title: Role of G proteins in alpha1-adrenergic inhibition of the beta-adrenergically activated chloride current in cardiac myocytes.
abstract: alpha1-Adrenergic receptor stimulation can inhibit the Cl- current activated by beta-adrenergic receptor agonists in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes. We investigated the role of G proteins in mediating this type of alpha-adrenergic response. The combined alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonist norepinephrine (NE) activated the Cl- current with an EC50 value of 53 nM. Preincubation of myocytes with PTX decreased the EC50 value for NE activation of the Cl- current to 5.9 nM, and addition of the alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin did not cause any further change in sensitivity to NE. These results suggest that the alpha1-adrenergic inhibition of beta-adrenergic responses is mediated through a PTX-sensitive G protein. However, PTX pretreatment also increased the sensitivity of the Cl- current to the selective beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (Iso), which indicates that the PTX treatment increases the sensitivity to beta-adrenergic stimulation alone and that this could account for the PTX-induced change in sensitivity to NE. Consistent with this idea, the selective alpha1-adrenergic receptor agonist methoxamine was still able to inhibit the Cl- current activated by Iso in PTX-treated myocytes. However, the sensitivity to methoxamine was significantly decreased. In control cells, the Cl- current activated by 30 nM Iso was inhibited by methoxamine with an EC50 value of 8.3 microM, but in PTX-treated cells, the EC50 value was 284 microM. The EC50 for methoxamine inhibition was similarly increased when the Cl- current was activated by 300 nM Iso. These data suggest that the effects of PTX on alpha1-adrenergic responses can actually be explained by changes in the sensitivity to beta-adrenergic stimulation. To verify the role for a G protein in mediating the inhibitory alpha1-adrenergic response, we examined the effect of methoxamine on the Cl- current activated in cells dialyzed with the nonhydrolyzable GTP analogue guanosine-5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate. Pre-exposure to methoxamine resulted in an attenuated response upon subsequent exposure to Iso alone. We conclude that alpha1-adrenergic inhibition of beta-adrenergic responses is mediated by a G protein-dependent mechanism that appears to be PTX-insensitive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Hool
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Oleksa
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D008729:Methoxamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011224:Prazosin / Q000494:pharmacology; D018340:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D018118:Chloride Channels; D018340:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D008729:Methoxamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D011224:Prazosin