title: High altitude-induced changes in alpha1-adrenergic receptors and Ins(1,4,5)P3 responses in cerebral arteries.
abstract: In response to high-altitude long-term hypoxemia, the cerebral arteries of fetal and adult sheep show decreased contractile responses to norepinephrine (NE) and other agonists. To test the hypothesis that hypoxia-induced developmental and vessel specific cerebral artery contractility changes are mediated, in part, by changes in alpha1-adrenergic receptor (alpha1-AR) density and/or NE-induced inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] responses, we performed the following study. In common carotid (Com) and main branch cerebral (MBC) arteries from normoxic adult ewes and near-term fetuses and those acclimatized to high altitude (3,820 m), we quantified alpha1-AR density (maximal binding in fmol/mg protein) and affinity (dissociation constant in nM) with the alpha1-AR antagonist [3H]prazosin. In addition, we quantified NE-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 responses in these arteries. With long-term hypoxemia, alpha1-AR density in fetal and adult Com decreased 75% (from 113 +/- 18 to 28 +/- 5 fmol/mg protein) and 66% (from 54 +/- 3 to 18 +/- 4 fmol/mg protein), respectively, from normoxic control values. alpha1-AR density of the fetal and adult MBC decreased 76% (from 47 +/- 4 to 11 +/- 1 fmol/mg protein) and 61% (from 23 +/- 3 to 9 +/- 3 fmol/mg protein), respectively, from controls. In hypoxemic adult Com, the NE-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 response decreased 51% (from 309 +/- 38 to 151 +/- 24%) from the control value. In fetal and adult MBC, long-term hypoxemia was associated with decreases of 35% (from 345 +/- 40 to 225 +/- 30%) and 44% (from 355 +/- 55 to 199 +/- 16%), respectively, from control values. We conclude that in the adult Com and MBC vessels, acclimatization to high-altitude, long-term hypoxemia was associated with significant decreases in both alpha1-AR density values and Ins(1,4,5)P3 responses to NE. Similarly, in the fetal MBC arteries, high-altitude hypoxemia was associated with marked attenuation of both alpha1-AR density and NE-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 responses. The magnitude of decreases in NE-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 responses in these vessels correlated fairly well with the decreases in alpha1-AR density. These findings suggest that changes in noradrenergic receptor-second messenger coupling may play a role in altered cerebrovascular tone in association with high-altitude acclimatization and other forms of long-term hypoxia in both fetus and adult.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California 92350, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Longo
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000378:metabolism; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011224:Prazosin / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; D009638:Norepinephrine; D011224:Prazosin