title: Thrombin downregulates muscle acetylcholine receptors via an IP3 signaling pathway by activating its G-protein-coupled protease-activated receptor-1.
abstract: Regulation of thrombin activity may be required during skeletal muscle differentiation since the thrombin tissue inhibitor protease nexin-1 appears at the myotube stage before being localized at the neuromuscular synapse. Here, we have used a model of rat fetal myotube primary cultures to study the effect of thrombin on acetylcholine receptor (AChR) expression, which is enhanced at the myotube stage. Our results show that thrombin decreases both the number of surface AChRs (AChRn) and AChR alpha-subunit gene expression. Using the agonist peptide SFLLRN, we establish that the AChRn decrease is mediated by the G protein-coupled thrombin receptor "protease-activated receptor-1" (PAR-1). Moreover, the specific thrombin inhibitor hirudin increases AChRn by inhibiting the thrombin intrinsically present in the cultures. We further demonstrate that the activation of PAR-1 by thrombin induces intracellular calcium movements that are blocked by 2-APB, an inhibitor of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3)-induced calcium release. These calcium signals are more intense in nuclei than in the cytoplasm and are consistent with the intracellular distribution of IP3 receptor that we find in the cytoplasm in a cross-striated pattern and at a high level in the nuclear envelope zone. Finally, we show that the blockade of these IP3-induced calcium signals by 2-APB prevents the AChRn decrease induced by thrombin. Our results thus demonstrate that thrombin downregulates AChR expression by activating PAR-1 and that this effect is mediated via an IP3 signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 523, Institut de Myologie, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Brice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Faraut
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barbier
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ravel-Chapuis
authors.forename: Marie-Agnès
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Doyennette
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jandrot-Perrus
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verdière-Sahuqué
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schaeffer
authors.forename: Jeanine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hantaï
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005453:Fluorescence; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D044463:Receptor, PAR-1; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin / Q000819:agonists / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013917:Thrombin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001896:Boron Compounds; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D044463:Receptor, PAR-1; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin; C082835:thrombin receptor peptide (42-47); C450061:tyrosyl-phenylalanyl-leucyl-leucyl-arginyl-asparaginyl-arginine; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; C109986:2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate; D013917:Thrombin; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D000109:Acetylcholine; D002118:Calcium