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H C Hartzell

Publications and source records attributed to H C Hartzell.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Phosphorylation of C-protein in intact amphibian cardiac muscle. Correlation between 32P incorporation and twitch relaxation.

The molecular mechanisms by which neurotransmitters modulate the force of contraction of cardiac muscle are incompletely understood. Hartzell and Titus (1982. J. Biol. Chem. 257:2111-2120) have recently reported that C-protein, an integral component of the thick filament, is reversibly phosphorylated in response to ionotropic agents. In this communication, C-protein phosphorylation (as measured by isotopic labeling with 32P) is correlated with changes in the rate of relaxation of twitch tension. On the average, isoproterenol simultaneously increases peak systolic tension twofold, decreases twitch relaxation time from a control value of approximately 450 to approximately 300 ms, and increases C-protein phosphorylation two- to threefold, with a maximum effect occurring less than 60 s after addition of 1 microM isoproterenol. Carbamylcholine, in contrast, decreases peak systolic tension more rapidly than it affects relaxation or C-protein phosphorylation. The maximum decrease in peak tension (60%) occurs within 1 min of addition of 0.5 microM carbamylcholine, but relaxation time increases slowly to 800 ms over approximately 6 min. The increase in relaxation time correlates well with the decrease in 32P incorporation into C-protein (r = 0.94). Changing beat frequency between 0.2 and 1/s has no effect on C-protein phosphorylation but does alter relaxation time (relaxation time decreases approximately 100 ms when beat frequency is changed from 0.5 to 1/s) and thus alters the quantitative relationship between C-protein phosphorylation and relaxation rate. These results suggest that two separate processes affect relaxation. It is proposed that the level of C-protein phosphorylation sets the boundaries over which relaxation is regulated by a second process that is dependent upon beat frequency and probably involves changes in intracellular Ca.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1982

Effects of cholinergic and adrenergic agonists on phosphorylation of a 165,000-dalton myofibrillar protein in intact cardiac muscle.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of beta-adrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic agonists on protein phosphorylation in intact frog atrium. beta-Adrenergic agonists increase and muscarinic agonists decrease 32P incorporation into a 165,000-dalton (165K) protein within less than 1 min. The concentrations of isoproterenol that produce increases in 32P incorporation into the 165K protein and in systolic tension are similar. Further, the changes in 32P incorporation and tension produced by isoproterenol occur with similar time courses. Carbamylcholine decreases tension somewhat more quickly and at lower concentrations than it decreases 32P incorporation, however. Isoproterenol-stimulated 32P incorporation is thought to be mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase because bath application of dibutyryl cAMP, cholera toxin, or phosphodiesterase inhibitors increase 32P incorporation into the 165K protein in intact atria. When heart homogenates are incubated in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP, cAMP stimulates the incorporation of 32P into the 165K protein. cGMP is much less effective. We suggest that carbamylcholine decreases 32P incorporation into the 165K protein by a mechanism independent of cAMP levels because carbamylcholine inhibits the stimulation of 32P incorporation into the 165K band produced by 8-bromo cAMP in intact cells. Phosphorylation of the 165K protein occurs in cardiac muscle but not in other tissues. We hypothesize that the 165K protein is C-protein, because the 165K- and C-proteins have similar solubilities and are associated with the myofibril. Further, antibodies produced against the 165K protein bind to C-protein purified from rabbit heart and also bind to the same region of the myofibril where C-protein is found.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1981

Mechanisms of slow postsynaptic potentials.

Classical views of synaptic transmission have to be modified to take account of slow postsynaptic potentials (p.s.ps), which are often mediated by novel ionic and molecular mechanisms and which are sometimes evoked by neuropeptides. Understanding slow p.s.ps will provide insights into the mechanisms of biological signal transduction and long-term signalling in the nervous system.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1980

Distribution of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and presynaptic nerve terminals in amphibian heart.

