AJP - Heart Calcium Transients and Cell-Sarcomere
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Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 282: H880-H889, 2002; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.01138.2000
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Vol. 282, Issue 3, H880-H889, March 2002

Effects of sustained beta -adrenergic stimulation on ionic currents of cultured adult guinea pig cardiomyocytes

Li-Ming Zhang1, Zhiguo Wang1, and Stanley Nattel1,2

1 Research Center and Department of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal H1T 1C8, and University of Montreal, Montreal H3C 3J7; and 2 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada


    ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Short-term stimulation of beta -receptors is known to affect cardiac ion channels; however, the impact of longer-term stimulation on intrinsic channel function is poorly understood. To evaluate this, cultured guinea pig ventricular myocytes were exposed to isoproterenol (10 nM), vehicle, or isoproterenol plus propranolol (1 µM) for 48 h. Sustained exposure to isoproterenol decreased the density of the inward rectifier (IK1), slow delayed rectifier (IKs), and L-type Ca2+ (ICa L) currents, effects that were fully prevented by propranolol. Changes in K+ currents were prevented by the beta 1-selective antagonist CGP-20712A, unaffected by the beta 2-antagonist ICI-118,551, and mimicked by the membrane-permeable cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP. Isoproterenol did not alter the current-voltage relationship of the K+ currents but increased the density of T-type Ca2+ current (ICa T) and thereby increased the proportion of the total Ca2+ current at more negative potentials. We conclude that sustained exposure to isoproterenol reduces IK1, IKs, and ICa L density and increases the density of ICa T. The direct ionic current remodeling effects of sustained beta -adrenoceptor stimulation resemble changes reported with heart failure and may be important in arrhythmogenic ionic remodeling.

ion-channel regulation; cardiac arrhythmias; calcium channels; potassium channels; sympathetic nervous system


    INTRODUCTION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

VENTRICULAR TACHYARRHYTHMIAS are a common cause of mortality among patients with congestive heart failure (4, 36, 38). Repolarization abnormalities are prominent in patients and experimental animals with heart failure and are believed to be important in ventricular arrhythmogenesis (31). Several abnormalities in ionic currents have been noted in cardiomyocytes of subjects with severe cardiac dysfunction, and these abnormalities are thought to contribute to arrhythmogenesis and the risk of sudden death in heart failure (26, 38).

The adrenergic nervous system clearly contributes to determining the prognosis in patients with heart failure. Plasma norepinephrine concentration is a highly significant determinant of mortality (5) and beta -adrenoceptor antagonists reduce mortality, including sudden arrhythmic death, in patients with heart failure (30). Ion channels are potential signal transduction mediators between physiological stimuli and the hypertrophic response, and beta -receptor activation contributes to the development of myocardial hypertrophy and failure (25). The mortality-promoting role of beta -adrenergic activation in patients with heart failure has been related to its contribution to hypertrophy, as well as to immediate electrophysiological changes via cAMP-dependent regulation of cardiac ion-channel function. The possibility that sustained exposure to adrenergic agonists may regulate ion channel function has received less attention. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of 48 h of exposure to isoproterenol on K+ and Ca2+ currents of adult guinea pig ventricular myocytes, along with adrenergic receptor subtype(s) and signal transduction system(s) involved.


    MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Myocyte isolation. Guinea pigs weighing 350-450 g were euthanized by cervical dislocation. The hearts were quickly excised and mounted on a Langendorff apparatus. Retrograde aortic perfusion was performed with oxygenated (100% O2, pH adjusted to 7.35 with NaOH) Tyrode solution (for composition, see Solutions) at 37°C. When clear of blood, the perfusate was changed to a nominally Ca2+-free Tyrode solution until contraction ceased (generally ~2 min). Perfusion was continued with the same solution containing 140 U/ml collagenase (type 2, Worthington Biochemical) and 1% bovine serum albumin (Sigma) until the ventricular tissue was softened (~20 min). Small pieces of right ventricular free wall tissue were removed with a forceps and mechanically dissociated by trituration. The isolated cells were initially kept in a storage solution containing (in mM) 20 KCl, 10 KH2PO4, 25 glucose, 40 mannitol, 70 L-glutamic acid, 10 beta -hydroxybutyric acid, 20 taurine, and 10 EGTA, along with 1% albumin (pH adjusted to 7.35 with KOH). Cells were concentrated by centrifugation at 250 rpm, and the pellet was removed for culture. All procedures were performed with aseptic technique.

