(Hypertension. 1999;34:1242.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.
Scientific Contributions |
From the Departments of Biochemistry (X.F., A.A.S.) and Internal Medicine (N.L.W., L.L.S., A.A.S.), University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
Correspondence to Xiang Fang, MD, PhD, Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242. E-mail xiang-fang{at}uiowa.edu
| Abstract |
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Key Words: calcium channels epoxyeicosatrienoic acid endothelium-derived factor vasoconstriction vasorelaxation
| Introduction |
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EETs have also been hypothesized to produce biological responses by affecting intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in different types of cells, including endothelium,10 11 myocytes,12 13 anterior pituitary cells,14 glomerular mesangial cells,15 epithelial cells,16 and astrocytes.17 Recent reports suggest that EETs increase [Ca2+]i and cause contraction of ventricular myocytes, probably through activation of L-type Ca2+ currents.13 EETs also increase [Ca2+]i in vascular endothelial cells, and this may cause production of autacoids and activation of tyrosine kinases.11 18 To our knowledge, the effects of EETs on Ca2+ influx and [Ca2+]i in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) have not been previously reported. Since vascular SMC [Ca2+]i is an important determinant of vascular tone and SMC proliferation, EET-induced alterations in SMC [Ca2+]i could contribute importantly to vascular properties and function.
| Methods |
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Estimation of [Ca2+]i
SMC maintained in culture as described above were plated onto
fibronectin-coated glass coverslips. On reaching confluence, the SMC
were loaded with 2 µmol/L fura 2-acetoxymethyl ester (fura 2-AM;
Sigma) in serum-free medium containing 0.1 µmol/L bovine serum
albumin for 1 hour.
[Ca2+]i was measured with
a SPEX ARCM-COM-Z-A cation measurement system or Photoscan II
spectrofluorometer (Photon Technologies International) with a Nikon
microscope in Hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS).19 20
EETs, dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs), AA, and
15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid
(15-HETE) were purchased from Cayman Chemical. Lipid compounds were
dissolved in ethanol; stock solutions were diluted 1:1000 in buffer or
serum-free medium for experiments (final ethanol concentration, 0.1%).
Verapamil, norepinephrine, thapsigargin, and
ionomycin were obtained from Sigma.
Incorporation of [3H]Dextran
Cell permeability was measured by incorporation of
[3H]dextran. Confluent SMC cultures were
incubated with [3H]dextran (molecular
weight=70 000 Da; 0.5 µCi per well) in the presence or absence of
1 µmol/L 14,15-EET for 1 hour in DMEM. The medium was removed,
the cells were washed twice with cold phosphate-buffered saline, and
cold 5% trichloroacetic acid was added for 1 hour. Trichloroacetic
acidprecipitable material was solubilized in 0.25N NaOH for 30
minutes at 37°C and then neutralized with 6N HCl. Radioactivity was
measured in a Packard 4640 liquid scintillation spectrometer
(Canberra Corp).
Measurement of Ring Tension
Coronary arteries were dissected from pig hearts (n=4
animals) immediately after removal at a local slaughterhouse. The
arteries were placed in modified Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution,
transported to the laboratory, cut into rings, and studied under
conditions of isometric tension, as described
previously.21 The rings were repetitively contracted with
KCl (60 mmol/L) until tension stabilized. 14,15-EET or 11,12-EET
was administered either to rings equilibrated at resting tension or to
rings submaximally precontracted (ie, to 40% to 80% of the tension
produced by 60 mmol/L KCl) with U46619 (a thromboxane
mimetic; 7 to 50 nmol/L), KCl (20 to 35 mmol/L), or acetylcholine
(0.1 to 1 µmol/L). In some experiments, the effects of
verapamil (10 µmol/L) or EGTA (3 mmol/L) on
14,15-EETinduced tension were determined.
Statistical Analysis
All data are expressed as mean±SE. Calculated levels of
[Ca2+]i before and after
administration of EETs or vehicle were compared by Students
t tests for paired data. Differences between mean values of
2 groups were analyzed by unpaired t tests.
Probability values of
0.05 were considered statistically
significant.
| Results |
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17% to 94% after administration of 0.3 to 3 µmol/L
14,15-EET.
