scholarly journals Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity: Consequences of the Effective Concentration of Troponin I

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jalal K. Siddiqui ◽  
Svetlana B. Tikunova ◽  
Shane D. Walton ◽  
Bin Liu ◽  
Meredith Meyer ◽  
...  
Circulation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Palpant ◽  
Sharlene Day ◽  
Kimber Converso ◽  
Joseph Metzger

Contractile dysfunction associated with ischemia is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality particularly in the elderly. Strategies designed to protect the aged heart from ischemia-mediated pump failure are needed. We have generated transgenic (Tg) mice expressing a modified form of adult cardiac troponin I, the Ca ++ -activated molecular switch of the myofilament. Consonant with the fetal isoform, this transgene encodes a histidine substitution (A164H) in the critical switch domain of TnI thus increasing myofilament calcium sensitivity in a pH-dependent manner. We hypothesized that aged mice (24 months), intrinsically susceptible to myocardial dysfunction, would retain improved cardiac contractility at baseline and during an acute hypoxic challenge by means of myofilament-mediated calcium sensitization. Methods/Results: At baseline, by echocardiography, Tg hearts had increased systolic function, with a 26% higher mean ejection fraction compared to nontransgenic (Ntg) mice: 75 ± 3% [Tg: n = 13] vs. 63 ± 4% [Ntg: n = 12], P < 0.05, with no differences in diastolic function between the groups. To study the effects of acute hypoxia on cardiac hemodynamics mice underwent microconductance Millar catheterization while ventilated with 12% oxygen. Aged Tg mice had improved survival compared to Ntg mice: time to pump failure (65% of baseline peak systolic pressure) 11.59 ± 1.25 min. [Tg: n = 3] vs. 4.11 ± 1.90 min. [Ntg: n = 3], P < 0.05. After four minutes of hypoxia, Tg mice had markedly improved cardiac contractility compared to Ntg mice with increased stroke volume (30.05 ± 4.49 uL [Tg] vs. 13.23 ± 3.21 uL [Ntg], P < 0.05), end systolic pressure (106.09 ± 11.81 mmHg [Tg] vs. 64.49 ± 4.05 mmHg [Ntg], P < 0.05) and rate of positive left ventricular pressure development (12958.66 ± 2544.68 mmHg/sec [Tg] vs. 5717.00 ± 745.67 mmHg/sec [Ntg], P = 0.05). Conclusion: An alteration in myofilament calcium sensitivity via a pH-responsive histidine button in cardiac troponin I augments baseline heart function in Tg mice over their lifetime. During acute hypoxia, cTnI A164H improves survival in aged mice by maintaining cardiac contractility, and thus holds promise for the design of gene therapeutics to treat pump failure associated with acute ischemic events in the elderly.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (5) ◽  
pp. H2212-H2219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Varian ◽  
Paul M. L. Janssen

The force-frequency relationship is an intrinsic modulator of cardiac contractility and relaxation. Force of contraction increases with frequency, while simultaneously a frequency-dependent acceleration of relaxation occurs. While frequency dependency of calcium handling and sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium load have been well described, it remains unknown whether frequency-dependent changes in myofilament calcium sensitivity occur. We hypothesized that an increase in heart rate that results in acceleration of relaxation is accompanied by a proportional decrease in myofilament calcium sensitivity. To test our hypothesis, ultrathin right ventricular trabeculae were isolated from New Zealand White rabbit hearts and iontophorically loaded with the calcium indicator bis-fura 2. Twitch and intracellular calcium handling parameters were measured and showed a robust increase in twitch force, acceleration of relaxation, and rise in both diastolic and systolic intracellular calcium concentration with increased frequency. Steady-state force-intracellular calcium concentration relationships were measured at frequencies 1, 2, 3, and 4 Hz at 37°C using potassium-induced contractures. EC50 significantly and gradually increased with frequency, from 475 ± 64 nM at 1 Hz to 1,004 ± 142 nM at 4 Hz ( P < 0.05) and correlated with the corresponding changes in half relaxation time. No significant changes in maximal active force development or in the myofilament cooperativity coefficient were found. Myofilament protein phosphorylation was assessed using Pro-Q Diamond staining on protein gels of trabeculae frozen at either 1 or 4 Hz, revealing troponin I and myosin light chain-2 phosphorylation associated with the myofilament desensitization. We conclude that myofilament calcium sensitivity is substantially and significantly decreased at higher frequencies, playing a prominent role in frequency-dependent acceleration of relaxation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela C. Greenman ◽  
Gary M. Diffee ◽  
Amelia S. Power ◽  
Gerard T. Wilkins ◽  
Olivia M. S. Gold ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Varian ◽  
Brandon J. Biesiadecki ◽  
Mark T. Ziolo ◽  
Jonathan P. Davis ◽  
Paul M. L. Janssen