Cell culture and treatment. Nunclon Delta petri dishes (35 mm, Nunc) were used. Medium-199 (GIBCO-BRL, Life Technologies, containing Earle's salts, L-glutamine, and 2,200 mg/l NaHCO3) with 10% fetal bovine serum was supplemented with Na-penicillin G (50 U/ml) and streptomycin sulfate (1 µg/ml) for the cell culture. Cells were plated at low density (~104 cells/cm2) onto square glass coverslips coated with laminin (20 µg/ml) and maintained in the medium at 37°C in a humidified, 5% CO2-enriched atmosphere. After 4 h, any dead or unattached myocytes were washed off to leave a homogeneous layer of rod-shaped cells attached to the coverslips. Fresh medium was then added containing 10 nM isoproterenol (Iso medium), 10 nM isoproterenol plus 1 µM propranolol (Iso + Prop medium), or vehicle alone (control medium). The vehicle contained ascorbic acid (100 µM in distilled water) to prevent isoproterenol oxidation. In some experiments, subtype-selective beta -adrenoceptor antagonists (3, 35, 41) were added to isoproterenol-containing culture medium: 300 nM CGP-20712A methanesulfonate to inhibit beta 1 adrenoceptors or 50 nM ICI-118,551 hydrochloride (ICI) to inhibit beta 2 adrenoceptors.

Electrophysiological studies on cultured cells were conducted after 2 days in culture. Isoproterenol and (when applicable) propranolol that had been included in the culture medium were washed out of the bath for at least 20 min before we made any measurements in any experiments. For each set of experiments, parallel studies were performed with cells cultured in the presence of each experimental group and control medium (i.e., data were not transferred for comparisons across studies), to exclude as much as possible the role of variability in current densities across hearts or isolates. The number of cells indicated for each set of experiments is therefore specific for those experiments; control data were obtained in separate cells for each study.

Solutions. Tyrode solution contained (in mM) 136 NaCl, 2 CaCl2, 5.4 KCl, 0.8 MgCl2, 0.33 NaH2PO4, and 10 dextrose, HEPES; pH 7.4 (NaOH). This solution was used for cell isolation and as the extracellular solution for action potential recording and was modified as indicated below when specific currents were studied. The pipette solution for K+ current studies contained (in mM) 0.1 GTP, 110 K-aspartate, 20 KCl, 1.0 MgCl2, 5 Mg2-ATP, 10 HEPES, 5 Na2-phosphocreatine, and 10 EGTA; pH 7.2 (KOH). For action potential recording, the pipette solution was modified by reducing EGTA concentration to 50 µM (to allow for physiological intracellular Ca2+ transients) and setting the pH at 7.2. When K+ currents were recorded, Cd2+ (200 µM) was added to the Tyrode solution to inhibit L-type Ca2+ current (ICa L). In studies of delayed rectifier K+ current (IK) dofetilide (1 µM) was used to separate the drug-sensitive rapid component (IKr) from the drug-resistant slower component (IKs). The extracellular solution for Ca2+ current (ICa) studies contained (in mM) 136 TEA-Cl, 5.4 CsCl, 1.0 MgCl2, 2.0 CaCl2, 0.33 NaH2PO4, 10 dextrose, and 10 HEPES; pH 7.4 (CsOH). The pipette solution for ICa recording contained (in mM) 135 CsF, 5.0 NaCl, 5.0 HEPES, 10 EGTA, and 5 Mg2-ATP (pH adjusted to 7.2 with CsOH). CsF was used to evaluate ICa with full cAMP activation. Additional experiments were conducted with CsCl instead of CsF in the pipette to evaluate effects on unstimulated ICa.

