title: Pulmonary vascular response to normoxia and K(Ca) channel activity is developmentally regulated.
abstract: To address developmental regulation of pulmonary vascular O(2) sensing, we tested the hypotheses that 1) fetal but not adult pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) can directly sense an acute increase in O(2), 2) Ca2+-sensitive K(+) (K(Ca)) channel activity decreases with maturation, and 3) PASMC K(Ca) channel expression decreases with maturation. We used fluorescence microscopy to confirm that fetal but not adult PASMCs are able to sense an acute increase in O(2) tension. Acute normoxia induced a 22 +/- 2% decrease in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)) in fetal PASMCs and no change in ([Ca2+](i)) in adult PASMCs (P < 0.01). The effects of K(+) channel antagonists were studied on fetal and adult PASMC ([Ca2+](i)). Iberiotoxin (10(-9) M) caused PASMC ([Ca2+](i)) to increase by 694 +/- 22% in the fetus and caused no change in adult PASMCs. K(Ca) channel expression and mRNA levels in distal pulmonary arteries from fetal and adult sheep were examined. Both K(Ca) channel protein and mRNA expression in the distal pulmonary vasculature decreased with maturation. We conclude that maturation-dependent changes in PASMC O(2) sensing render the fetal PASMCs uniquely sensitive to an acute increase in O(2) tension at a biologically critical time point.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St., Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Saqueton
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Herron
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Resnik
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Cornfield
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005333:Fetus; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019789:Tetraethylammonium / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019789:Tetraethylammonium; C064719:iberiotoxin; D010100:Oxygen; D002118:Calcium