca(2+) transient; 3) the magnitude of premature action potential-induced Ca(2+) transients after a large and small beat; and 4) the efficacy of a photolytically induced Ca(2+) signal (Ca(2+) uncaging from DM-nitrophen) to trigger additional Ca(2+) release during alternans. The results showed that the latency of global spontaneous Ca(2+) release was prolonged and Ca(2+) spark frequency was decreased after the large Ca(2+) transient during alternans. Furthermore, the restitution curve of the Ca(2+) transient elicited by premature action potentials or by photolysis-induced Ca(2+) release from the SR lagged behind after a large-amplitude transient during alternans compared with the small-amplitude transient. The data demonstrate that beat-to-beat alternation of the time-dependent restitution properties and refractory kinetics of the SR Ca(2+) release mechanism represents a key mechanism underlying cardiac alternans.

Dantrolene prevents arrhythmogenic Ca2+ release in heart failure

In heart failure (HF), arrhythmogenic Ca(2+) release and chronic Ca(2+) depletion of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) arise due to altered function of the ryanodine receptor (RyR) SR Ca(2+)-release channel. Dantrolene, a therapeutic agent used to treat malignant hyperthermia associated with mutations of the skeletal muscle type 1 RyR (RyR1), has recently been suggested to have effects on the cardiac type 2 RyR (RyR2). In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that dantrolene exerts antiarrhythmic and inotropic effects on HF ventricular myocytes by examining multiple aspects of intracellular Ca(2+) handling. In normal rabbit myocytes, dantrolene (1 μM) had no effect on SR Ca(2+) load, postrest decay of SR Ca(2+) content, the threshold for spontaneous Ca(2+) wave initiation (i.e., the SR Ca(2+) content at which spontaneous waves initiate) and Ca(2+) spark frequency. In cardiomyocytes from failing rabbit hearts, SR Ca(2+) load and the wave initiation threshold were decreased compared with normal myocytes, Ca(2+) spark frequency was increased, and the postrest decay was potentiated. Using a novel approach of measuring cytosolic and intra-SR Ca(2+) concentration (using the low-affinity Ca(2+) indicator fluo-5N entrapped within the SR), we showed that treatment of HF cardiomyocytes with dantrolene rescued postrest decay and increased the wave initiation threshold. Additionally, dantrolene decreased Ca(2+) spark frequency while increasing the SR Ca(2+) content in HF myocytes. These data suggest that dantrolene exerts antiarrhythmic effects and preserves inotropy in HF cardiomyocytes by decreasing the incidence of diastolic Ca(2+) sparks, increasing the intra-SR Ca(2+) threshold at which spontaneous Ca(2+) waves occur, and decreasing the loss of Ca(2+) from the SR. Furthermore, the observation that dantrolene reduces arrhythmogenicity while at the same time preserves inotropy suggests that dantrolene is a potentially useful drug in the treatment of arrhythmia associated with HF.

Inositol‐1,4,5‐trisphosphate induced Ca2+ release and excitation–contraction coupling in atrial myocytes from normal and failing hearts

Impaired calcium (Ca2+) signalling is the main contributor to depressed ventricular contractile function and occurrence of arrhythmia in heart failure (HF). Here we report that in atrial cells of a rabbit HF model, Ca2+ signalling is enhanced and we identified the underlying cellular mechanisms. Enhanced Ca2+ transients (CaTs) are due to upregulation of inositol‐1,4,5‐trisphosphate receptor induced Ca2+ release (IICR) and decreased mitochondrial Ca2+ sequestration. Enhanced IICR, however, together with an increased activity of the sodium–calcium exchange mechanism, also facilitates spontaneous Ca2+ release in form of arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves and spontaneous action potentials, thus enhancing the arrhythmogenic potential of atrial cells. Our data show that enhanced Ca2+ signalling in HF provides atrial cells with a mechanism to improve ventricular filling and to maintain cardiac output, but also increases the susceptibility to develop atrial arrhythmias facilitated by spontaneous Ca2+ release.