Data acquisition. After 2 days in culture, medium was washed out with Tyrode solution, the coverslip was placed in an inverted microscope, and the cells were perfused with Tyrode solution containing 1 µM propranolol to block any potential effects of residual isoproterenol bound to the membrane (except in experiments assessing the response to acute isoproterenol administration, for which propranolol was omitted). A limited number of selected experiments were also performed in freshly isolated myocytes, as specified in RESULTS. Experiments were performed at 36 ± 1°C with the use of a temperature control system (model TC-202, Medical Systems). The whole cell patch-clamp technique was used to record currents in voltage-clamp mode and action potentials in current-clamp mode. Borosilicate glass electrodes (1.0 mm outer diameter) were filled with a pipette solution and connected to a patch-clamp amplifier (Axopatch 200A, Axon Instruments). Electrodes with tip resistances of 1-3 MOmega were used to record whole cell currents, and tip resistances were 3-5 MOmega when action potentials were recorded. Action potentials were elicited by 2 ms, twice-threshold pulses, and were recorded at 1 Hz. Action potential duration (APD) was measured to 20 (APD20), 50 (APD50), and 90% (APD90) of full repolarization. Only cells in which action potentials were stable for at least 10 min were used for analysis. Action potential measurements were begun 5 min after cell rupture. Voltage command pulses were generated by a 12-bit digital-to-analog converter controlled by pCLAMP6 software (Axon). Recordings were low-pass filtered at half the sampling frequency. Data were sampled at rates varying from 2 to 10 kHz (with sampling at 10 kHz used for the action potential and the rapidly activating currents such as ICa and sampling at 2 kHz used for slower currents like IK) and then stored on the hard disk of an IBM-compatible computer.

Liquid junction potentials (2-8 mV) were zeroed before formation of the membrane-pipette seal in Tyrode solution. Junction potentials between the bath and pipette solution averaged 10 mV and were corrected for action potentials only. After gigaseal formation (seal resistance >10 GOmega ), gentle suction was applied to rupture the membrane for whole cell recording. Cell capacitance was measured as the integral of the current carried during the capacitive surge upon 5-mV hyperpolarizations from -60 mV divided by the voltage drop. Capacitance was larger in isoproterenol-treated myocytes (87.0 ± 2.6 pF, n = 111 vs. 76.6 ± 2.4 pF for vehicle alone, n = 108; P = 0.004). To control for differences in cell size, all mean current data are expressed as current densities (i.e., normalized to capacitance). The deactivating current after repolarization following an activating pulse (IK tail) and ICa current amplitudes were measured from the peak current amplitude to the steady-state values at the end of the voltage step. IK step was measured from the initial current value at the onset of each depolarizing step to the value at the end of the pulse. IK1 was measured in two ways: both from the holding current to the peak value during a test pulse (peak IK1) and to the steady-state level at the end of the pulse (steady-state IK1). Series resistance averaged 7.7 ± 0.2 and 1.9 ± 0.1 MOmega before and after compensation, respectively. Cells with significant leak currents were rejected, and leakage compensation was not applied.

Statistical analysis. Group data are expressed as means ± SE. Nonlinear curve fitting was performed with the Clampfit routine in pCLAMP (Chebyshev algorithm). Statistical comparisons among groups were performed with analysis of variance (ANOVA). A t-test with Bonferroni's correction was used to evaluate differences between individual mean values. A two-tailed P < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance.


