Abstract
During myocardial ischemia, a local release of noradrenaline coincides
with an increased density of beta-adrenergic receptors. The functional
activity of these receptors, however, is mainly determined by their
state of phosphorylation. The beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (beta
ARK) specifically phosphorylates and thereby inactivates beta-adrenergic
receptors after stimulation by receptor agonists, facilitating the
binding of the inhibitor protein beta-arrestin to the receptors.
beta ARK activation involves a translocation of the enzyme to the
membrane. In the present study, we investigated the density and the
functional activity of beta-adrenergic receptors, the enzymatic activity
of beta ARK in membranes and cytosol, the mRNA levels of beta ARK-1,
and the expression of beta-arrestin during stop-flow and low-flow
ischemia in the isolated perfused rat heart. After 60 minutes of
stop-flow ischemia, beta-adrenergic receptor density was upregulated,
but beta-agonist-mediated adenylate cyclase activity was blunted.
Simultaneously, beta ARK activity in the particulate fraction was
significantly induced. The increase in beta ARK activity was reversible
after inhibition of ischemia-evoked noradrenaline release by desipramine.
Also, exposure to externally given noradrenaline increased beta ARK
activity in the particulate fraction. Cytosolic beta ARK activity
remained largely unchanged during stop-flow or low-flow ischemia.
The steady state concentration of beta ARK-1 mRNA increased after
20 minutes of stop-flow ischemia and then returned to baseline values
after another 20 minutes. Cardiac ischemia did not alter beta-arrestin
levels. During myocardial ischemia, an increase in the number of
beta-adrenergic receptors is paralleled by increased membrane activity
of the receptor kinase beta ARK. This increased membrane activity
may contribute to enhanced receptor phosphorylation and inactivation.
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