title: The effects of taurine on Ca2+ uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum and Ca2+ sensitivity of chemically skinned rat heart.
abstract: 1. Caffeine (10 mM) induced a transient contracture in saponin-treated cardiac trabeculae as a result of Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Regular cycles of uptake and release were repeated to stabilize responses. The SR accumulated Ca2+ during the period prior to the addition of caffeine and this was reflected in the size of the caffeine contracture. Increasing the time for Ca2+ loading between successive caffeine exposures resulted in an increase in the amplitude of the contracture. Similarly, the size of the contracture was a function of the calcium ion concentration [( Ca2+]) in the preceding loading period. 2. Taurine (microM-40-mM), when included in both loading and caffeine solutions, markedly potentiated the caffeine-induced contracture. The effect occurs even if taurine was included only in the loading solutions. The potentiating effect was ascribed to a direct action of taurine on the SR, since taurine did not significantly change the [Ca2+] in the loading solutions. 3. The maximal effect of taurine was produced at approximately 5 mM; higher taurine concentrations caused a lesser potentiation of the caffeine contracture. If the solutions were balanced with respect to osmolarity the effect of taurine did not decline at high concentrations. 4. If the [Ca2+] in the loading solutions was increased to produce a caffeine-induced contracture that peaked close to maximal Ca2(+)-activated force, taurine caused a fall in the size of contracture and a more variable response. This result could be explained by an increase in the spontaneous release of Ca2+ from the SR in the presence of taurine. 5. In Triton-skinned trabeculae, taurine (1 mM-40 mM) increased the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile proteins in a dose-dependent manner but had little effect on maximum Ca2(+)-activated force. The increase in Ca2+ sensitivity was small: in a typical experiment 30 mM-taurine reduced the [Ca2+] necessary for half-maximal activation from 3.02 to 2.56 microM, with no significant change in the shape of the relationship.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology, University of Glasgow.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013654:Taurine; D002110:Caffeine; D013395:Sucrose; D002118:Calcium