    RESULTS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Changes in cellular phenotype in culture. To evaluate the effects of 48 h of isoproterenol exposure on ion channel properties, the cell had to be maintained in primary culture for this period. Cell culture resulted in a mild decrease in cell size, from 174 ± 4 × 24 ± 1 µm in 30 fresh cells, to 156 ± 4 (P < 0.01) × 23 ± 1 µm in 30 cultured cells. Isoproterenol slightly, but significantly, increased dimensions in cultured cells (n = 30) to 178 ± 3 (P < 0.001 vs. control cultured cells, P = not signifcant vs. fresh cells) × 26 ± 1 (P < 0.01 vs. control cultured cells, P = not significant vs. fresh cells) µm. Action potentials from fresh cells showed a positive plateau and very rapid phase 3 repolarization (Fig. 1). Cultured cells maintained relatively normal action potentials, but phase 3 repolarization became somewhat slower and the resting potential was slightly depolarized. IK1 density was reduced by cell culture (Fig. 2A), consistent with the reduced resting potential and phase 3 slope. ICa density was also decreased (Fig. 2C). On the other hand, IK density was unaltered (Fig. 2C).


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Fig. 1.   Representative action potentials at 1 Hz in a fresh cell (A) and cells cultured for 48 h in control (CTL; B), isoproterenol (Iso; C) and isoproterenol plus proprananol (Iso + Prop) media (D).



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Fig. 2.   Current density-voltage relations for inward rectifier K+ current (IK1) (A, n = 35 fresh and 45 cultured cells), K+ step current (IK step) (B, n = 39 fresh and 39 cultured cells), and Ca2+ current (ICa) (C, n = 12 fresh and 10 cultured cells). Voltage protocols for IK1 are as in Fig. 3, for IK in Fig. 4, and for ICa in Fig. 8. TP, test potential. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 for fresh vs. cultured cells.

Effects of isoproterenol on action potentials and K+ currents of cultured cells. Typical action potentials from cells cultured in Iso medium had a shortened plateau and triangular shape (Fig. 1C), whereas cells in Iso + Prop medium had action potentials (Fig. 1D) similar to cells (Fig. 1B) cultured in control medium. Mean action potential characteristics are provided in Table 1 and indicate that isoproterenol significantly decreased resting potential and early phase APD but that with phase 3 repolarization slowing, terminal repolarization time remained unaffected.

                              
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Table 1.   Action potential parameters of fresh cells and cells cultured in control, Iso, and Iso + Prop media

Figure 3 illustrates the effect of 2 days of culture in Iso medium on IK1. Figure 3, A and B, shows representative IK1 recordings from myocytes cultured in control and Iso media, respectively. Both peak (Fig. 3C) and end-pulse (Fig. 3D) IK1 densities were decreased in myocytes cultured in Iso medium compared with myocytes cultured in control or Iso + Prop medium, which were not different from each other. Normalized current density-voltage relations were superimposable for all groups (Fig. 3, E and F), indicating that 48-h isoproterenol exposure did not affect the voltage dependency of IK1.


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Fig. 3.   Effects of Iso medium on IK1. Original recordings are shown for a cell cultured in control medium (A) and Iso medium (B). C: peak IK1 density-voltage relations (means ± SE). D: steady-state IK1 density-voltage relations. Peak currents (E) and steady-state currents (F) are normalized to maximum value in each cell (means ± SE). Voltage protocol (A, inset, 300-ms pulses) was applied at 0.2 Hz. CTL, n = 59; Iso, n = 49; Iso + P, n = 15. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 vs. CTL.