Myofilament calcium sensitivity decreases with frequency in intact healthy rabbit trabeculae and associates with Troponin I and Myosin light chain-2 phosphorylation. We here tested whether serine-threonine kinase activity is primarily responsible for this frequency-dependent modulations of myofilament calcium sensitivity. Right ventricular trabeculae were isolated from New Zealand White rabbit hearts and iontophoretically loaded with bis-fura-2. Twitch force-calcium relationships and steady state force-calcium relationships were measured at frequencies of 1 and 4 Hz at 37 °C. Staurosporine (100 nM), a nonspecific serine-threonine kinase inhibitor, or vehicle (DMSO) was included in the superfusion solution before and during the contractures. Staurosporine had no frequency-dependent effect on force development, kinetics, calcium transient amplitude, or rate of calcium transient decline. The shift in the pCa50of the force-calcium relationship was significant from6.05±0.04at 1 Hz versus5.88±0.06at 4 Hz under control conditions (vehicle,P<0.001) but not in presence of staurosporine (5.89±0.08at 1 Hz versus5.94±0.07at 4 Hz,P=NS). Phosphoprotein analysis (Pro-Q Diamond stain) confirmed that staurosporine significantly blunted the frequency-dependent phosphorylation at Troponin I and Myosin light chain-2. We conclude that frequency-dependent modulation of calcium sensitivity is mediated through a kinase-specific effect involving phosphorylation of myofilament proteins.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan J. Palpant ◽  
Evelyne M. Houang ◽  
Wayne Delport ◽  
Kenneth E. M. Hastings ◽  
Alexey V. Onufriev ◽  
...  

In cardiac muscle, the troponin (cTn) complex is a key regulator of myofilament calcium sensitivity because it serves as a molecular switch required for translating myocyte calcium fluxes into sarcomeric contraction and relaxation. Studies of several species suggest that ectotherm chordates have myofilaments with heightened calcium responsiveness. However, genetic polymorphisms in cTn that cause increased myofilament sensitivity to activating calcium in mammals result in cardiac disease including arrhythmias, diastolic dysfunction, and increased susceptibility to sudden cardiac death. We hypothesized that specific residue modifications in the regulatory arm of troponin I (TnI) were critical in mediating the observed decrease in myofilament calcium sensitivity within the mammalian taxa. We performed large-scale phylogenetic analysis, atomic resolution molecular dynamics simulations and modeling, and computational alanine scanning. This study provides evidence that a His to Ala substitution within mammalian cardiac TnI (cTnI) reduced the thermodynamic potential at the interface between cTnI and cardiac TnC (cTnC) in the calcium-saturated state by disrupting a strong intermolecular electrostatic interaction. This key residue modification reduced myofilament calcium sensitivity by making cTnI molecularly untethered from cTnC. To meet the requirements for refined mammalian adult cardiac performance, we propose that compensatory evolutionary pressures favored mutations that enhanced the relaxation properties of cTn by decreasing its sensitivity to activating calcium.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (3) ◽  
pp. R1129-R1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter P. de Tombe ◽  
Alexandra Belus ◽  
Nicoletta Piroddi ◽  
Beatrice Scellini ◽  
John S. Walker ◽  
...  