At many synapses, neurotransmitter receptor molecules in the postsynaptic membrane are selectively concentrated at a site directly opposite the presynaptic nerve terminal. In this paper, I examine acetylcholine (ACh) receptor distribution in cardiac muscle in relatin to the distribution of presynaptic axonal varicosities. The density of varicosities, stained with zinc iodide and osmium, ranges from 0.7/100 micrometer 2 in ventricle to 1.9/100 micrometer 2 in sinus venosus. It is estimated that < 3% of the muscle surface is apposed to presynaptic varicosities. ACh receptors, however, are randomly distributed on the muscle surface and not concentrated in patche. ACh receptor distribution was determined by iontophoretic application of ACh and mapping of ACh sensitivity and by [3H]QNB (quinuclidinyl benzilate) binding and autoradiography [3H]QNB binds with > 90% specificity to a single, saturable, high-affinity (Kd = 11.1 pM at 21 degrees C) class of binding sites. QNB binding sites are thought to correspond to ACh receptors, because muscarinic agonists compete for [3H]QNB binding and produce a hyperpolarization in the sinus venosus with the same order of potency. The concentrations of QNB binding sites in the sinus and atria are about twice those found in ventricle. The receptor density corresponds to the density of innervation measured by zinc iodide and osmium staining. Autoradiographic experiments show that [3H]QNB binding sites are distributed randomly over the entire surface of the muscle. This distribution of ACh receptors in cardiac muscle has important implications for the function of the cardiac neuroeffector junction.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1979

Adenosine receptors in frog sinus venosus: slow inhibitory potentials produced by adenine compounds and acetylcholine.

1. Membrane potential changes produced by adenosine and adenine nucleotides, acetylcholine, and vagus nerve stimulation were studied by intracellular recording in the sinus venosus of the frog, Rana pipiens. 2. Acetylcholine (ACh) released from the vagus nerve terminals evoked a slow hyperpolarization lasting several seconds in the cells of the sinus. Ionophoretic application of ACh from a micropipette produced a response which is similar in time course and amplitude to that evoked by vagus nerve stimulation. Bath application of ACh caused a steady hyperpolarization in quiescent preparations, or cessation of action potential generation in spontaneously active preparations. 3. Adenosine and adenine nucleotides produced hyperpolarizations when applied by addition to the bath or by ionophoresis from micropipettes. The hyperpolarization produced by ionophoresis of adenine compounds was somewhat slower than that produced by ACh. 4. Adenosine and the adenine nucleotides, 5'-AMP, 3'-AMP, 2'-AMP, and 5'-atp were virtually equipotent in their action. Adenosine was at least 1000-fold more potent than other purine and pyrimidine nucleosides or adenine. Both the ribose and adenine groups were important for agonist activity. 5. The concentrations of agonist required to produce half-maximal responses were estimated from dose--response curves as 3 x 10(-7) M for ACh and 2 x 10(-6) M for ATP. ACh is about 7 times more potent than ATP in producing a hyperpolarization. 6. Adenine compounds act directly upon the cardiac muscle fibres: bath or ionophoretically applied adenine compounds act even when transmitter release from nerve terminals is blocked with high (Mn2+) or when ACh receptors are blocked with atropine. 7. Adenine compounds act on the surface of the muscle fibre membrane. Analogues of adenosine which do not enter the cell are potent agonists of the receptor. An adenyl oligonucleotide too large to enter the cell was 2.6 times more potent per mole than adenosine in producing a hyperpolarization. Drugs such as dipyridamole and 6-(2-hydroxy 5-nitrobenzyl) thioguanosine, which are potent blockers of adenosine transport, potentiate the response of the sinus cells to adenosine. 8. Aminophylline and theophylline are competitive antagonists of adenosine action. The apparent Ki for aminophylline inhibition was 5 microM. 9. The response produced by adenine compounds is partly caused by an increase in the permeability of the membrane to K+. The maximum response to both ACh and adenine nucleotides approached the estimated level of EK or ECl. Replacing extracellular chloride with impermeant isethionate had no effect on responses to ACh or adenine nucleotides. The hyperpolarization was not produced by an activation of an ouabain-sensitive pump since 20 microM-ouabain had little effect on the response to adenosine. 10. The response to vagus nerve stimulation is completely blocked by 50 nM-atropine...

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1977

Synaptic excitation and inhibition resulting from direct action of acetylcholine on two types of chemoreceptors on individual amphibian parasympathetic neurones.