Cells in the Iso medium showed reduced IK compared with control medium cells, as illustrated by the examples in Figs. 4, B and A, respectively. The addition of dofetilide (1 µM) failed to affect IK in any cultured cells, indicating that all the IK in cultured cells consisted of IKs. Initial measurements were performed 10 min after membrane rupture, and the protocol was repeated three times at 10-min intervals to exclude cells with >10% IK rundown over 20 min. Mean step currents (Fig. 4C) indicate that Iso medium significantly decreased IKs density compared with control and Iso + Prop medium. The inset in Fig. 4C shows current densities normalized to maximum values in each cell and indicates that isoproterenol did not alter the form of the current-voltage relation. Results for tail current density (Fig. 4D) indicate that isoproterenol significantly decreased IKtail but did not affect activation voltage dependence (inset). Half-activation voltages (Boltzmann fits) averaged 28.1 ± 1.2, 26.7 ± 1.2, 27.4 ± 1.2 mV in control, Iso, and Iso + Prop media, respectively (P = not significant). The activation time course was best fit by a triexponential function (Fig. 4E). Sustained isoproterenol exposure did not alter either the most rapid or slowest time constant (tau ) but significantly accelerated the intermediate-phase time constant at all voltages. The deactivation of IKtail currents was biexponential, with similar tau  among groups [e.g., following a pulse to +50 mV, IKtail at -30 mV had a fast tau  (tau fast) averaging 65 ± 3 ms for control (n = 78) and 65 ± 3 ms (n = 69) for Iso medium, and slow tau  (tau slow) averaged 349 ± 11 and 367 ± 16 ms, respectively].


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Fig. 4.   Effect of Iso medium on IK. A and B: original recordings. Voltage protocol (4-s pulses to voltages indicated, followed by 2 s at -30 mV to observe tail currents) was applied at 0.1 Hz. C: IK step density-voltage relations. C, inset: IK step normalized to the maximum value in each cell. CTL, n = 119; Iso, n = 99; Iso + Prop, n = 52. D: deactivating current after repolarization following an activating pulse (IK tail) density-voltage relations. D, inset: voltage-dependent slowed delayed rectifier current (IKs) activation based on IK tail normalized to maximum in each cell. Curves are fits to experimental data by Boltzmann function {A = 1/{1 + exp[(Vh - Vm)/k]}, where A is activation variable, Vm is test potential (TP), and Vh and k are constants. CTL, n = 106; Iso, n = 84; Iso + Prop, n = 40. E: time constants (tau ) of activation as determined with triexponential fit. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 vs. CTL. F: voltage protocol.

Acute exposure to isoproterenol is well known to increase IK. We therefore considered the possibility that maintained isoproterenol exposure downregulated beta -adrenergic responsiveness and examined the acute response of IK in cultured cells to isoproterenol. The left panels in Fig. 5 show IK recorded in the absence of isoproterenol in cells that had been cultured in control medium (top), Iso medium (middle), and Iso + Prop medium (bottom). The right panels show currents after acute exposure to 1 µM isoproterenol in the same cells shown at the left. The mean data in the right panels are percent increases at +60 mV in 13, 16, and 10 cells from each group. Isoproterenol increased IK to a comparable extent in all three groups (P = not significant for intergroup differences), arguing against changes in beta -adrenergic regulation of IK in cells cultured in Iso medium. We also evaluated the effect of acute isoproterenol exposure (100 nM) on IK1 in fresh cells. Isoproterenol decreased IK1 density at -100 mV in six fresh cells from -39.5 ± 1.7 pA/pF to -33.1 ± 1.8 pA/pF (P < 0.02), a response qualitatively similar to that produced by 48-h isoprotererol exposure.


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Fig. 5.   Effects of acute Iso (1 µM) on IK in cells from groups (GP) cultured in control (top), Iso (middle), and Iso + Prop (bottom) media. Typical recordings are shown before (A) and after (B) acute exposure to Iso in a control cell, before (C) and after (D) acute Iso in an Iso medium-cultured cell, and before (E) and after (F) acute Iso in an Iso + Prop medium-cultured cell. The voltage protocol applied was as in Fig. 3. Percent Iso-induced IK increases at +60 mV are indicated in right. Control, n = 13; Iso, n = 16; Iso + Prop, n = 10.

To evaluate the receptor system involved in IK downregulation, cells were cultured (48 h) in Iso medium with or without each of two selective beta -adrenergic receptor blockers: 300 nM CGP-20712A (CGP) and 50 nM ICI (beta 1- and beta 2-selective, respectively) (3, 35, 41). Figure 6 shows original recordings and mean data for each group of cells. CGP, the beta 1-receptor antagonist, fully prevented isoproterenol-induced downregulation of IK, whereas ICI, the beta 2-antagonist, had no effect: IK was just as small in the isoproterenol-ICI-cultured cells as in the cells cultured in Iso medium alone. These results indicate that the isoproterenol response is mediated solely by beta 1-adrenoreceptors.


