title: Mechanism of asynchronous Ca(2+) waves underlying agonist-induced contraction in the rat basilar artery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP) is a potent vasoconstrictor of cerebral arteries and induces Ca(2+) waves in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This study aimed to determine the mechanisms underlying UTP-induced Ca(2+) waves in VSMCs of the rat basilar artery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Isometric force and intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) were measured in endothelium-denuded rat basilar artery using wire myography and confocal microscopy respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Uridine 5'-triphosphate (0.1-1000 micromol.L(-1)) concentration-dependently induced tonic contraction (pEC(50) = 4.34 +/- 0.13), associated with sustained repetitive oscillations in [Ca(2+)](i) propagating along the length of the VSMCs as asynchronized Ca(2+) waves. Inhibition of Ca(2+) reuptake in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by cyclopiazonic acid abolished the Ca(2+) waves and resulted in a dramatic drop in tonic contraction. Nifedipine reduced the frequency of Ca(2+) waves by 40% and tonic contraction by 52%, and the nifedipine-insensitive component was abolished by SKF-96365, an inhibitor of receptor- and store-operated channels, and KB-R7943, an inhibitor of reverse-mode Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange. Ongoing Ca(2+) waves and tonic contraction were also abolished after blockade of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate-sensitive receptors by 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate, but not by high concentrations of ryanodine or tetracaine. However, depletion of ryanodine-sensitive SR Ca(2+) stores prior to UTP stimulation prevented Ca(2+) waves.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Uridine 5'-triphosphate-induced Ca(2+) waves may underlie tonic contraction and appear to be produced by repetitive cycles of regenerative Ca(2+) release from the SR through inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate-sensitive receptors. Maintenance of Ca(2+) waves requires SR Ca(2+) reuptake from Ca(2+) entry across the plasma membrane via L-type Ca(2+) channels, receptor- and store-operated channels, and reverse-mode Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Syyong
authors.forename: H H C
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trinh
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Breemen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014544:Uridine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium; D014544:Uridine Triphosphate