1. Synaptic transmission was studied in visually identified parasympathetic ganglion cells that modulate the heart beat of the mudpuppy Necturus maculosus).2. The brief pulse of acetylcholine (ACh) released from terminals of the vagus nerve after each impulse can produce two distinct post-synaptic responses in individual principal cells of the ganglion: (i) within a milli-second of release, ACh generates a rapid and strong excitatory post-synaptic potential (e.p.s.p.) that normally initiates a post-synaptic impulse; (ii) this excitation is usually followed by a slow hyperpolarizing inhibitory post-synaptic potential (i.p.s.p.) that lasts for several seconds. The magnitude and time course of the i.p.s.p. depends on the frequency and number of vagal stimuli. When the hydrolysis of ACh is inhibited by prostigmine, a train of nerve stimuli may be followed by an i.p.s.p. lasting half a minute or longer.3. The rapid e.p.s.p. and slow i.p.s.p. result from the direct action of ACh on two different types of chemoreceptors in the post-synaptic membrane of the principal cell. The e.p.s.p. can be preferentially blocked by the nicotinic antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine (5 x 10(-7)M), while the i.p.s.p. is selectively blocked by the muscarinic antagonist atropine (5 x 10(-9)M).4. Potentials resembling nerve-evoked e.p.s.p.s and i.p.s.p.s can be produced by iontophoretic release of ACh from micropipettes onto the post-synaptic membrane. Application of the muscarinic agonist bethanechol generates exclusively inhibitory responses.5. The reversal potential for the i.p.s.p. is about -105 mV, which is approximately the equilibrium potential for potassium (E(K)). When the external K(+) concentration is altered, the reversal potential for inhibition is shifted to the new value of E(K) as expected from the Nernst equation. Changes in the external Na(+) and Cl(-) concentrations have no appreciable effect on the reversal potential. Thus, the i.p.s.p. is the result of a conductance increase for K(+).6. The conductance change producing the i.p.s.p. is voltage sensitive. When the membrane potential is shifted from -40 to -60 mV, the i.p.s.p becomes larger and longer. Beyond -60 mV the inhibitory response decreases in proportion to the driving force on K(+) without any further change in time course.7. The inhibitory response produced by an iontophoretically applied pulse of bethanechol has a delayed onset of about 150 msec at 24 degrees C. The early portion of this response, including the delay, is proportional to t(3), where t is time. The proportionality factor (the apparent rate constant) decreases elevenfold when the temperature is lowered by 10 degrees C. This suggests that a multi-step process is involved in the activation of the conductance increase that leads to the inhibitory response. Inhibitory responses with similar kinetics were produced in heart muscles of the mudpuppy upon application of ACh.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1976

The number of acetylcholine molecules in a quantum and the interaction between quanta at the subsynaptic membrane of the skeletal neuromuscular synapse.

1. Postsynaptic responses to acetylcholine released from nerve terminals and from iontophoretic micropipettes were investigated in skeletal twitch-muscle fibers of the snake. The preparation consists of thin sheets of muscle fibers in which details of the end plate, including the outlines of individual synaptic boutons, are clearly seen in the living state. After treatment with collagenase, the motor nerve and its terminal boutons can be removed to expose the intact subsynaptic membrane to direct application of ACh by iontophoretic pipettes. 2. The number of ACh molecules in a quanta was estimated to be fewer than 10,000. This was done by developing a sensitive bioassay to measure the output of ACh from iontophoretic pipettes needed to produce synaptic responses closely resembling nerve-released miniature postsynaptic potentials. 3. Postsynaptic receptors are not saturated by the ACh in a quantum, since the peak of the quantal response produced by an appropriate background concentration of ACh from a pipette. 4. When acetylcholine esterase is inhibited, two or more quanta can act upon partially overlapping postsynaptic membrane areas and potentiate each other's effects. This potentiation reveals itself as a prolongation of the synaptic current. Postsynaptic potentiation is a consequence of the nonlinear dose-response characteristics of ACh receptors and can also be demonstrated in a model system in which ACh micropipettes substitute for quantal release from the nerve. 5. With AChE fully active, however, each quantum is functionally isolated from its neighbors and no postsynaptic potentiation is seen. 6. It is suggested that postsynaptic potentiation between quantum may play a role in signaling at synapses which have nonlinear dose-response characteristics and where transmitter is not so rapidly inactivated as at the neuromuscular synapse.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1975

Acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular synapses: phylogenetic differences detected by snake alpha-neurotoxins.

Phylogenetic differences in acetylcholine receptors from skeletal neuromuscular synapses of various species of snakes and lizards have been investigated, using the snake venom alpha-neurotoxins alpha-atratoxin (cobrotoxin) and alpha-bungarotoxin. The acetylcholine receptors of the phylogenetically primitive lizards, like those from all other vertebrates previously tested, are blocked by these alpha-neurotoxins. In contrast, receptors from snakes and advanced lizards are insensitive to one or both of the toxins. It is suggested that toxin-resistant acetylcholine receptors appeared early in the evolution of Squamata and preceded the appearance of alpha-neurotoxins.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Post-synaptic potentiation: interaction between quanta of acetylcholine at the skeletal neuromuscular synapse.