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Fig. 6.   IK recordings after culture in control medium (A) and in media containing Iso (B), or Iso plus CGP-20712A (CGP, beta 1 selective, C) or ICI-118,511 (ICI, beta 2 selective, D). E: IKs density at +60 mV in control (CTL, n = 37), Iso (n = 31), Iso + CGP (n = 34) and Iso + ICI (n = 32) groups. Voltage protocol as in Fig. 3. **P < 0.01 vs. control.

beta -Adrenergic agonists are capable of modifying ionic currents via either indirect mechanisms involving cAMP or by direct membrane-delimited signaling (8). To evaluate the potential role of cAMP in isoproterenol-induced current downregulation, additional parallel studies were performed with cells cultured in control medium, Iso medium, and membrane-permeable 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP, 50 µM). The density of IK (Fig. 7A) and IK1 (Fig. 7B) was reduced significantly by 8-Br-cAMP, with changes quantitatively very similar to those caused by isoproterenol. Thus the downregulation of K+ channels by sustained beta -adrenergic stimulation is likely due to consequent increases in intracellular cAMP concentrations, rather than a direct, membrane-delimited pathway.


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Fig. 7.   Current density-voltage relations for IK (A), IK1 (B), and ICa (C) for cells from hearts cultured for 48 h in the presence of vehicle (CTL, n = 30, 30, 7 cells for IK, IK1, and ICa, respectively), 10 nM Iso (n = 20, 20, and 8) or 50 µM 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP; n = 21, 21, and 8). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. CTL.

Effects of isoproterenol on calcium current. Figure 8 shows typical ICa recordings with CsF-containing pipettes from cells cultured in control medium (A), Iso medium (B), and Iso + Prop medium (C). Current rundown was excluded by using a standard depolarizing pulse to +10 mV after each protocol and measuring peak ICa. If ICa decreased by over 5%, the experiment was terminated and the data were discarded. Compared with control medium, ICa density was significantly reduced in Iso medium at voltages positive to -20 mV (Fig. 8D). Isoproterenol added a "shoulder" to the normalized current-voltage relation negative to -10 mV (Fig. 8E), consistent with increased T-type Ca2+ current (ICa T), which could explain the lack of isoproterenol-induced ICa decrease at test potentials negative to -10 mV (Fig. 8D). Isoproterenol did not alter the inactivation time course of ICa (Fig. 8F). Additional experiments were performed with CsCl-containing pipettes to measure unstimulated ICa. Iso-medium cells had a peak ICa at +10 mV averaging 6.7 ± 0.9 pA/pF (n = 11) compared with 13.5 ± 1.1 pA/pF (n = 14, P < 0.001) for control medium. As shown in Fig. 7C, isoproterenol downregulation of ICa was mimicked by 8-Br-cAMP, indicating that it is mediated by increased intracellular cAMP.


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Fig. 8.   Effects of Iso medium on ICa. Typical recordings are shown for control medium (A), Iso medium (B), and Iso + Prop medium (C). A, Inset: voltage protocol (120-ms pulses from a holding potential (HP) of -70 mV to TP, 0.25 Hz). D: ICa density-voltage relations. E: ICa density-voltage relations, normalizing current at each TP to peak current in each cell. F: ICa inactivation time constants as obtained by biexponential curve fitting. CTL, n = 10; Iso, n = 13; Iso + Prop, n = 13 for all data in D-F. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 vs. control.

