Ronghua ZhuGe

Ca2+ sparks activate K+ and Cl− channels, resulting in spontaneous transient currents in guinea‐pig tracheal myocytes

1 Local changes in cytosolic [Ca2+] were imaged with a wide‐field, high‐speed, digital imaging system while membrane currents were simultaneously recorded using whole‐cell, perforated patch recording in freshly dissociated guinea‐pig tracheal myocytes. 2 Depending on membrane potential, Ca2+ sparks triggered ‘spontaneous’ transient inward currents (STICs), ‘spontaneous’ transient outward currents (STOCs) and biphasic currents in which the outward phase always preceded the inward (STOICs). The outward currents resulted from the opening of large‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (BK) channels and the inward currents from Ca2+‐activated Cl− (ClCa) channels. 3 A single Ca2+ spark elicited both phases of a STOIC, and sparks originating from the same site triggered STOCs, STICs and STOICs, depending on membrane potential. 4 STOCs had a shorter time to peak (TTP) than Ca2+ sparks and a much shorter half‐time of decay. In contrast, STICs had a somewhat longer TTP than sparks but the same half‐time of decay. Thus, the STIC, not the STOC, more closely reflected the time course of cytosolic Ca2+ elevation during a Ca2+ spark. 5 These findings suggest that ClCa channels and BK channels may be organized spatially in quite different ways in relation to points of Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores. The results also suggest that Ca2+ sparks may have functions in smooth muscle not previously suggested, such as a stabilizing effect on membrane potential and hence on the contractile state of the cell, or as activators of voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels due to depolarization mediated by STICs.

Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents Arise from Microdomains Where BK Channels Are Exposed to a Mean Ca2+ Concentration on the Order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ Spark

Ca2+ sparks are small, localized cytosolic Ca2+ transients due to Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum through ryanodine receptors. In smooth muscle, Ca2+ sparks activate large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BK channels) in the spark microdomain, thus generating spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs). The purpose of the present study is to determine experimentally the level of Ca2+ to which the BK channels are exposed during a spark. Using tight seal, whole-cell recording, we have analyzed the voltage-dependence of the STOC conductance (g(STOC)), and compared it to the voltage-dependence of BK channel activation in excised patches in the presence of different [Ca2+]s. The Ca2+ sparks did not change in amplitude over the range of potentials of interest. In contrast, the magnitude of g(STOC) remained roughly constant from 20 to −40 mV and then declined steeply at more negative potentials. From this and the voltage dependence of BK channel activation, we conclude that the BK channels underlying STOCs are exposed to a mean [Ca2+] on the order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ spark. The membrane area over which a concentration ≥10 μM is reached has an estimated radius of 150–300 nm, corresponding to an area which is a fraction of one square micron. Moreover, given the constraints imposed by the estimated channel density and the Ca2+ current during a spark, the BK channels do not appear to be uniformly distributed over the membrane but instead are found at higher density at the spark site.

Ca2+ Syntillas, Miniature Ca2+ Release Events in Terminals of Hypothalamic Neurons, Are Increased in Frequency by Depolarization in the Absence of Ca2+ Influx

Localized, brief Ca2+ transients (Ca2+ syntillas) caused by release from intracellular stores were found in isolated nerve terminals from magnocellular hypothalamic neurons and examined quantitatively using a signal mass approach to Ca2+ imaging. Ca2+ syntillas (scintilla, L., spark, from a synaptic structure, a nerve terminal) are caused by release of ∼250,000 Ca ions on average by a Ca2+ flux lasting on the order of tens of milliseconds and occur spontaneously at a membrane potential of –80 mV. Syntillas are unaffected by removal of extracellular Ca2+, are mediated by ryanodine receptors (RyRs) and are increased in frequency, in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, by physiological levels of depolarization. This represents the first direct demonstration of mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores in neurons by depolarization without Ca2+ influx. The regulation of syntillas by depolarization provides a new link between neuronal activity and cytosolic [Ca2+] in nerve terminals.

The cellular and molecular basis of bitter tastant-induced bronchodilation.

