title: A novel function of sphingosine-1-phosphate to activate a non-selective cation channel in human endothelial cells.
abstract: 1. The Ca2+ entry pathway activated by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was examined in primary cultured vascular endothelial cells dispersed from human umbilical vein (HUVECs) by measuring intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), whole-cell membrane currents and single channel activity. 2. Application of S1P to HUVECs induced a slowly developing, sustained increase in [Ca2+]i. When Ca2+ was absent from the bathing solution, no S1P-induced changes in [Ca2+]i were observed. Tert-butylhydroquinone (BHQ), an inhibitor of Ca2+ pumps in endoplasmic reticulum, and histamine induced a transient elevation of [Ca2+]i in HUVECs. 3. Pretreatment of HUVECs with 100 ng x ml(-1) pertussis toxin (PTX) for 15 h almost abolished the S1P effect on [Ca2+]i and reduced the histamine effect to 40% of the control. The BHQ-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i was insensitive to PTX. 4. When whole-cell membrane currents were recorded using the amphotericin B-perforated-patch clamp technique while monitoring [Ca2+]i, application of S1P induced a tiny inward current (I(S1P)) which was followed by the elevation of [Ca2+]i. I(S1P) reversed at +20.0 +/- 2.7 mV under these experimental conditions. 5. When S1P was included in the pipette solution in the excised inside-out patch clamp configuration, single channel activity with a conductance of 17 pS was activated. This channel activity depended on the presence of intracellular GTP. 6. In summary, these results show that S1P has a novel effect in mammalian cardiovascular endothelium to activate a non-selective cation (NSC) channel in a GTP-dependent manner via a PTX-sensitive G-protein. This S1P-sensitive NSC channel acts as a Ca2+ entry pathway in endothelium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Mizuhoku, Nagoya 467-8603, Japan. kmuraki@phar.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muraki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imaizumi
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008246:Lysophospholipids; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D007473:Ion Channels; D008246:Lysophospholipids; C060506:sphingosine 1-phosphate; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D013110:Sphingosine; D002118:Calcium