To evaluate possible effects of isoproterenol on ICa T, a previously described approach (11, 39) was used to quantify ICa T. ICa was recorded at holding potentials of -90 and -50 mV in each cell, with ICa T given by digital subtraction of recordings at a holding potential of -50 mV from those at a holding potential of -90 mV. Figure 9A shows resulting recordings of ICa T in myocytes cultured in control medium (top) and in Iso medium (bottom). The form of the ICa T density voltage relation (Fig. 9B) was similar for both sets of cells, but Iso medium significantly increased ICa T over the entire voltage range.


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Fig. 9.   Changes in ICa T induced by Iso medium. A: ICa T recordings obtained by digital subtraction of currents recorded with HP of -50 mV from those at HP of -90 mV. B: ICa T density-voltage relations for 13 myocytes cultured in control medium (CTL) and 17 in Iso medium. ***P < 0.001 vs. CTL.


    DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

We have shown that 48 h of isoproterenol exposure downregulates IK1, IKs, and ICa L in guinea pig ventricular myocytes and increases the density of ICa T. The actions of isoproterenol on IK were mediated by beta 1-adrenergic receptors and were mimicked by a membrane-permeable form of cAMP, indicating the involvement of cAMP as a second messenger.

Relationship to previously observed effects of beta -adrenergic stimulation on cardiac ion channels. Sympathetic stimulation of the heart is well known to be associated with the initiation of cardiac arrhythmias with beta -adrenoceptor activation known to play a particularly important role (42). Acute beta -adrenergic stimulation enhances a variety of cardiac ionic currents, including IKs (34), ICa L (32), and cAMP-dependent Cl- current (10), and reduces IK1 (14). Much less is known about the effects on cardiac ion channels of longer term exposure to beta -adrenergic agonists. Sympathetic innervation increases ICa L density of cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (28), an effect likely mediated by beta -adrenoceptors via increased intracellular cAMP content (18). Sympathetic innervation of newborn rat hearts increases the transient outward current (Ito) and IK1 density (17). The only study we could identify of beta -adrenergic effects on adult cardomyocytes showed that norepinephrine and isoproterenol increase Ito density in cultured adult canine ventricular myocytes without normalizing slowed inactivation kinetics (29). Meszaros et al. evaluated the effects of sustained isoproterenol administration in vivo to rats, observing decreases in Ito with no changes in voltage dependence of kinetics (22) and increased ICa but no changes in current density or kinetics (23). These results show that in vivo isoproterenol administration produces ionic remodeling and are consistent with results in other models of cardiac hypertrophy and failure (38); however, because of changes in cardiac work, hemodynamics, and oxygen consumption in the in vivo system, they do not permit differentiation between effects secondary to these factors and direct actions of beta -adrenergic stimulation.

Isoproterenol increases IK acutely (1, 8) and was found similarly to increase IK during short-term administration to our cells. Decreased IK in the face of 48-h isoproterenol exposure could be related to adaptive cellular responses to chronic IK stimulation. However, we did not find evidence of tolerance to isoproterenol effects on IK in cells exposed to the drug for 48 h. Furthermore, IK1 downregulation was seen after 48 h of isoproterenol exposure, an effect qualitatively similar to that on IK, despite the fact that upon acute exposure isoproterenol decreased IK1, an acute response opposite to that of IK.

Comparison between isoproterenol-induced changes in the present study and previous observations of ionic remodeling in disease states. A variety of changes in cardiac ionic currents have been observed in patients or experimental models with cardiac disease, particularly congestive heart failure (26, 38). Decreased IK1 has been observed in both patients (2) and experimental animals (12) with severe cardiac dysfunction. Changes in ICa L are more variable, with some studies reporting no change and others reporting a decrease. Of 19 studies of ICa L and/or dihydropyridine receptors in severe hypertrophy and failure presented by a recent detailed review (38), 6 report no change and 13 describe a decrease. Recent studies have also pointed to a decrease in IKs in cardiac hypertrophy and failure (13, 15, 16, 40). Cardiac hypertrophy has been shown to elicit the appearance of ICa T in feline ventricular myocytes (27). Many of the effects of 48-h isoproterenol exposure in the present study, including decreased IK1, IKs, and ICa L, as well as increased ICa T, resemble changes associated with congestive heart failure. Although many other signaling systems likely play a role in ventricular remodeling, including that of ion channels in heart failure, the possibility should be considered that at least some of the ionic current abnormalities could be due to downregulation by the associated chronically elevated plasma catecholamine concentrations (5).