Facilitation of cytosolic calcium wave propagation by local calcium uptake into the sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiac myocytes

•  Cytosolic calcium (Ca2+) waves result from spontaneous release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ store that occurs under Ca2+ overload conditions and can give rise to arrhythmias in the heart. The prevailing paradigm of Ca2+ wave propagation involves cytosolic Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release. •  A recent challenge to this paradigm proposed the requirement for an intra‐SR ‘sensitization’ Ca2+ wave that primes release activation due to the luminal Ca2+ sensitivity of the release mechanism. •  We tested this hypothesis in cardiac myocytes with direct simultaneous high‐resolution measurements of cytosolic and intra‐SR Ca2+ using fluorescence confocal microscopy. •  We found that the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ at the wave front preceded release and depletion of SR Ca2+ in time, and during this latency period a transient increase of SR Ca2+ was observed at individual release sites that gave rise to a propagating intra‐SR Ca2+ sensitization wave. •  The intra‐SR sensitization wave depended on the activity of the sarco‐endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA) and occurred by a mechanism where Ca2+ uptake by SERCA at the wave front facilitates propagation of cytosolic Ca2+ waves via luminal sensitization of the release mechanism, thus supporting a novel paradigm of a ‘fire‐diffuse‐uptake‐fire’ mechanism for Ca2+ wave propagation.

β‐Adrenergic stimulation increases the intra‐sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ threshold for Ca2+ wave generation

•  In the heart, Ca2+ waves are arrhythmogenic spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release events that arise when the Ca2+ content in the SR reaches a critical threshold level. •  β‐Adrenergic signalling induces Ca2+ waves in cardiac myocytes, but it remains unclear if this is due to a decrease in the Ca2+ wave threshold or more simply due to an increase in SR Ca2+ content. •  We used direct, dynamic measurement of SR Ca2+ levels to show that the Ca2+ wave threshold is unexpectedly increased during β‐adrenergic stimulation. •  Our data show that the primary cause of Ca2+ waves following acute β‐adrenergic stimulation is the increase in SR Ca2+ content and not a decrease in the Ca2+ wave threshold. •  We propose that the elevation of the Ca2+ wave threshold represents a protective mechanism against arrhythmogenic events during periods of β‐adrenergic stimulation.

Spatially Defined InsP3-Mediated Signaling in Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes

The functional role of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) signaling in cardiomyocytes is not entirely understood but it was linked to an increased propensity for triggered activity. The aim of this study was to determine how InsP3 receptors can translate Ca2+ release into a depolarization of the plasma membrane and consequently arrhythmic activity. We used embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (ESdCs) as a model system since their spontaneous electrical activity depends on InsP3-mediated Ca2+ release. [InsP3]i was monitored with the FRET-based InsP3-biosensor FIRE-1 (Fluorescent InsP3 Responsive Element) and heterogeneity in sub-cellular [InsP3]i was achieved by targeted expression of FIRE-1 in the nucleus (FIRE-1nuc) or expression of InsP3 5-phosphatase (m43) localized to the plasma membrane. Spontaneous activity of ESdCs was monitored simultaneously as cytosolic Ca2+ transients (Fluo-4/AM) and action potentials (current clamp). During diastole, the diastolic depolarization was paralleled by an increase of [Ca2+]i and spontaneous activity was modulated by [InsP3]i. A 3.7% and 1.7% increase of FIRE-1 FRET ratio and 3.0 and 1.5 fold increase in beating frequency was recorded upon stimulation with endothelin-1 (ET-1, 100 nmol/L) or phenylephrine (PE, 10 µmol/L), respectively. Buffering of InsP3 by FIRE-1nuc had no effect on the basal frequency while attenuation of InsP3 signaling throughout the cell (FIRE-1), or at the plasma membrane (m43) resulted in a 53.7% and 54.0% decrease in beating frequency. In m43 expressing cells the response to ET-1 was completely suppressed. Ca2+ released from InsP3Rs is more effective than Ca2+ released from RyRs to enhance INCX. The results support the hypothesis that in ESdCs InsP3Rs form a functional signaling domain with NCX that translates Ca2+ release efficiently into a depolarization of the membrane potential.

A novel mechanism of tandem activation of ryanodine receptors by cytosolic and SR luminal Ca2+ during excitation–contraction coupling in atrial myocytes

In atrial myocytes excitation–contraction coupling is strikingly different from ventricle because atrial myocytes lack a transverse tubule membrane system: Ca2+ release starts in the cell periphery and propagates towards the cell centre by Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ store. The cytosolic Ca2+ sensitivity of the ryanodine receptor (RyRs) Ca2+ release channel is low and it is unclear how Ca2+ release can be activated in the interior of atrial cells. Simultaneous confocal imaging of cytosolic and intra‐SR calcium revealed a transient elevation of store Ca2+ that we termed ‘Ca2+ sensitization signal’. We propose a novel paradigm of atrial ECC that is based on tandem activation of the RyRs by cytosolic and luminal Ca2+ through a ‘fire–diffuse–uptake–fire’ (or FDUF) mechanism: Ca2+ uptake by SR Ca2+ pumps at the propagation front elevates Ca2+ inside the SR locally, leading to luminal RyR sensitization and lowering of the cytosolic Ca2+ activation threshold.

