title: Hypocalcemia modifies the intracellular calcium response to the alpha 1-adrenergic agent phenylephrine in rat hepatocytes.
abstract: In vivo, extracellular calcium ([Ca2+]e) homeostasis is maintained within a very narrow range by the calcium regulating hormones. At the cellular level, the response to many agents is transduced by changes in cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) which involves both mobilization of cellular pools and entry of [Ca2+]e through plasma membrane channels. To investigate the cellular effects of chronic hypocalcemia (Ca-) on [Ca2+]i homeostasis, hepatocytes, a cell type well characterized for its [Ca2+]i response, were used. Data indicate that Ca- leads to a significant shift to the left in the basal resting cytosolic Ca2+ concentration distribution curve with half-maximum cumulative frequency of 119 versus 149 nM in Ca- and normal rats (N) respectively (P < 0.0001). The response to the alpha 1-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (Phe) was also influenced by Ca- with a dampening of the dose-response curve, a significant decrease in the frequency of sustained responses (P < 0.001), and significant changes in the oscillation pattern. Indeed, hepatocytes obtained from Ca- exhibited a higher frequency of large amplitude, low frequency oscillations than N most particularly at the 2 and 5 microM Phe dose while N predominantly exhibited low amplitude, high frequency oscillations on sustained plateaus (P < 0.001). IP3 receptor (IP3R) binding studies and Ca2+ mobilization from IP3-sensitive pools showed that IP3R was highly sensitive to the prevailing Ca2+ with, in the range of resting [Ca2+]i, R affinity significantly lower in Ca- than in N. Upon exposure of permeabilized cells to 25 microM IP3, Ca2+ mobilization from the IP3-sensitive intracellular pool was significantly reduced by Ca- (P < 0.05) suggesting a decrease in the IP3-mobilizable Ca2+ pool in Ca-. Our results indicate that hypocalcemia significantly alters [Ca2+]i signalling by perturbing the initial response to agonist and the [Ca2+]i response pattern. In addition, the decrease in Ca2+ mobilization from IP3-sensitive pools suggests that hypocalcemia may also lead to a decrease in the Ca2+ content of intracellular pools.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada. gasconbm@ere.umontreal.ca
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gascon-Barré
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ethier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bilodeau
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000378:metabolism*; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018340:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D015220:Calcium Channels; D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors; D018340:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D010656:Phenylephrine; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; D002118:Calcium