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J R Mickelson

Publications and source records attributed to J R Mickelson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Report of the International Equine Gene Mapping Workshop: male linkage map.

The goal of the First International Equine Gene Mapping Workshop, held in 1995, was the construction of a low density, male linkage map for the horse. For this purpose, the International Horse Reference Family Panel (IHRFP) was established, consisting of 12 paternal half-sib families with 448 half-sib offspring provided by 10 laboratories. Blood samples were collected and DNA extracted in each laboratory and sent to the Lexington laboratory (KY, USA) for dispatch in aliquots to 14 typing laboratories. In total, 161 markers (144 microsatellites, seven blood groups and 10 proteins) were tested for all families for which the sire was heterozygous. Genealogies and typing data were sent for analysis to the INRA laboratory (Jouy-en-Josas, France) according to a specific format and entered into a database with input verification and output processes. Linkage analysis was performed with the CRIMAP program. Significant linkage was detected for 124 loci, of which 95 were unambiguously ordered using a multipoint analysis with an average spacing of 14.2 CM. These loci were distributed among 29 linkage groups. A more comprehensive analysis including synteny group data and FISH data suggested that 26 autosomes out of 31 are covered. The complete map spans 936 CM.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Skeletal muscle metabolic response to exercise in horses with 'tying-up' due to polysaccharide storage myopathy.

Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) is a distinct cause of exertional rhabdomyolysis in Quarter Horses that results in glycogen and abnormal polysaccharide accumulation. The purpose of this study was to determine if excessive glycogen storage in PSSM is due to a glycolytic defect that impairs utilisation of this substrate during exercise. Muscle biopsies, blood lactates and serum CK were obtained 1) at rest from 5 PSSM Quarter Horses, 4 normal Quarter Horses (QH controls) and 6 Thoroughbreds with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (TB RER) and 2) after a maximal treadmill exercise test in PSSM and QH controls. In addition, 3 PSSM horses performed a submaximal exercise test. At rest, muscle glycogen concentrations were 2.4x and 1.9x higher in PSSM vs. QH controls or TB RER, respectively. Muscle lactates at rest were similar between PSSM and QH controls but significantly higher in PSSM vs. TB RER. Muscle glucose-6-phosphate concentrations were also higher in PSSM horses than controls combined. During maximal exercise, mean muscle glycogen concentrations declined 2.7x more and mean lactate increased 2x more in PSSM vs. QH controls; however, differences were not statistically significant. Blood lactate concentrations after maximal exercise did not reflect generally higher muscle lactate in PSSM vs. QH controls. No change in blood lactate concentrations occurred in PSSM horses with submaximal exercise. Serum CK activity increased significantly 4 h after maximal and submaximal exercise and was significantly higher in PSSM vs. QH controls. These results show that during maximal exercise, PSSM horses utilised muscle glycogen and produce lactic acid via a functional glycolytic pathway and that during submaximal exercise oxidative metabolism was unimpaired. The excessive glycogen storage and formation of abnormal polysaccharide in PSSM horses therefore appear to reflect increased glycogen synthesis rather than decreased utilisation. The specific subset of horses with exertional rhabdomyolysis due to PSSM would likely benefit clinically from a diet low in soluble carbohydrates like grain with fat added as well as gradually increasing daily exercise to reduce excessive glycogen accumulation and enhance utilisation.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1999

Blood glucose clearance after feeding and exercise in polysaccharide storage myopathy.

Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in Quarter Horses (QH) and QH crosses is a glycogen storage disorder in which blood glucose clearance and insulin sensitivity, following an i.v. or oral glucose challenge, are enhanced. Exercise is known also to enhance glucose uptake into skeletal muscle in many animal species. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effect of exercise on glucose clearance in PSSM and control horses when an oral carbohydrate meal (8 Mcal sweet feed) was fed following either 12 h fasting alone (NEX protocol) or following fasting and a standard exercise protocol (EX protocol). In the NEX protocol, horses fasted 12 h and then were fed 8 megacalories (Mcal) of sweet feed (2.3 kg). In the EX protocol, horses were fed sweet feed 2 h after an exercise test (SET). Blood glucose was analysed for < 480 min after feeding. Muscle biopsies were taken before and after the EX protocol. With the NEX protocol, the mean of all blood glucose and insulin concentrations were significantly lower in fed-PSSM horses than controls (P < 0.013). The EX protocol in control horses caused a less pronounced percentage change in glucose concentration from baseline following feeding compared to the NEX protocol (mean peak EX 26.5% vs. NEX 70.2%, respectively) (P < 0.0003). In PSSM horses, the EX protocol also resulted in a lower percent change in glucose concentration following feeding compared to the NEX protocol (44.7 vs. 67.5%, respectively) (P = 0.021). The magnitude of the difference in percentage change of blood glucose concentration with the EX protocol was less in PSSM than that seen for controls (mean peak PSSM-EX 44.7% vs. 26.5% for controls, respectively) (P < 0.006). No significant differences in the insulin:glucose ratios were found for control horses between NEX and EX. In PSSM horses, the insulin:glucose ratio was significantly increased in the EX vs. NEX. In conclusion, exercise in normal horses results in enhanced glucose clearance following feeding without altering insulin:glucose ratios. At rest, PSSM horses have lower insulin:glucose ratios after feeding than normal horses, however, exercise in PSSM horses significantly increases insulin:glucose ratios. This may explain the beneficial effect of daily exercise for preventing rhabdomyolysis in horses with PSSM.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Exertional rhabdomyolysis in quarter horses and thoroughbreds: one syndrome, multiple aetiologies.

The purpose of this study was to determine if chronic exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) in Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds represents one or several distinct myopathies. Eighteen Quarter Horses and 18 Thoroughbreds with ER were selected from cases presented to the Veterinary Hospital on the basis of a history of ER, assessment of muscle histopathology, and serum CK activity before and 4 h post exercise. In addition, 2 of 3 of the following parameters were evaluated: muscle glycogen concentrations, thyroid hormones (T3, T4), fractional excretion (FE) of sodium, potassium and chloride. The CK response to training, the metabolic response to a near maximal standardised exercise test (SET), blood glucose concentrations after an i.v. glucose challenge and a skeletal muscle in vitro caffeine contracture test were performed on 5 of the Quarter Horses, selected because of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), and 5 of the Thoroughbreds. Serum T3 and T4 were all within normal limits. Low FE of sodium and potassium were seen in < 20% of Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. Four hours post exercise, CK was increased in 77% of Quarter Horses and 72% of Thoroughbreds with ER. Muscle glycogen concentrations in Quarter Horses with ER were significantly higher than in normal Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds with ER. No Thoroughbreds, but 15/18 Quarter Horses with ER had abnormal polysaccharide accumulation in muscle biopsies consistent with a diagnosis of PSSM. PSSM Quarter Horses had higher CK activity during training than Thoroughbreds and higher glycogen utilisation with the SET. PSSM Quarter Horses also had significantly enhanced glucose clearance compared to normal Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds with ER. Thoroughbreds with ER had significantly lower thresholds for caffeine-induced contracture than normal horses and PSSM Quarter Horses. It was concluded that there are multiple causes for exertional rhabdomyolysis. In Quarter Horses, rhabdomyolysis is commonly due to a glycogen storage disorder, PSSM, and is readily expressed in untrained horses. In Thoroughbreds, ER is commonly due to an underlying abnormality of muscle contraction. Rhabdomyolysis in Thoroughbreds, however, is only expressed intermittently when key stressors are present.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Heritability of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis in Thoroughbred racehorses.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the likely mode of inheritance and identify probable foundation horses for recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) in Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses. ANIMALS: 4 families of TB racehorses with a high prevalence of RER, consisting of 3 to 53 horses/family, were used to determine mode of inheritance. Sixty-two TB horses with RER and 34 control TB racehorses without RER were used to identify probable foundation horses for the RER trait. PROCEDURE: RER was diagnosed by a veterinarian and verified by detecting high serum creatine kinase activity. Pedigrees dating from 1930 for all horses were entered into a database. Pedigrees of horses in 4 families were visually inspected for a pattern of inheritance and used for calculation of foundation horse contributions and inbreeding coefficients. The Markov chain Monte Carlo technique was used to analyze pedigrees of the 62 affected and 34 control horses for the conditional probability of foundation genotypes. A dominant mode of inheritance with variable expression model was used. RESULTS: Pedigree analysis supported an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with variable expression. All affected horses from the 4 families shared a common ancestor. This ancestor and 5 other stallions had a conditional probability of 1.00 for being affected. All 6 stallions shared a common male ancestor within 3 to 5 generations. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: On the basis of this study, the RER trait has been in TB racehorses for more than 70 years and may be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with variable expression.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Glucose uptake in horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether excessive glycogen accumulation in skeletal muscle of Quarter Horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) is a result of enhanced cellular uptake of glucose. ANIMALS: 6 horses with PSSM and 10 healthy (control) horses. PROCEDURE: Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT), oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), and modified insulin tolerance tests (MITT) were performed. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were measured in blood samples collected before and for up to 8 hours after glucose or insulin administration. RESULTS: Peak glucose concentrations during IVGTT were similar for both groups of horses, but rate of glucose clearance was 1.5 times faster in horses with PSSM than in controls. Moreover, circulating concentrations of insulin before and after glucose injection were lower in the PSSM group. Blood glucose concentrations from minute 90 to minute 300 of the OGTT were lower in horses with PSSM than in controls. The MITT resulted in acute decreases in blood glucose concentrations in both groups of horses; however, horses with PSSM sustained low blood glucose concentrations for more than 3 hours after insulin injection, whereas blood glucose concentrations in controls returned to baseline values within 2 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Quarter Horses with PSSM have enhanced cellular uptake of glucose that may be, in part, caused by an increased sensitivity to insulin. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Horses with PSSM have an increased rate of glucose clearance in response to insulin secretion. Thus, diets low in soluble carbohydrate may be the most effective way to decrease glycogen accumulation in skeletal muscle of these horses.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