Novel aspects and potential significance. We found that 48-h isoproterenol exposure had significant effects on a variety of ionic currents in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. These effects were opposite to the actions of acute isoproterenol in the case of IK and ICa and similar in the case of IK1. The effects of 48-h isoproterenol exposure were not contaminated by agonist occupancy of beta -adrenergic receptors, because the medium was thoroughly washed out and propranolol (1 µM) added to the extracellular solution when measurements were made. In considering the role of beta -adrenergic stimulation and the well-recognized protective effect of beta -adrenoceptor blockers in patients with heart disease, acute effects on ionic currents and electrophysiology are generally invoked. However, our study indicates an additional possibility that needs to be considered: the potential regulatory effect of the chronic level of beta -adrenoceptor occupancy on the density of cardiac ion currents.

Plasma concentrations of norepinephrine average about 1 nM in normal individuals (20) and increase to a mean range of 3.4-5.5 nM in patients with heart failure (7, 9, 20). Interstitial (extracellular) space norepinephrine concentration is increased from ~1 nM in normal dogs to an average of 6.6 nM in dogs with pacing-induced heart failure (6). Thus extracellular norepinephrine concentration in congestive heart failure is of a similar order to the extracellular concentration of isoproterenol (10 nM) in our culture medium. Ionic current alterations caused by chronic beta -adrenergic stimulation may therefore play a significant role in the electrophysiological abnormalities caused by heart failure. Consistent with this notion, dogs with congestive heart failure and spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias have higher plasma norepinephrine concentrations (~6.6 nM) compared with dogs with similar cardiac dysfunction and no ventricular tachyarrhythmias (3.6 nM) (33). Our findings may also be relevant to the effects of drug therapy on mortality in patients with heart failure, providing potential mechanisms involved in the ability of beta -adrenoceptor antagonists to prevent sudden death (21) and in the mortality-promoting properties of agents that stimulate beta -receptors or increase cardiac cAMP concentrations (19).

Potential limitations. The properties of cultured heart cells are never identical to those of acutely isolated myocytes, a limitation common to all studies using cultured cardiac cell models (24). On the other hand, there is no other approach that would permit the study of the effects of sustained exposure to beta -adrenergic stimulation without the important changes in hemodynamics, concentrations of other neurohormones, heart rate, etc., inevitable for in vivo models. Effects unrelated to beta -adrenoceptor activation and due to nonspecific drug actions or the effect of the diluents need to be considered; however, the use of a control group of cells exposed to diluent alone and cells exposed to isoproterenol and a beta -blocker for each set of experiments should have excluded such possibilities.

In conclusion, we have shown that 48-h beta -adrenergic stimulation reduces the density of a variety of cardiac currents, including IK1, IKs, and ICa L, and upregulates ICa T, by beta 1-receptor, cAMP-mediated mechanisms. These findings suggest that, in addition to altering ion channel function acutely, beta -adrenergic agonists can have important longer term effects on ionic current density. These actions may be relevant to ionic remodeling in situations (like heart failure) with sustained increases in plasma catecholamine concentrations.


    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Chantal St-Cyr for technical help, as well as Luce Bégin and Diane Campeau for secretarial help.


    FOOTNOTES

The work was supported by operating grants from the Medical Research Council of Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec. Z. Wang is a Research Scholar of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: S. Nattel, Research Center, Montreal Heart Institute, 5000 Belanger St., East, Montreal, Quebec H1T 1C8, Canada (E-mail: nattel{at}icm.umontreal.ca).

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

10.1152/ajpheart.01138.2000

Received 13 December 2000; accepted in final form 2 November 2001.


    REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

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Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 282(3):H880-H889
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