The heavy metal ions Ag+ and Hg2+ trigger calcium release from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Heavy metal ions have been shown to induce Ca2+ release from skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by binding to free sulfhydryl groups on a Ca2+ channel protein and are now examined in cardiac SR. Ag+ and Hg2+ (at 10-25 microM) induced Ca2+ release from isolated canine cardiac SR vesicles whereas Ni2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+ had no effect at up to 200 microM. Ag(+)-induced Ca2+ release was measured in the presence of modulators of SR Ca2+ release was compared to Ca2(+)-induced Ca2+ release and was found to have the following characteristics. (i) Ag(+)-induced Ca2+ release was dependent on free [Mg2+], such that rates of efflux from actively loaded SR vesicles increased by 40% in 0.2 to 1.0 mM Mg2+ and decreased by 50% from 1.0 to 10.0 mM Mg2+. (ii) Ruthenium red (2-20 microM) and tetracaine (0.2-1.0 mM), known inhibitors of SR Ca2+ release, inhibited Ag(+)-induced Ca2+ release. (iii) Adenine nucleotides such as cAMP (0.25-2.0 mM) enhanced Ca2(+)-induced Ca2+ release, and stimulated Ag(+)-induced Ca2+ release. (iv) Low Ag+ to SR protein ratios (5-50 nmol Ag+/mg protein) stimulated Ca2(+)-dependent ATPase activity in Triton X-100-uncoupled SR vesicles. (v) At higher ratios of Ag+ to SR proteins (50-250 nmol Ag+/mg protein), the rate of Ca2+ efflux declined and Ca2(+)-dependent ATPase activity decreased gradually, up to a maximum of 50% inhibition. (vi) Ag+ stimulated Ca2+ efflux from passively loaded SR vesicles (i.e., in the absence of ATP and functional Ca2+ pumps), indicating a site of action distinct from the SR Ca2+ pump. Thus, at low Ag+ to SR protein ratios, Ag+ is very selective for the Ca2+ release channel. At higher ratios, this selectivity declines as Ag+ also inhibits the activity of Ca2+,Mg2(+)-ATPase pumps. Ag+ most likely binds to one or more sulfhydryl sites "on" or "adjacent" to the physiological Ca2+ release channel in cardiac SR to induce Ca2+ release.
Prabhu
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SD
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pennsylvania 15261.
Salama
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D000818:Animals; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002412:Cations; D004285:Dogs; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008627:Mercuric Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D012835:Silver Nitrate / Q000494:pharmacology*
D002412:Cations; D000001:Calcimycin; D008627:Mercuric Chloride; D012835:Silver Nitrate; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D002118:Calcium