In vitro contractile responses and contracture testing of skeletal muscle from Quarter Horses with exertional rhabdomyolysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether increased sensitivity to pharmacologic agents was a general property of equine exertional myopathies, including polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in Quarter Horses. ANIMALS: 5 adult Quarter Horses with exertional rhabdomyolysis and abnormal polysaccharide accumulation in skeletal muscle and 4 clinically normal adult Quarter or Quarter-type horses. PROCEDURES: Twitch time course measurements and contracture responses to various concentrations of caffeine and halothane for small bundles of intact external intercostal muscle fibers were measured in all horses. RESULTS: Caffeine contracture threshold of muscles from Quarter Horses with PSSM was not different from that of clinically normal horses (5 mM in both groups). Muscles from horses with PSSM and from clinically normal horses did not have contracture in response to up to 2% halothane. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results were in contrast to the increased sensitivity to caffeine and halothane for muscles from Thoroughbreds with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER). Although clinical signs of muscular stiffness after exercise are similar between Quarter Horses with PSSM and Thoroughbreds with RER, these breeds appear to have 2 distinct myopathies with different pathophysiologic bases. Unlike RER in Thoroughbreds, PSSM in Quarter Horses does not appear to be accompanied by a defect in regulation of muscle contraction.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Abnormal regulation of muscle contraction in horses with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether abnormal regulation of muscle contraction similar to that associated with malignant hyperthermia (MH) was evident in intact external intercostal muscle cells from Thoroughbreds with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER). ANIMALS: 5 adult Thoroughbred horses with RER and 7 clinically normal adult Thoroughbred or mixed-breed horses. PROCEDURES: Twitch time course variables and contracture responses to various concentrations of potassium, caffeine, and halothane were measured in small bundles of intact external intercostal muscle cells from clinically normal horses and horses with RER. RESULTS: Threshold for significant contracture induced by potassium depolarization was lower for RER-affected muscles, compared with normal muscles, although the relationship between potassium concentration and membrane potential were not different. Thresholds for contracture induced by caffeine and halothane were also lower for RER-affected muscles, compared with normal muscles. Lower thresholds for caffeine- and halothane-induced contractures, as well as depolarization-elicited contractures, in RER-affected muscles suggest a defect in myoplasmic calcium regulation. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Regulation of muscle contraction is abnormal in Thoroughbreds with RER. The specific defect may be attributable to abnormal intracellular calcium regulation. Knowledge of the specific defect involved in RER may lead to improved prevention and treatment of RER-affected horses.

Anesthetics, Inhalation↗
PubMed1998

Endothelin receptor B polymorphism associated with lethal white foal syndrome in horses.

