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Heping Cheng

Publications and source records attributed to Heping Cheng.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Putting out the fire: what terminates calcium-induced calcium release in cardiac muscle?

The majority of contractile calcium in cardiac muscle is released from stores in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), by a process of calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) through ryanodine receptors. Because CICR is intrinsically self-reinforcing, the stability of and graded regulation of cardiac EC coupling appear paradoxical. It is now well established that this gradation results from the stochastic recruitment of varying numbers of elementary local release events, which may themselves be regenerative, and which can be directly observed as calcium sparks. Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are clustered in dense lattices, and most calcium sparks are now believed to involve activation of multiple RyRs. This implies that local CICR is regenerative, requiring a mechanism to terminate it. It was initially assumed that this mechanism was inactivation of the RyR, but during the decade since the discovery of sparks, no sufficiently strong inactivation mechanism has been demonstrated in vitro and all empirically determined gating schemes for the RyR give unstable EC coupling in Monte Carlo simulations. We consider here possible release termination mechanisms. Stochastic attrition is the spontaneous decay of active clusters due to random channel closure; calculations show that it is much too slow unless assisted by another process. Calcium-dependent RyR inactivation involving third-party proteins remains a viable but speculative mechanism; current candidates include calmodulin and sorcin. Local depletion of SR release terminal calcium could terminate release, however calculations and measurements leave it uncertain whether a sufficient diffusion resistance exists within the SR to sustain such depletion. Depletion could be assisted by dependence of RyR activity on SR lumenal [Ca(2+)]. There is substantial evidence for such lumenal activation, but it is not clear if it is a strong enough effect to account for the robust termination of sparks. The existence of direct interactions among clustered RyRs might account for the discrepancy between the inactivation properties of isolated RyRs and intact clusters. Such coupled gating remains controversial. Determining the mechanism of release termination is the outstanding unsolved problem of cardiac EC coupling, and will probably require extensive genetic manipulation of the EC coupling apparatus in its native environment to unravel the solution.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Polymorphism of Ca2+ sparks evoked from in-focus Ca2+ release units in cardiac myocytes.

Ca2+ sparks are the elementary release events in many types of cells. Here we present a morphometric analysis of Ca2+ sparks (i.e., amplitude and kinetic parameters) using an approach that minimizes the confounding factor of the detection of out-of-focus events. By activation and visualization of Ca2+ sparks from Ca2+ release units under loose-seal patch-clamp conditions, we found that the amplitude and rising rate of in-focus sparks exhibited a broad modal distribution, whereas spark rise time and spatial width appeared to be stereotyped. Spark morphometrics were constant irrespective of the latency of spark production and the time-dependent L-type Ca2+ channel activation. Polymorphism of Ca2+ sparks in terms of variable amplitude and rising rate was evident for events from the same release units, and intra- and interrelease unit variability contributed equally to the overall variability. The rising rate, a reporter of the underlying Ca2+ release flux, displayed a strong positive correlation with spark amplitude, but a negative correlation with spark rise time, an index of Ca2+ release duration. On the basis of Ca2+ spark morphometrics measured here, we suggested a model in which cohorts of variable number of ryanodine receptors are activated in the genesis of Ca2+ sparks, and the ensuing negative feedback overrides the regenerative Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release to extinguish the ongoing Ca2+ spark.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Enhanced G(i) signaling selectively negates beta2-adrenergic receptor (AR)--but not beta1-AR-mediated positive inotropic effect in myocytes from failing rat hearts.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial contractile response to beta1- and beta2-adrenergic receptor (AR) stimulation is severely impaired in chronic heart failure, in which G(i) signaling and the ratio of beta2/beta1 are often increased. Because beta2-AR but not beta1-AR couples to G(s) and G(i) with the G(i) coupling negating the G(s)-mediated contractile response, we determined whether the heart failure-associated augmentation of G(i) signaling contributes differentially to the defects of these beta-AR subtypes and, if so, whether inhibition of G(i) or selective activation of beta2-AR/G(s) by ligands restores beta2-AR contractile response in the failing heart. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cardiomyocytes were isolated from 18- to 24-month-old failing spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) or age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat hearts. In SHR cardiomyocytes, either beta-AR subtype-mediated inotropic effect was markedly diminished, whereas G(i) proteins and the beta2/beta1 ratio were increased. Disruption of G(i) signaling by pertussis toxin (PTX) enabled beta2- but not beta1-AR to induce a full positive inotropic response in SHR myocytes. Furthermore, screening of a panel of beta2-AR ligands revealed that the contractile response mediated by most beta2-AR agonists, including zinterol, salbutamol, and procaterol, was potentiated by PTX, indicating concurrent G(s) and G(i) activation. In contrast, fenoterol, another beta2-AR agonist, induced a full positive inotropic effect in SHR myocytes even in the absence of PTX. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that enhanced G(i) signaling is selectively involved in the dysfunction of beta2- but not beta1-AR in failing SHR hearts and that disruption of G(i) signaling by PTX or selective activation of beta2-AR/G(s) signaling by fenoterol restores the blunted beta2-AR contractile response in the failing heart.