Cytosolic and nuclear calcium signaling in atrial myocytes: IP3-mediated calcium release and the role of mitochondria

In rabbit atrial myocytes Ca signaling has unique features due to the lack of transverse (t) tubules, the spatial arrangement of mitochondria and the contribution of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor-induced Ca release (IICR). During excitation-contraction coupling action potential-induced elevation of cytosolic [Ca] originates in the cell periphery from Ca released from the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (j-SR) and then propagates by Ca-induced Ca release from non-junctional (nj-) SR toward the cell center. The subsarcolemmal region between j-SR and the first array of nj-SR Ca release sites is devoid of mitochondria which results in a rapid propagation of activation through this domain, whereas the subsequent propagation through the nj-SR network occurs at a velocity typical for a propagating Ca wave. Inhibition of mitochondrial Ca uptake with the Ca uniporter blocker Ru360 accelerates propagation and increases the amplitude of Ca transients (CaTs) originating from nj-SR. Elevation of cytosolic IP3 levels by rapid photolysis of caged IP3 has profound effects on the magnitude of subcellular CaTs with increased Ca release from nj-SR and enhanced CaTs in the nuclear compartment. IP3 uncaging restricted to the nucleus elicites ‘mini’-Ca waves that remain confined to this compartment. Elementary IICR events (Ca puffs) preferentially originate in the nucleus in close physical association with membrane structures of the nuclear envelope and the nucleoplasmic reticulum. The data suggest that in atrial myocytes the nucleus is an autonomous Ca signaling domain where Ca dynamics are primarily governed by IICR.

Urocortin 2 stimulates nitric oxide production in ventricular myocytes via Akt- and PKA-mediated phosphorylation of eNOS at serine 1177

Urocortin 2 (Ucn2) is a cardioactive peptide exhibiting beneficial effects in normal and failing heart. In cardiomyocytes, it elicits cAMP- and Ca(2+)-dependent positive inotropic and lusitropic effects. We tested the hypothesis that, in addition, Ucn2 activates cardiac nitric oxide (NO) signaling and elucidated the underlying signaling pathways and mechanisms. In isolated rabbit ventricular myocytes, Ucn2 caused concentration- and time-dependent increases in phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473, Thr308), endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) (Ser1177), and ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204). ERK1/2 phosphorylation, but not Akt and eNOS phosphorylation, was suppressed by inhibition of MEK1/2. Increased Akt phosphorylation resulted in increased Akt kinase activity and was mediated by corticotropin-releasing factor 2 (CRF2) receptors (astressin-2B sensitive). Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) diminished both Akt as well as eNOS phosphorylation mediated by Ucn2. Inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) reduced Ucn2-induced phosphorylation of eNOS but did not affect the increase in phosphorylation of Akt. Conversely, direct receptor-independent elevation of cAMP via forskolin increased phosphorylation of eNOS but not of Akt. Ucn2 increased intracellular NO concentration ([NO]i), [cGMP], [cAMP], and cell shortening. Inhibition of eNOS suppressed the increases in [NO]i and cell shortening. When both PI3K-Akt and cAMP-PKA signaling were inhibited, the Ucn2-induced increases in [NO]i and cell shortening were attenuated. Thus, in rabbit ventricular myocytes, Ucn2 causes activation of cAMP-PKA, PI3K-Akt, and MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling. The MEK1/2-ERK1/2 pathway is not required for stimulation of NO signaling in these cells. The other two pathways, cAMP-PKA and PI3K-Akt, converge on eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177 and result in pronounced and sustained cellular NO production with subsequent stimulation of cGMP signaling.

A novel method for spatially complex diffraction‐limited photoactivation and photobleaching in living cells

•  For the contraction of a cardiac cell the liberation of calcium ions (Ca2+) from an intracellular Ca2+ storing compartment is required. •  This release of Ca2+ ions occurs through groups (clusters) of Ca2+ release channels that can be activated by cellular signalling molecules such as Ca2+ itself or the messenger molecule inositol‐1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3). •  Here we present a new technique that allows activation of individual release sites or groups of channels in a highly localized manner in living cells and the study of their structural and functional details with high precision.