title: Nitric oxide, a key signaling molecule in the murine early embryonic heart.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is thought to play an important role as a signaling molecule in embryonic and adult cardiomyocytes; however, its involvement in muscarinic signaling is still unclear. The aim of the present work was to analyze the muscarinic modulation of the L-type Ca2+ current (ICa) in early- and late-stage embryonic ventricular cardiomyocytes. Muscarinic stimulation depressed basal ICa by 30.1 +/- 3.2% (n=27) in early-stage cardiomyocytes. Pharmacological evidence suggested that the muscarinic modulation was mediated through generation of NO, activation of cGMP-dependent phosphodiesterase (PDE) 2, and ensuing lowering of cyclic AMP/protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) levels. Conversely, in late-stage cardiomyocytes, muscarinic regulation of ICa occurred in a NO-independent manner via inhibition of prestimulated adenylyl cyclase (AC). To unequivocally prove the involvement of NO and to identify the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoform(s), we analyzed muscarinic signaling in embryonic ventricular cardiomyocytes of NOS2 (-/-) and NOS3 (-/-) mice. The early-stage NOS3 (-/-) cardiomyocytes lacked muscarinic modulation, whereas it was preserved in NOS2 (-/-) cells. Moreover, at the late embryonic stage, muscarinic modulation of ICa was intact in both strains. Thus, NO is the key regulator of muscarinic signaling in the early embryonic ventricle, whereas at later stages, signaling occurs through a NO-independent pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Human Biology, INFM University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malan
authors.forename: Guan J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Addicks
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hescheler
authors.forename: Renzo C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bloch
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Fleischmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D021461:Animals, Outbred Strains; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000378:metabolism*; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology; D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D054746:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type II; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D017136:Ion Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D037342:Pertussis Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D002217:Carbachol; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse; C496315:Nos3 protein, mouse; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D054746:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type II; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D002118:Calcium