Adrenergic beta-1 Receptor Antagonists↗
PubMed2003

Calmodulin regulation of excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac myocytes.

Calmodulin (CaM) as a ubiquitous Ca2+ sensor interacts with multiple key molecules involved in excitation-contraction (EC) coupling. In the present study, we report that adenoviral expression of a mutant CaM lacking all of its four Ca2+-binding sites, CaM(1-4), at a level 6.5-fold over endogenous CaM markedly increases the amplitude and abbreviates the decay time of Ca2+ transients and contraction in cultured rat ventricular myocytes. To determine the underlying mechanisms, we examined the properties of L-type Ca2+ channels, Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), and phospholamban (PLB) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). We found that CaM(1-4) expression markedly augmented L-type Ca2+ current amplitude and slowed its inactivation. Surprisingly, overexpression of CaM(1-4) increased CaMKII activity and phosphorylation of PLB-Thr-17. Moreover, CaM(1-4) elevated diastolic Ca2+ and caffeine-labile Ca2+ content of the SR. Inhibition of CaMKII by KN-93 or a myristoylated autocamtide-2 related inhibitory peptide prevented the aforementioned PLB phosphorylation and reversed the positive inotropic and relaxant effects, indicating that CaMKII is essential to CaM(1-4) actions. These results demonstrate that CaM modulates Ca2+ influx, SR Ca2+ release, and Ca2+ recycling during cardiac EC coupling. A novel finding of this study is that expression of a Ca2+-insensitive CaM mutant can lead to activation of CaMKII in cardiac myocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The third intracellular loop and the carboxyl terminus of beta2-adrenergic receptor confer spontaneous activity of the receptor.

It is well established that the beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2-AR) exhibits a robust ligand-independent activity, whereas this property is considerably weaker in the closely related beta1-AR subtype. To identify the potential domain(s) of beta2-AR responsible for the spontaneous receptor activation, we created three chimeras in which the third intracellular loop (beta1/beta2-Li3) or the carboxyl terminus (beta1/beta2-CT) or both domains (beta1/beta2-Li3CT) of beta1-AR are replaced by the corresponding parts of the beta2-AR. Using adenoviral gene transfer, we individually expressed these beta1/beta2-AR chimeras in mouse cardiomyocytes lacking both native beta1-AR and beta2-AR (beta1/beta2 double knockout), and examined their possible spontaneous activities. Overexpression of these beta1/beta2-AR chimeras markedly elevated basal cAMP accumulation and myocyte contractility in the absence of agonist stimulation compared with those infected by a control adenovirus expressing beta-galactosidase or an adenovirus expressing wild type beta1-AR. These effects were fully reversed by a beta2-AR inverse agonist, (+/-)-1-[2,3-(dihydro-7-methyl-1H-inden-4-yl)oxy]-3-[(1-methylethyl)amino]-2-butanol (ICI 118,551; 5 x 10-7 M), regardless of inhibition of Gi with pertussis toxin, but not by a panel of beta1-AR antagonists, including [2-(3-carbamoyl-4-hydroxyphenoxy)-ethylamino]-3-[4-(1-methyl-4-trifluormethyl-2-imidazolyl)-phenoxy]-2-propanolmethanesulfonate (CGP20712A), betaxolol, bisoprolol, and metoprolol. Furthermore, we have shown that the C-terminal postsynaptic density 95/disc-large/ZO-1 (PDZ) motif of beta1-AR is not responsible for the lack of beta1-AR spontaneous activation, although it has been known that the beta1-AR PDZ motif prevents the receptor from undergoing agonist-induced trafficking and Gi coupling in cardiomyocytes. Taken together, the present results indicate that both the third intracellular loop and the C terminus are involved in beta2-AR spontaneous activation and that either domain seems to be sufficient to confer the receptor spontaneous activity.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed2003

