Abstract
Cyclic AMP and Ca(2+) are antagonistic intracellular messengers for
the regulation of vascular smooth muscle tone: rising levels of Ca(2+)
lead to vasoconstriction, while an increase of cAMP induces vasodilatation.
Here we investigated whether Ca(2+) interferes with cAMP signaling
by regulation of phophodiesterases (PDEs) or adenylyl cyclases (ACs).
We studied regulation of cAMP concentrations by Ca(2+) signals evoked
by endogenous purinergic receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells
(VSMCs). The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based
cAMP sensor Epac1-camps allowed the measurement of cAMP levels in
single living VSMCs with subsecond temporal resolution. Moreover,
in-vitro calibration of Epac1-camps enabled us to estimate the absolute
cytosolic cAMP concentrations. Stimulation of purinergic receptors
decreased cAMP levels in the presence of the beta-adrenergic agonist
isoproterenol. Simultaneous imaging of cAMP with Epac1-camps and
of Ca(2+) with Fura 2 revealed a rise of intracellular Ca(2+) in
response to purinergic stimulation followed by a decline of cAMP.
Chelation of intracellular Ca(2+) and overexpression of Ca(2+)-independent
AC4 antagonized this decline of cAMP while pharmacological inhibition
of Ca(2+)-activated PDE1 had no effect. Adenylyl cyclase assays with
VSMC membranes revealed a significant attenuation of isoproterenol-stimulated
cAMP production by the presence of 2 muM Ca(2+). Furthermore, siRNA
knockdown of AC5 and AC6 (the two adenylyl cyclases known to be inhibited
by Ca(2+)), significantly reduced the decrease of cAMP upon purinergic
stimulation of isoproterenol-prestimulated VSMCs. Taken together,
these results implicate a Ca(2+)-mediated inhibition of AC5 and 6
as an important mechanism of purinergic receptor-induced decline
of cAMP and show a direct cross talk of these signaling pathways
in VSMCs.
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