Bitter tastants can activate bitter taste receptors on constricted smooth muscle cells to inhibit L-type calcium channels and induce bronchodilation.

Dihydropyridine Receptors and Type 1 Ryanodine Receptors Constitute the Molecular Machinery for Voltage-Induced Ca2+ Release in Nerve Terminals

Ca2+ stores were studied in a preparation of freshly dissociated terminals from hypothalamic magnocellular neurons. Depolarization from a holding level of −80 mV in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ elicited Ca2+ release from intraterminal stores, a ryanodine-sensitive process designated as voltage-induced Ca2+ release (VICaR). The release took one of two forms: an increase in the frequency but not the quantal size of Ca2+ syntillas, which are brief, focal Ca2+ transients, or an increase in global [Ca2+]. The present study provides evidence that the sensors of membrane potential for VICaR are dihydropyridine receptors (DHPRs). First, over the range of −80 to −60 mV, in which there was no detectable voltage-gated inward Ca2+ current, syntilla frequency was increased e-fold per 8.4 mV of depolarization, a value consistent with the voltage sensitivity of DHPR-mediated VICaR in skeletal muscle. Second, VICaR was blocked by the dihydropyridine antagonist nifedipine, which immobilizes the gating charge of DHPRs but not by Cd2+ or FPL 64176 (methyl 2,5 dimethyl-4[2-(phenylmethyl)benzoyl]-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylate), a non-dihydropyridine agonist specific for L-type Ca2+ channels, having no effect on gating charge movement. At 0 mV, the IC50 for nifedipine blockade of VICaR in the form of syntillas was 214 nm in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Third, type 1 ryanodine receptors, the type to which DHPRs are coupled in skeletal muscle, were detected immunohistochemically at the plasma membrane of the terminals. VICaR may constitute a new link between neuronal activity, as signaled by depolarization, and a rise in intraterminal Ca2+.

The Transmembrane Protein 16A Ca2+-activated Cl− Channel in Airway Smooth Muscle Contributes to Airway Hyperresponsiveness

RATIONALE Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder with a characteristic of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) [Cl((Ca))] channels are inferred to be involved in AHR, yet their molecular nature and the cell type they act within to mediate this response remain unknown. OBJECTIVES Transmembrane protein 16A (TMEM16A) and TMEM16B are Cl((Ca)) channels, and activation of Cl((Ca)) channels in airway smooth muscle (ASM) contributes to agonist-induced airway contraction. We hypothesized that Tmem16a and/or Tmem16b encode Cl((Ca)) channels in ASM and mediate AHR. METHODS We assessed the expression of the TMEM16 family, and the effects of niflumic acid and benzbromarone on AHR and airway contraction, in an ovalbumin-sensitized mouse model of chronic asthma. We also cloned TMEM16A from ASM and examined the Cl(-) currents it produced in HEK293 cells. We further studied the impacts of TMEM16A deletion on Ca(2+) agonist-induced cell shortening, and on Cl((Ca)) currents activated by Ca(2+) sparks (localized, short-lived Ca(2+) transients due to the opening of ryanodine receptors) in mouse ASM cells. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS TMEM16A, but not TMEM16B, is expressed in ASM cells and its expression in these cells is up-regulated in ovalbumin-sensitized mice. Niflumic acid and benzbromarone prevent AHR and contraction evoked by methacholine in ovalbumin-sensitized mice. TMEM16A produces Cl((Ca)) currents with kinetics similar to native Cl((Ca)) currents. TMEM16A deletion renders Ca(2+) sparks unable to activate Cl((Ca)) currents, and weakens caffeine- and methacholine-induced cell shortening. CONCLUSIONS Tmem16a encodes Cl((Ca)) channels in ASM and contributes to Ca(2+) agonist-induced contraction. In addition, up-regulation of TMEM16A and its augmented activation contribute to AHR in an ovalbumin-sensitized mouse model of chronic asthma. TMEM16A may represent a potential therapeutic target for asthma.