Linkage of beta1-adrenergic stimulation to apoptotic heart cell death through protein kinase A-independent activation of Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II.

beta(1)-adrenergic receptor (beta(1)AR) stimulation activates the classic cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway to regulate vital cellular processes from the change of gene expression to the control of metabolism, muscle contraction, and cell apoptosis. Here we show that sustained beta(1)AR stimulation promotes cardiac myocyte apoptosis by activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII), independently of PKA signaling. beta(1)AR-induced apoptosis is resistant to inhibition of PKA by a specific peptide inhibitor, PKI14-22, or an inactive cAMP analogue, Rp-8-CPT-cAMPS. In contrast, the beta(1)AR proapoptotic effect is associated with non-PKA-dependent increases in intracellular Ca(2+) and CaMKII activity. Blocking the L-type Ca(2+) channel, buffering intracellular Ca(2+), or inhibiting CaMKII activity fully protects cardiac myocytes against beta(1)AR-induced apoptosis, and overexpressing a cardiac CaMKII isoform, CaMKII-deltaC, markedly exaggerates the beta(1)AR apoptotic effect. These findings indicate that CaMKII constitutes a novel PKA-independent linkage of beta(1)AR stimulation to cardiomyocyte apoptosis that has been implicated in the overall process of chronic heart failure.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Calcium signaling between sarcolemmal calcium channels and ryanodine receptors in heart cells.

Cardiac excitation-Ca2+ release coupling is, in essence, a tale of two molecules, sarcolemmal voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels (LCCs) and intracellular ryanodine receptors (RyRs), communicating via the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release mechanism. Recent advances have provided a microscopic view of the intermolecular Ca2+ signaling between LCCs and RyRs. In a dyadic junction or a "couplon", LCCs open and close stochastically upon depolarization, delivering a train of high local Ca2+ pulses ("Ca2+ sparklets") to the RyRs in the abutting SR terminal cisternae. Stochastic activation of RyRs discharges "Ca2+ sparks" from different couplons, which summate into global Ca2+ transients. Hence, ignition of Ca2+ sparks by Ca2+ sparklets constitute elementary events of EC coupling. While the sparklet-spark coupling is of low fidelity (at 0 mV, about one out of 50 sparklets triggers a spark under physiological conditions), the high-gain amplification of CICR (approximately 15 at 0 mV) is achieved because of the greater single-channel flux and open time of RyRs and multi-RyR origin of Ca2+ spark. The global stability of CICR is safeguarded by many factors acting in synergy, including physical separation of RyR clusters, sheer Ca2+ gradients around the channel pores, low intrinsic Ca2+ sensitivity of RyRs in vivo, and high cooperativity for the Ca2+-dependent spark activation. The local stability of CICR is insured because of strong, use-dependent inactivation of RyRs, that terminates Ca2+ sparks and confers persistent local SR refractoriness.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Ca(2+) signaling in cardiac myocytes overexpressing the alpha(1) subunit of L-type Ca(2+) channel.

