title: The nuclear-cytoplasmic [Ca2+] gradient in single mammalian vascular smooth muscle cells.
abstract: We studied the nuclear-cytoplasmic [Ca2+] gradient in single, freshly dispersed smooth muscle cells from the ferret portal vein, by means of fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy. Cells were loaded with the cell-permeant calcium indicator fura-2 AM. Caffeine and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) were used in order to mobilize Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Basal levels of nuclear and cytoplasmic [Ca2+] were 299 +/- 51 nM and 141 +/- 23 nM respectively (n = 10, p less than 0.001). At 3 min after 10mM caffeine, nuclear [Ca2+] decreased to 117 +/- 13 nM (n = 10, p less than 0.001), cytoplasmic [Ca2+] also decreased to 75 +/- 11 nM (n = 10, p less than 0.001) and the nuclear-cytoplasmic difference was no longer significant (p greater than 0.05). Similarly, 300pM of PDGF also abolished the nuclear-cytoplasmic [Ca2+] gradient (n = 12, p greater than 0.1). We conclude that in single muscle cells from the ferret portal vein a perinuclear sarcoplasmic reticulum could be a factor that contributes to the high apparent nuclear Ca2+ levels either through a dynamic Ca2+ influx, or by a fura-2 signal in the sarcoplasmic reticulum masking the true nuclear [Ca2+].
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Charles A. Dana Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Papageorgiou
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D005289:Ferrets; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D002110:Caffeine; D002118:Calcium