A close association of RyRs with highly dense clusters of Ca2+-activated Cl- channels underlies the activation of STICs by Ca2+ sparks in mouse airway smooth muscle

Ca2+ sparks are highly localized, transient releases of Ca2+ from sarcoplasmic reticulum through ryanodine receptors (RyRs). In smooth muscle, Ca2+ sparks trigger spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) by opening nearby clusters of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels, and also gate Ca2+-activated Cl− (Cl(Ca)) channels to induce spontaneous transient inward currents (STICs). While the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of STOCs by Ca2+ sparks is well understood, little information is available on how Ca2+ sparks activate STICs. In the present study, we investigated the spatial organization of RyRs and Cl(Ca) channels in spark sites in airway myocytes from mouse. Ca2+ sparks and STICs were simultaneously recorded, respectively, with high-speed, widefield digital microscopy and whole-cell patch-clamp. An image-based approach was applied to measure the Ca2+ current underlying a Ca2+ spark (ICa(spark)), with an appropriate correction for endogenous fixed Ca2+ buffer, which was characterized by flash photolysis of NPEGTA. We found that ICa(spark) rises to a peak in 9 ms and decays with a single exponential with a time constant of 12 ms, suggesting that Ca2+ sparks result from the nonsimultaneous opening and closure of multiple RyRs. The onset of the STIC lags the onset of the ICa(spark) by less than 3 ms, and its rising phase matches the duration of the ICa(spark). We further determined that Cl(Ca) channels on average are exposed to a [Ca2+] of 2.4 μM or greater during Ca2+ sparks. The area of the plasma membrane reaching this level is <600 nm in radius, as revealed by the spatiotemporal profile of [Ca2+] produced by a reaction-diffusion simulation with measured ICa(spark). Finally we estimated that the number of Cl(Ca) channels localized in Ca2+ spark sites could account for all the Cl(Ca) channels in the entire cell. Taken together these results lead us to propose a model in which RyRs and Cl(Ca) channels in Ca2+ spark sites localize near to each other, and, moreover, Cl(Ca) channels concentrate in an area with a radius of ∼600 nm, where their density reaches as high as 300 channels/μm2. This model reveals that Cl(Ca) channels are tightly controlled by Ca2+ sparks via local Ca2+ signaling.

Ca2+ sparks act as potent regulators of excitation-contraction coupling in airway smooth muscle.

Ca2+ sparks are short lived and localized Ca2+ transients resulting from the opening of ryanodine receptors in sarcoplasmic reticulum. These events relax certain types of smooth muscle by activating big conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels to produce spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) and the resultant closure of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. But in many smooth muscles from a variety of organs, Ca2+ sparks can additionally activate Ca2+-activated Cl− channels to generate spontaneous transient inward current (STICs). To date, the physiological roles of Ca2+ sparks in this latter group of smooth muscle remain elusive. Here, we show that in airway smooth muscle, Ca2+ sparks under physiological conditions, activating STOCs and STICs, induce biphasic membrane potential transients (BiMPTs), leading to membrane potential oscillations. Paradoxically, BiMPTs stabilize the membrane potential by clamping it within a negative range and prevent the generation of action potentials. Moreover, blocking either Ca2+ sparks or hyperpolarization components of BiMPTs activates voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, resulting in an increase in global [Ca2+]i and cell contraction. Therefore, Ca2+ sparks in smooth muscle presenting both STICs and STOCs act as a stabilizer of membrane potential, and altering the balance can profoundly alter the status of excitability and contractility. These results reveal a novel mechanism underlying the control of excitability and contractility in smooth muscle.

Activation of BK channels may not be required for bitter tastant-induced bronchodilation