Overo lethal white syndrome (OLWS) is an inherited syndrome of foals born to American Paint Horse parents of the overo coat-pattern lineage. Affected foals are totally or almost totally white and die within days from complications due to intestinal aganglionosis. Related conditions occur in humans and rodents in which mutations in the endothelin receptor B (EDNRB) gene are responsible. EDNRB is known to be involved in the developmental regulation of neural crest cells that become enteric ganglia and melanocytes. In this report we identify a polymorphism in the equine EDNRB gene closely associated with OLWS. This Ile to Lys substitution at codon 118 is located within the first transmembrane domain of this seven-transmembrane domain G-protein-coupled receptor protein. All 22 OLWS-affected foals examined were homozygous for the Lys118 EDNRB allele, while all available parents of affected foals were heterozygous. All but one of the parents also had an overo white body-spot phenotype. Solid-colored control horses of other breeds were homozygous for the Ile118 EDNRB allele. Molecular definition of the basis for OLWS in Paint Horses provides a genetic test for the presence of the Lys118 EDNRB allele and adds to our understanding of the basis for coat color patterns in the horse.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Genetic test for myophosphorylase deficiency in Charolais cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a simple test for the determination of genetic susceptibility to myophosphorylase deficiency in Charolais cattle. ANIMALS: 48 adult Charolais cattle and 233 calves from one herd and 3 Charolais cattle from 2 other herds. Sixty Piedmontese and 34 Saler cattle provided negative-control samples. PROCEDURE: Cattle were from a Charolais herd in which myophosphorylase deficiency was identified and 2 other herds in which cattle had signs compatible with the disease. Genomic DNA was isolated from heparinized blood samples. A segment of the myophosphorylase gene containing the mutation site was amplified by polymerase chain reaction assays, and the genotype (normal vs affected allele) was determined by using restriction enzyme and agarose gel electrophoretic analysis. RESULTS: The 3 myophosphorylase genotypes (homozygous normal, homozygous affected, and heterozygous) could be readily identified. Segregation of the affected allele could be determined in an extended pedigree, and all clinically affected cattle were homozygous for this allele. Determination of the distribution of normal and affected alleles in a large population did not indicate a strong selective advantage for heterozygous carriers in this herd. Heterozygotes were also identified in Charolais cattle from the 2 other herds. CONCLUSIONS: Breeders of Charolais cattle can use this genetic test to perform marker-assisted selection and remove cattle with the mutant myophosphorylase allele from the breeding population. Alternatively, they could more accurately determine selective advantages and disadvantages for cattle with the affected allele. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Development of this test enables rapid genetic screening of Charolais and related breeds of cattle for detection of the mutation responsible for myophosphorylase deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Skeletal muscle glycolytic capacity and phosphofructokinase regulation in horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in Quarter Horses is attributable to a defect in glycolysis or in the allosteric regulation of phosphofructokinase (PFK) enzyme. ANIMALS: Muscle biopsy specimens were obtained from 6 Quarter Horses with PSSM and 8 Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred control horses. PROCEDURES: Maximal activity of glycogenolytic and glycolytic enzymes was determined spectrophotometrically. Maximal activity of PFK was determined for each horse at pH 8.0, and at pH 7.0 when variable concentrations of the activators, fructose 6 phosphate, fructose 2,6 bisphosphate, and adenosine monophosphate or inhibitors adenosine triphosphate and citrate were added to the reaction mixture. Relative activity was calculated as activity at pH 7/maximal PFK activity. RESULTS: Deficiencies in glycogenolytic or glycolytic enzyme activities were not evident in horses with PSSM. Differences between horses with PSSM and control horses in relative activity of PFK were not apparent for any of the activators or inhibitors used in the study. CONCLUSIONS: In a group of horses with PSSM, we were unable to detect a glycogenolytic or glycolytic enzyme deficiency or abnormality in the allosteric regulation of PFK. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although PSSM is clinically and histologically similar to glycogenolytic/glycolytic enzyme deficiencies in human beings and other animal species, abnormalities in this metabolic pathway are not present in horses with PSSM.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1997

Dantrolene inhibition of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release by direct and specific action at skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors.

