title: Intracellular calcium stores in isolated tracheal smooth muscle cells.
abstract: We investigated the effects of acetylcholine (ACh) and histamine on intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and contraction of freshly isolated guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle cells. Previous electrophysiological studies revealed that agonists elicit cation and Cl- currents, but a role for Ca2+ in mediating these effects remains unresolved. Here we characterize agonist-induced changes of [Ca2+]i, using fura 2, and examine the contribution of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to regulation of [Ca2+]i. We provide evidence that the rise of [Ca2+]i and the contraction elicited by ACh or histamine are largely due to release of Ca2+ from stores. Agonists elicited Ca2+ transients in Ca(2+)-free solution with 0.5 mM ethylene glycol-bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N, N, N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), whereas prolonged exposure to Ca(2+)-free solution diminished the rise of [Ca2+]i. In addition, blockade of SR Ca(2+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) by cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) or thapsigargin caused elevation of [Ca2+]i and reduction of ACh-evoked increase of [Ca2+]i. In many cells, [Ca2+]i fell below baseline (undershoot) after ACh or caffeine. CPA abolished this undershoot and reduced the rate of recovery of [Ca2+]i to basal levels. Furthermore, oscillations of [Ca2+]i were elicited in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca2+, and these too were reversibly abolished by CPA. Our results provide evidence that Ca2+ stores play a significant role in agonist-mediated increase of [Ca2+]i in tracheal muscle and that the SR contributes to the restoration of basal Ca2+ levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. sims@physiology. uwo.cn
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Z G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000819:agonists / Q000378:metabolism*; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D002469:Cell Separation; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016257:Fura-2; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006632:Histamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D019284:Thapsigargin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014132:Trachea / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007211:Indoles; D002110:Caffeine; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D019284:Thapsigargin; D006632:Histamine; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D000109:Acetylcholine; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2; C000543:cyclopiazonic acid