We employed single myofibril techniques to test whether the presence of slow skeletal troponin-I (ssTnI) is sufficient to induce increased myofilament calcium sensitivity (EC50) and whether modulation of EC50 affects the dynamics of force development. Studies were performed using rabbit psoas myofibrils activated by rapid solution switch and in which Tn was partially replaced for either recombinant cardiac Tn(cTn) or Tn composed of recombinant cTn-T (cTnT) and cTn-C (cTnC), and recombinant ssTnI (ssTnI-chimera Tn). Tn exchange was performed in rigor solution (0.5 mg/ml Tn; 20°C; 2 h) and confirmed by SDS-PAGE. cTnI exchange induced a decrease in EC50; ssTnI-chimera Tn exchange induced a further decrease in EC50 (in μM: endogenous Tn, 1.35 ± 0.08; cTnI, 1.04 ± 0.13; ssTnI-chimera Tn, 0.47 ± 0.03). EC50 was also decreased by application of 100 μM bepridil (control: 2.04 ± 0.03 μM; bepridil 1.35 ± 0.03 μM). Maximum tension was not different between any groups. Despite marked alterations in EC50, none of the dynamic activation-relaxation parameters were affected under any condition. Our results show that 1) incorporation of ssTnI into the fast skeletal sarcomere is sufficient to induce increased myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity, and 2) the dynamics of actin-myosin interaction do not correlate with EC50. This result suggests that intrinsic cross-bridge cycling rate is not altered by the dynamics of thin-filament activation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Greenman ◽  
Gary M. Diffee ◽  
Amelia Power ◽  
Gerard T. Wilkins ◽  
Olivia M. S. Gold ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The diabetic heart has impaired systolic and diastolic function independent of other comorbidities. The availability of calcium is altered, but does not fully explain the cardiac dysfunction seen in the diabetic heart. Thus, we explored if myofilament protein regulation of contraction is altered. Methods Calcium sensitivity (pCa50) was measured in Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rat hearts at the initial stage of diabetes (12-week-old) and after 8 weeks of uncontrolled hyperglycaemia (20-week-old) and in non-diabetic (nDM) littermates. Skinned cardiomyocytes were connected to a capacitance-gauge transducer and a torque motor to measure force as a function of pCa (-log[Ca2+]). Fluorescent gel stain (ProQ Diamond) was used to measure total protein phosphorylation. Specific phospho-sites on cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and total cTnI O-GlcNAcylation were quantified using immunoblot. Results pCa50 was greater in both 12- and 20-week-old diabetic (DM) rats compared to nDM littermates (p = 0.0005). Total cTnI and cTnI serine 23/24 phosphorylation were lower in DM rats (p = 0.003 & p = 0.01, respectively), but cTnI O-GlcNAc protein expression was not different. pCa50 is greater in DM rats and corresponds with an overall reduction in cTnI phosphorylation. Conclusions These findings indicate that myofilament calcium sensitivity is increased and cTnI phosphorylation is reduced in ZDF DM rats, which suggests an important role for cTnI phosphorylation in the DM heart.


2014 ◽  
Vol 307 (10) ◽  
pp. H1487-H1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sander Land ◽  
Steven A. Niederer ◽  
William E. Louch ◽  
Åsmund T. Røe ◽  
Jan Magnus Aronsen ◽  
...  

In Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, the left ventricle shows apical ballooning combined with basal hypercontractility. Both clinical observations in humans and recent experimental work on isolated rat ventricular myocytes suggest the dominant mechanisms of this syndrome are related to acute catecholamine overload. However, relating observed differences in single cells to the capacity of such alterations to result in the extreme changes in ventricular shape seen in Takotsubo syndrome is difficult. By using a computational model of the rat left ventricle, we investigate which mechanisms can give rise to the typical shape of the ventricle observed in this syndrome. Three potential dominant mechanisms related to effects of β-adrenergic stimulation were considered: apical-basal variation of calcium transients due to differences in L-type and sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase activation, apical-basal variation of calcium sensitivity due to differences in troponin I phosphorylation, and apical-basal variation in maximal active tension due to, e.g., the negative inotropic effects of p38 MAPK. Furthermore, we investigated the interaction of these spatial variations in the presence of a failing Frank-Starling mechanism. We conclude that a large portion of the apex needs to be affected by severe changes in calcium regulation or contractile function to result in apical ballooning, and smooth linear variation from apex to base is unlikely to result in the typical ventricular shape observed in this syndrome. A failing Frank-Starling mechanism significantly increases apical ballooning at end systole and may be an important additional factor underpinning Takotsubo syndrome.


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