To the Editor: Deshpande et al.1 reported that bitter tastants increase intracellular Ca2+ concentration (to similar levels produced by the bronchoconstrictive agonists histamine and bradykinin) yet cause marked bronchodilation. This implies that elevated Ca2+ concentration inhibits contraction, challenging the classic Ca2+-dependent mechanism underlying smooth muscle contraction2,3. To resolve this apparent paradox, the authors showed that bitter tastants can generate localized Ca2+ events, and that bitter tastantinduced relaxation and hyperpolarization can be inhibited by the largeconductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channel antagonist iberiotoxin1; thus, they propose that bitter tastant–induced bronchodilation results from its ability to generate localized Ca2+ signals, which in turn open BK channels and hyperpolarize the membrane. However, their assertion of the involvement of BK channel activation was solely based on the effect of iberiotoxin on bitter tastant–induced relaxation and change in membrane potential as assessed by voltage-sensitive dyes. We are concerned that the association of BK channel activity with relaxation has not been directly examined, raising questions about the proposed relaxation mechanism. We therefore directly studied the effect of bitter tastants on the activity of BK channels and examined the relaxation effect of multiple BK channel inhibitors in mouse airway smooth muscle, the same type of smooth muscle tissue used in Deshpande et al.1. To directly investigate the effect of bitter tastants on BK channel function, we used patch-clamp technology (see Supplementary Methods), an unequivocal methodology for studying ion channel activity. We first examined the effects of the bitter tastant chloroquine on spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs). These currents result from the opening of BK channels in response to local, short-lived Ca2+ events, that is, Ca2+ sparks, thus representing reliable readouts of the BK channel activity in these cells4,5. If bitter tastants generate localized Ca2+ events as Deshpande et al.1 have suggested, it is plausible that they would increase the activity of STOCs. However, we found that chloroquine at 1 mM, a dose that causes total relaxation (Fig. 3c in Deshpande et al.1), did not increase STOC amplitude or frequency within the first minute or so of application (Fig. 1a,b; n = 9). To our surprise, about 2 min after application chloroquine began to inhibit and then completely block STOCs (Fig. 1a,b). The inhibition was reversible (Fig. 1a), indicating that chloroquine at this concentration does not cause appreciable damage to the cells. BK channels are gated by both Ca2+ and membrane potential, and hence we investigated the effect of chloroquine on depolarization-evoked K+ currents. Upon depolarization from –70 mV to –15 mV, mouse airway smooth muscle cells produced a peak current of 104 ± 8 pA (Fig. 1c; n = 14). Chloroquine (1 mM) inhibited this current by 35% 2 min after application (Fig. 1c; P < 0.05 with paired t test, n = 8). Similarly, iberiotoxin (100 nM) suppressed this current by 30% (data not shown; P < 0.05 with paired t test, n = 6). These results prompted us to reexamine bitter tastant–induced relaxation and the effect of BK channel blockers on this relaxation in isolated mouse airway. The bitter tastants quinine, chloroquine and denatonium all relaxed methacholine-induced contraction and did so in a concentrationdependent manner (Fig. 2a,b), consistent with the results of Deshpande et al.1. At 1 mM, within 4.5 ± 0.4 min (n = 29), chloroquine relaxed methacholineinduced contraction by 91.3 ± 2.4%. The extent of this relaxation in intrapulmonary mainstem bronchi (Fig. 2b,c) was comparable to that in trachea and extrapulmonary mainstem bronchi (Supplementary Fig. 1a,b). However, chloroquine (1 mM) still fully reversed methacholineinduced contraction in the presence of 100 nM iberiotoxin (Fig. 2d). This is in contrast to the result of Deshpande et al.1, who showed that chloroquine only partially reverses the contraction under the same conditions. The reasons for this discrepancy are not known. However, because of this discrepancy, we also examined the effect of iberiotoxin at 300 nM. We found that at this high concentration iberotoxin still exerted no effect on chloroquine-induced relaxation (Fig. 2d,e). These results indicate that bitter tastants do not activate BK chan100 s Chloro 1 mM Wash

Extraoral bitter taste receptors in health and disease

Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs or T2Rs) belong to the superfamily of seven-transmembrane G protein–coupled receptors, which are the targets of >50% of drugs currently on the market. Canonically, T2Rs are located in taste buds of the tongue, where they initiate bitter taste perception. However, accumulating evidence indicates that T2Rs are widely expressed throughout the body and mediate diverse nontasting roles through various specialized mechanisms. It has also become apparent that T2Rs and their polymorphisms are associated with human disorders. In this review, we summarize the physiological and pathophysiological roles that extraoral T2Rs play in processes as diverse as innate immunity and reproduction, and the major challenges in this emerging field.