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Source of EET-Induced Increase in
[Ca2+]i
We investigated whether EETs increase SMC
[Ca2+]i by enhancing the
influx of extracellular Ca2+. In the presence of
HBSS containing 1.3 mmol/L Ca2+, 14,15-EET
(1 µmol/L) produced an increase in
[Ca2+]i (Figure 2A). The EET-induced increase in
[Ca2+]i was not observed
when Ca2+ was omitted from the HBSS (Figure 2B); however, readdition of 3 mmol/L
Ca2+ to the HBSS 100 seconds after application of
14,15-EET restored the response (Figure 2C). In some
experiments, the HBSS Ca2+ concentration was
varied from 0.3 to 6 mmol/L. Under these conditions, the magnitude
of the increase in SMC
[Ca2+]i produced by
1 µmol/L 14,15-EET was dependent on the concentration of
Ca2+ in the HBSS (Figure 3). 8,9-EET also produced only a minimal
increase in [Ca2+]i in
Ca2+-free HBSS (data not shown). These
observations suggest that the increase in SMC
[Ca2+]i produced by EETs
is due, at least in part, to enhanced influx of extracellular
Ca2+.
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To investigate whether 14,15-EET might enhance Ca2+ influx by nonspecifically increasing SMC membrane permeability, we determined the effects of 14,15-EET on uptake of [3H]dextran into SMC. Treatment of SMC with 14,15-EET (1 µmol/L) did not enhance [3H]dextran uptake into SMC (162±6 [control] versus 159±6 cpm per well [14,15-EET]; n=6; P>0.05).
We used verapamil to investigate the role of Ca2+ channels (L-type) in the 14,15-EETinduced increase in SMC [Ca2+]i. Verapamil (10 µmol/L), an inhibitor of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (L-type), eliminated the increase in SMC [Ca2+]i induced by KCl (30 mmol/L), confirming that functional L-type Ca2+ channels are present in our cells and can be blocked by verapamil (data not shown). Verapamil markedly attenuated the increase in SMC [Ca2+]i produced by 14,15-EET (Figure 2D), suggesting that Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels mediates the 14,15-EETinduced increase in SMC [Ca2+]i.
To determine whether 14,15-EET can interfere with Ca2+ store capacity, cells were pretreated with vehicle or 5 µmol/L 14,15-EET for 30 minutes and then stimulated by 10 µmol/L norepinephrine or 2 µmol/L thapsigargin in the presence of 1.3 mmol/L extracellular Ca2+. Pretreatment with 14,15-EET did not significantly affect the increases in [Ca2+]i induced by either of these agonists (maximal percent increase in [Ca2+]i over baseline: 25±5% [norepinephrine+vehicle; n=5] versus 34±9% [norepinephrine+14,15-EET; n=6], P>0.05; 130±19% [thapsigargin+vehicle; n=7] versus 101±14% [thapsigargin+14,15-EET; n=6], P>0.05).
Importance of the Epoxide Groups for EET-Induced Increases in SMC
[Ca2+]i
To determine whether the effect of EETs on SMC
[Ca2+]i is functionally
related to the epoxide groups, we examined SMC
[Ca2+]i responses to
1 µmol/L AA, 15-HETE, and all 4 DHET regioisomers. These
compounds, which are structurally similar to 14,15-EET but do not
possess epoxide groups, produced only minimal increases in
[Ca2+]i (data not
shown).
Effects of 14,15-EET on Isolated Arterial Ring
Tension
When administered to porcine coronary artery rings
precontracted with U46619, 14,15-EET produced
relaxation.22 23 However, when administered to rings
precontracted with acetylcholine (Figure 4, top) or KCl (Figure 4, bottom),
14,15-EET produced additional contractions. 11,12-EET also produced
additional contractions of rings precontracted with KCl (142±9% of
KCl-induced tension at 5 µmol/L 11,12-EET).
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We attempted to investigate the role of extracellular Ca2+ in mediating the effects of 14,15-EET on ring tension. However, removal of Ca2+ from the Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution or pretreatment with verapamil (10 µmol/L) strongly attenuated the contractions to U46619, KCl, and acetylcholine. Therefore, under these conditions, it was impossible to investigate the role of extracellular Ca2+ in the effects produced by 14,15-EET. We also administered 14,15-EET to nonprecontracted porcine coronary artery rings. A measurable change in ring tension did not occur in most instances, although occasional contractions were observed. However, when nonprecontracted rings were exposed to 10 mmol/L KCl, a concentration that did not affect resting ring tension, 14,15-EET produced small contractions that were abolished by 10 µmol/L verapamil (Figure 5, top) or 3 mmol/L EGTA (Figure 5, bottom). The effects of EGTA were reversed by adding 3 mmol/L CaCl2 to the organ bath (Figure 5, bottom).