Voltage-gated L-type Ca(2+) channels (LCCs) provide Ca(2+) ingress into cardiac myocytes and play a key role in intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and excitation-contraction coupling. We investigated the effects of a constitutive increase of LCC density on Ca(2+) signaling in ventricular myocytes from 4-month-old transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing the alpha(1) subunit of LCC in the heart. At this age, cells were somewhat hypertrophic as reflected by a 20% increase in cell capacitance relative to those from nontransgenic (Ntg) littermates. Whole cell I(Ca) density in Tg myocytes was elevated by 48% at 0 mV compared with the Ntg group. Single-channel analysis detected an increase in LCC density with similar conductance and gating properties. Although the overexpressed LCCs triggered an augmented SR Ca(2+) release, the "gain" function of EC coupling was uncompromised, and SR Ca(2+) content, diastolic cytosolic Ca(2+), and unitary properties of Ca(2+) sparks were unchanged. Importantly, the enhanced I(Ca) entry and SR Ca(2+) release were associated with an upregulation of the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchange activity (indexed by the half decay time of caffeine-elicited Ca(2+) transient) by 27% and SR Ca(2+) recycling by approximately 35%. Western analysis detected a 53% increase in the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger expression but no change in the abundance of ryanodine receptor (RyR), SERCA2, and phospholamban. Analysis of I(Ca) kinetics suggested that SR Ca(2+) release-dependent inactivation of LCCs remains intact in Tg cells. Thus, in spite of the modest cardiac hypertrophy, the overexpressed LCCs form functional coupling with RyRs, preserving both orthograde and retrograde Ca(2+) signaling between LCCs and RyRs. These results also suggest that a modest but sustained increase in Ca(2+) influx triggers a coordinated remodeling of Ca(2+) handling to maintain Ca(2+) homeostasis.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2002

p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase mediates a negative inotropic effect in cardiac myocytes.

p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is one of the most ancient signaling molecules and is involved in multiple cellular processes, including cell proliferation, cell growth, and cell death. In the heart, enhanced activation of p38 MAPK is associated with ischemia/reperfusion injury and the onset of heart failure. In the present study, we investigated the function of p38 MAPK in regulating cardiac contractility and its underlying mechanisms. In cultured adult rat cardiomyocytes, activation of p38 MAPK by adenoviral gene transfer of an activated mutant of its upstream kinase, MKK3bE, led to a significant reduction in baseline contractility, compared with uninfected cells or those infected with a control adenoviral vector (Adv-beta-galactosidase). The inhibitory effect of MKK3bE on contractility was largely prevented by coexpressing a dominant-negative mutant of p38 MAPK or treating cells with a p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580. Conversely, inhibition of endogenous p38 MAPK activity by SB203580 rapidly and reversibly enhanced cell contractility in a dose-dependent manner, without altering L-type Ca(2+) currents or Ca(2+)(i) transients. MKK3bE-induced p38 activation had no significant effect on pH(i), whereas SB203580 had a minor effect to elevate pH(i). Furthermore, activation of p38 MAPK was unable to increase troponin I phosphorylation. Thus, we conclude that the negative inotropic effect of p38 MAPK is mediated by decreasing myofilament response to Ca(2+), rather than by altering Ca(2+)(i) homeostasis and that the reduced myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity is unlikely attributable to troponin I phosphorylation or alterations in pH(i). These findings reveal a novel function of p38 MAPK and shed a new light on our understanding of the coincidence of p38 MAPK activation and the onset of heart failure.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed2002

Thermodynamically irreversible gating of ryanodine receptors in situ revealed by stereotyped duration of release in Ca(2+) sparks.

For a single or a group of Markov channels gating reversibly, distributions of open and closed times should be the sum of positively weighted decaying exponentials. Violation of this microscopic reversibility has been demonstrated previously on a number of occasions at the single channel level, and has been attributed to possible channel coupling to external sources of free energy. Here we show that distribution of durations of Ca(2+) release underlying Ca(2+) sparks in intact cardiac myocytes exhibits a prominent mode at approximately 8 ms. Analysis of the cycle time for repetitive sparks at hyperactive sites revealed no intervals briefer than approximately 35 ms and a mode at approximately 90 ms. These results indicate that, regardless of whether Ca(2+) sparks are single-channel or multi-channel in origin, they are generated by thermodynamically irreversible stochastic processes. In contrast, data from planar lipid bilayer experiments were consistent with reversible gating of RyR under asymmetric cis (4 microM) and trans Ca(2+) (10 mM), suggesting that the irreversibility for Ca(2+) spark genesis may reside at a supramolecular level. Modeling suggests that Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release among adjacent RyRs may couple the external energy derived from Ca(2+) gradients across the SR to RyR gating in situ, and drive the irreversible generation of Ca(2+) sparks.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Intracellular Ca(2+) release as irreversible Markov process.

