Copyright © 2007, European Society of Cardiology
Regulation of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) in the murine embryonic heart
aInstitute of Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
bMedizinische Klinik II, Universität Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
cInstitute of Physiology I, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
dDepartment of Internal Medicine III, University of Cologne, Germany
* Corresponding author. University of Cologne, Institute of Neurophysiology, Robert-Koch-Str. 39, D-50931 Cologne, Germany. Tel.: +49 221 478 6960; fax: +49 221 478 3834. akp72{at}uni-koeln.de
Objective The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) is involved in embryonic heart development and function demonstrated by the abnormal myofibrillar organization, defects in heartbeat, and early embryonic death of NCX-null embryos. It was therefore the aim of our study to identify key functional regulators of the embryonic NCX.
Methods NCX current (INCX) density was measured as the Ni2+ (5 mM)-sensitive current applying the whole-cell patch-clamp technique in early (EDS, E10.5V) and late developmental stage (LDS, E16.5V) mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes.
Results Compared to LDS, cardiomyocytes derived from EDS showed a significantly higher basal INCX density for the INCX forward (–120 mV: –4.1±1 pA/pF, n=15 versus –1.7±0.4, n=11, p<0.05) and reverse modes (+60 mV: 4.0±0.9 pA/pF, n=15 versus 1.8±0.4, n=11, p<0.05).
There was 2–3-fold elevation of forward and reverse current in LDS on application of ATP-
-S (2 mM) together with forskolin (1 µM) as well as intracellular application of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cPKA, 200 U/mL), cAMP (200 µM), phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), a direct activator of protein kinase C (PKC), and 8-Br-cGMP, a membrane permeable analog of cGMP. The specific PKC inhibitor Ro 31-8220 significantly reduced INCX by 70%. Co-application of 20 µM PKA inhibitor Fragment 14-22 (PKI), a specific inhibitor of PKA, and cAMP significantly reduced the exchanger activity by approx 60%. Despite these obvious effects in LDS we could not detect a significant impact of these compounds on INCX in EDS-derived cardiomyocytes. Application of the alkaline phosphatase to test for constitutive phosphorylation of NCX did not affect INCX density in LDS but led to an approx 80% reduction of INCX in EDS.
Conclusion In EDS cardiomyocytes INCX density is upregulated, at least in part by the high phosphorylation of the exchanger protein. At LDS, embryonic cardiomyocytes showed a strong increase of INCX density upon stimulation by PKC- and PKA-dependent signalling pathways.
KEYWORDS NCX; Cardiac development; Embryonic heart; Calcium; PKA; PKC; Cyclic nucleotides
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