1. Post-synaptic responses to acetylcholine (ACh) released from nerve terminals and from iontophoretic micropipettes were investigated in skeletal muscle fibres of the snake. Each fibre has a compact end-plate consisting of fifty to seventy synaptic boutons. The fibres were voltage clamped, and synaptic currents were recorded from visually identified end-plates. 2. When acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is inhibited, a potentiating interaction is observed between two or more quanta that are released close to each other from a synaptic bouton and act upon partially overlapping postsynaptic areas. The potentiation is expressed as a prolongation of the synaptic current. This potentiation also occurs under normal conditions of release when about 300 quanta are distributed over the entire end-plate, so thet the presynaptic release sites are separated by an average of 2 mum. An analogous potentiating interaction is observed when micropipettes, closely apposed to the subsynaptic membrane, substitute for quantal release sites. ACh from one pipette potentiates the response to ACh from another pipette less than 2 mum away. 3. In contrast, with AChE fully active no post-synaptic potentiation is seen when the normal complement of quanta is released over the entire end-plate. The time course of the synaptic currents in response to a single quantum or to 300 quanta is similar. It is concluded that functionally the quanta act independently of each other, because AChE isolates each quantum from its neighbours by limiting the lifetime of ACh and its lateral diffusion in the synaptic cleft. The estimated area over which a quantum normally acts is less than 2mum2. 4. Post-synaptic receptors are not saturated by the ACh in a quantum, since the peak of the quantal response adds linearly to the response produced by an appropriate background concentration of ACh from a pipette. This conclusion is supported by the observation that upon inhibition of AChE the peak amplitude of the quantal current response increases by about 20% with no change in its time to peak. 5. It is suggested that post-synaptic potentiation between quanta may play a role in signalling at synapses in which non-linear dose-response characteristics have been observed and where transmitter is not as repidly inactivated as the neuromuscular synapse.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1972

Acetylcholine receptors: number and distribution at neuromuscular junctions in rat diaphragm.

The number of acetylcholine receptors per motor end plate in the rat diaphragm, measured by the binding of [(125)1]alpha-bungarotoxin, varies directly with rat size and is (4.0 +/- 0.2) x 10(7) for full-grown male rats. Autoradiographic analysis of single fibers labeled with this substance reveals that virtually all of these receptors are localized in the end plate.

Animals↗
PubMed1972

Acetylcholine receptors. Distribution and extrajunctional density in rat diaphragm after denervation correlated with acetylcholine sensitivity.

Using (125)iodine-labeled alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BGT-(125)I) and quantitative radioautography, we have studied the time-course of the change in acetylcholine (ACh) receptor distribution and density occurring in rat diaphragm after denervation. In innervated fibers, ACh receptors are localized at the neuromuscular junction and the extrajunctional receptor density is less than five receptors per square micrometer. The extrajunctional receptor density begins to increase between 2 and 3 days after denervation and increases approximately linearly to 1695 receptors/microm(2) at 14 days, subsequently decreasing to 529 receptors/microm(2) at 45 days. We have isolated plasma membranes from rat leg muscles at various times after denervation and find that the change in concentration of ACh receptors in the membranes measured by alpha-BGT-(125)I binding and scintillation counting follows a time-course similar to the change in ACh receptor density measured radioautographically. Furthermore, we have correlated extrajunctional ACh receptor density measured by radioautography with extrajunctional ACh sensitivity measured by iontophoretic application of ACh and intracellular recording and find that the log of ACh receptor density is related to 0.53 times the log of ACh sensitivity. These results are discussed in terms of the electrophysiological experiments on the ACh receptor and the recent, more biochemical approaches to the study of ACh receptor control and function.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Opposite effects of cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP on Ca2+ current in single heart cells.

The slow inward Ca2+ current, ICa, is fundamental in the initiation of cardiac contraction and neurohormonal regulation of cardiac function. It is increased by beta-adrenergic agonists, which stimulate synthesis of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cAMP-dependent phosphorylation. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine reduces ICa by an unknown mechanism. There is strong evidence that acetylcholine reduces ICa by decreasing adenylate cyclase activity, but cGMP has also been implicated as ACh stimulates cGMP accumulation and activates cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Application of cGMP decreases contractile force, decreases Ca flux, shortens the duration of action potentials and inhibits Ca-dependent action potentials. Other studies, however, have concluded that cGMP levels do not correlate with contractile force and that cGMP has no effect on ICa. We have therefore examined the effects of intracellular perfusion of cGMP on ICa using isolated, voltage-clamped cells from frog ventricle. We find that cGMP has negligible effects on basal ICa, but greatly decreases the ICa that had been elevated by beta-adrenergic agonists or by intracellular perfusion with cAMP. The decrease of ICa is mediated by cAMP hydrolysis via a cGMP-stimulated cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