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| Discussion |
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The observation that EETs increase [Ca2+]i in vascular SMC is consistent with reports of studies with a variety of other cells. For example, 5,6-EET mediates Ca2+ influx through verapamil- and nifedipine-sensitive channels in renal proximal tubule epithelial cells.16 5,6- and 11,12-EET significantly increased cell shortening and [Ca2+]i in ventricular myocytes.12 In vascular endothelial cells, 5,6-EET increases [Ca2+]i by enhancing the influx of extracellular Ca2+.10 Likewise, 11,12-EET enhances the L-type Ca2+ current in adult rat ventricular myocytes, although the Ca2+ influx was not blocked by a voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel antagonist.10 13 However, in a recent study EETs were reported to inhibit cardiac L-type Ca2+ channel activity.25 Thus, EETs appear to produce diverse effects on L-type Ca2+ channel activity and Ca2+ influx.
Previously it was reported that EETs can interfere with Ca2+ influx induced by thapsigargin, a receptor-independent Ca2+ agonist, and thrombin, a receptor-dependent agonist.17 26 27 However, 14,15-EET did not alter thapsigargin- or norepinephrine-induced Ca2+ signaling in our cells. Thus, under the experimental conditions employed in the present study, EETs do not appear to interfere with Ca2+ store capacity in vascular SMC.
The observation that compounds that are structurally similar to EETs but lack epoxide groups produced only minimal increases in [Ca2+]i suggests an obligatory role for the epoxide group in stimulating Ca2+ influx. Interestingly, the magnitude of the EET-induced increases in [Ca2+]i was similar for all 4 EET regioisomers, suggesting that the location of the epoxide group is not critical to the activation of Ca2+ influx. Although enhancement of SMC membrane permeability can result in increased Ca2+ influx, 14,15-EET did not increase [3H]-dextran uptake into SMC, indicating that the compound did not nonspecifically enhance membrane permeability. The pronounced inhibition of EET-induced increases in SMC [Ca2+]i by verapamil suggests that the Ca2+ influx resulted from activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, although the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. This EET-induced activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels probably does not result from the effects of EETs on SMC membrane potential, since EETs reportedly hyperpolarize vascular SMC, an action that results in closure of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels.24 A more likely explanation is that EETs stimulate the production of a second messenger(s) capable of modulating voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity.28 EETs are rapidly (within 30 seconds) incorporated into cellular phospholipids, primarily phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol.23 Since phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol are involved in membrane signal transduction,29 the presence of EETs in membrane phospholipids could conceivably alter vascular SMC signaling, including Ca2+ transport. For example, lipids released from phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylinositol as a result of phospholipase activation may serve as signal molecules, or the phospholipids containing EET may interact with membrane ion channels.
The physiological importance of the EET-induced Ca2+ influx remains to be determined. One possibility is that Ca2+ influx is required for EET-induced activation of Ca2+-dependent K+ channels in vascular SMC, implying a role for Ca2+ influx in EET-induced vasorelaxation. This seems unlikely for 2 reasons. First, we found that micromolar concentrations of EETs were required to stimulate Ca2+ influx into vascular SMC, whereas others have reported that nanomolar concentrations of EETs activate Ca2+-dependent K+ channels in vascular smooth muscle.1 6 Second, although the increase in [Ca2+]i produced by 11,12-DHET was far less than that produced by 11,12-EET, the 2 compounds produced equivalent amounts of relaxation in porcine coronary artery rings.21 22 23 On the other hand, activation of K+ channels and SMC relaxation is coupled with Ca2+ "sparks,"30 but this cannot be detected by the methods used in this study. It is therefore possible that nanomolar concentrations of EETs could produce Ca2+ sparks, which in turn mediate relaxation.
Our observations that the Ca2+ influx induced by micromolar concentrations of 14,15-EET is associated with vasoconstriction suggest that the Ca2+ influx may, under some circumstances, act to modulate EET-induced vasorelaxation. Thus, while nanomolar concentrations of EETs could initiate vasorelaxation, perhaps by producing Ca2+ sparks, higher concentration of EETs (micromolar) may yield a larger magnitude of Ca2+ influx and hence contraction.17 31 In addition to regulating vascular tone, the EET-mediated intracellular calcium mobilization may also modulate smooth muscle growth. Graber et al32 recently reported that 8,9- and 11,12-EET may restore intracellular Ca2+ pools and growth responses in thapsigargin-treated SMC lines.
In conclusion, the 4 EET regioisomers can produce an increase in vascular SMC [Ca2+]i that is functionally dependent on the presence, but not the location, of the epoxide group on the fatty acyl hydrocarbon chain. The increase in [Ca2+]i produced by 14,15-EET is largely mediated by an enhanced influx of extracellular Ca2+ through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Under certain conditions, the 14,15-EETinduced influx of extracellular Ca2+ is associated with vasoconstriction, suggesting that the increases in [Ca2+]i may serve to modulate EET-induced vasodilation.
| Acknowledgments |
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Received April 8, 1999; first decision April 29, 1999; accepted August 6, 1999.
| References |
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