In striated muscles, intracellular Ca(2+) release is tightly controlled by the membrane voltage sensor. Ca(2+) ions are necessary mediators of this control in cardiac but not in skeletal muscle, where their role is ill-understood. An intrinsic gating oscillation of Ca(2+) release-not involving the voltage sensor-is demonstrated in frog skeletal muscle fibers under voltage clamp. A Markov model of the Ca(2+) release units is shown to reproduce the oscillations, and it is demonstrated that for Markov processes to have oscillatory transients, its transition rates must violate thermodynamic reversibility. Such irreversibility results in permanent cycling of the units through a ring of states, which requires a source of free energy. Inhibition of the oscillation by 20 to 40 mM EGTA or partial depletion of Ca(2+) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) identifies the SR [Ca(2+)] gradient as the energy source, and indicates a location of the critical Ca(2+)-sensing site at distances greater than 35 nm from the open channel. These results, which are consistent with a recent demonstration of irreversibility in gating of cardiac Ca(2+) sparks, (Wang, S.-Q., L.-S. Song, L. Xu, G. Meissner, E. G. Lakatta, E. Ríos, M. D. Stern, and H. Cheng. 2002. Biophys. J. 83:242-251) exemplify a cell-wide oscillation caused by coupling between ion permeation and channel gating.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Dysfunction of store-operated calcium channel in muscle cells lacking mg29.

The store-operated calcium channel (SOC) located in the plasma membrane (PM) mediates capacitative entry of extracellular calcium after depletion of intracellular calcium stores in the endoplasmic or sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR). An intimate interaction between the PM and the ER/SR is essential for the operation of this calcium signalling pathway. Mitsugumin 29 (MG29) is a synaptophysin-family-related protein located in the junction between the PM and SR of skeletal muscle. Here, we identify SOC in skeletal muscle and characterise its regulation by MG29 and the ryanodine receptor (RyR) located in the SR. Targeted deletion of mg29 alters the junctional membrane structure, causes severe dysfunction of SOC and SR calcium homeostasis and increases the susceptibility of muscle to fatigue stimulation. Severe dysfunction of SOC is also identified in muscle cells lacking both type 1 and type 3 RyRs, indicating that SOC activation requires an intact interaction between the PM and the SR, and is linked to conformational changes of RyRs. Whereas defective SOC seems to be inconsequential to short-term excitation-contraction coupling, the slow cumulative calcium entry through SOC is crucial for long-term calcium homeostasis, such that reduced SOC activity exaggerates muscle fatigue under conditions of intensive exercise.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Adaptive mechanisms of intracellular calcium homeostasis in mammalian hibernators.

Intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis is a prerequisite for a healthy cell life. While cells from some mammals may suffer dysregulation of intracellular Ca(2+) levels under certain deleterious and stressful conditions, including hypothermia and ischemia, cells from mammalian hibernators exhibit a remarkable ability to maintain a homeostatic intracellular Ca(2+) environment. Compared with cells from non-hibernators, hibernator cells are characterized by downregulation of the activity of Ca(2+) channels in the cell membrane, which helps to prevent excessive Ca(2+) entry. Concomitantly, sequestration of Ca(2+) by intracellular Ca(2+) stores, especially the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum, is enhanced to keep the resting levels of intracellular Ca(2+) stable. An increase in stored Ca(2+) in heart cells during hibernation ensures that the levels of Ca(2+) messenger are sufficient for forceful cell contraction under conditions of hypothermia. Maintenance of Na(+) gradients, via Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchangers, is also important in the Ca(2+) homeostasis of hibernator cells. Understanding the adaptive mechanisms of Ca(2+) regulation in hibernating mammals may suggest new strategies to protect nonhibernator cells, including those of humans, from Ca(2+)-induced dysfunction.

Adaptation, Physiological↗