The skeletal muscle relaxant dantrolene inhibits the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum during excitation-contraction coupling and suppresses the uncontrolled Ca2+ release that underlies the skeletal muscle pharmacogenetic disorder malignant hyperthermia; however, the molecular mechanism by which dantrolene selectively affects skeletal muscle Ca2+ regulation remains to be defined. Here we provide evidence of a high-affinity, monophasic inhibition by dantrolene of ryanodine receptor Ca2+ channel function in isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles prepared from malignant hyperthermia-susceptible and normal pig skeletal muscle. In media simulating resting myoplasm, dantrolene increased the half-time for 45Ca2+ release from both malignant hyperthermia and normal vesicles approximately 3.5-fold and inhibited sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicle [3H]ryanodine binding (Ki approximately 150 nM for both malignant hyperthermia and normal). Inhibition of vesicle [3H]ryanodine binding by dantrolene was associated with a decrease in the extent of activation by both calmodulin and Ca2+. Dantrolene also inhibited [3H]ryanodine binding to purified skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor protein reconstituted into liposomes. In contrast, cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicle 45Ca2+ release and [3H]ryanodine binding were unaffected by dantrolene. Together, these results demonstrate selective effects of dantrolene on skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors that are consistent with the actions of dantrolene in vivo and suggest a mechanism of action in which dantrolene may act directly at the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor complex to limit its activation by calmodulin and Ca2+. The potential implications of these results for understanding how dantrolene and malignant hyperthermia mutations may affect the voltage-dependent activation of Ca2+ release in intact skeletal muscle are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Pharmacological distinction between dantrolene and ryanodine binding sites: evidence from normal and malignant hyperthermia-susceptible porcine skeletal muscle.

Dantrolene inhibits and ryanodine stimulates calcium release from skeletal-muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), the former by an unknown mechanism, and the latter by activating the ryanodine receptor (RyR), the primary Ca2+-release channel of SR. Dantrolene is used to treat malignant hyperthermia (MH), a genetic predisposition to excessive intracellular Ca2+ release upon exposure to volatile anaesthetics. Porcine MH results from a point mutation in the SR RyR that alters the open probability of the channel, and is reflected in altered [3H]ryanodine binding parameters. Specific binding sites for [3H]dantrolene and [3H]ryanodine co-distribute on SR that has been isolated by discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation. If the two drug-binding sites are functionally linked, [3H]dantrolene binding might be affected both by pharmacological and by genetic modulators of the functional state of the RyR. Accordingly, we compared the characteristics of [3H]dantrolene binding to porcine malignant-hyperthermia-susceptible and normal-skeletal-muscle SR, and examined the effects of RyR modulators on [3H]dantrolene binding to these membranes. Additionally, the feasibility of separating the SR binding sites for [3H]dantrolene and [3H]ryanodine was investigated. No significant differences in [3H]dantrolene binding characteristics to SR membranes from the two muscle types were detected, and the Bmax ratio for [3H]dantrolene/[3H]ryanodine was 1.4(+/-0.1):1 in both muscle types. [3H]Dantrolene binding is unaffected by the RyR modulators caffeine, ryanodine, Ruthenium Red and calmodulin, and neither dantrolene nor azumolene have any effect on [3H]ryanodine binding. Additionally, distinct peaks of [3H]dantrolene and [3H]ryanodine binding are detected in SR membranes fractionated by linear sucrose centrifugation, although no differences in protein patterns are detected by SDS/PAGE or Western-blot analysis. We suggest that the binding sites for these two drugs are pharmacologically distinct, and may exist on separate molecules.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

PrP genotypes and experimental scrapie in orally inoculated Suffolk sheep in the United States.

One-hundred and three Unites States Suffolk sheep were inoculated orally with a scrapie agent preparation and monitored for clinical disease and histopathological lesions characteristic of scrapie. A retrospective study of the polymorphisms at codon 171 of the prion protein (PrP) gene was performed on these sheep. All 63 sheep that developed scrapie during the observation period were homozygous for the glutamine 171 (171-QQ) PrP allele. Twelve 171-QQ sheep failed to develop disease. All 5 sheep homozygous for arginine (171-RR) and all 23 heterozygous (171-QR) sheep remained free of scrapie.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Role of ryanodine receptor channels in Ca2+ oscillations of porcine tracheal smooth muscle.

Acetylcholine (ACh) induces repetitive, propagating intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) oscillations in porcine tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) cells. Using real-time confocal microscopy, we examined the role of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor and ryanodine receptor (RyR) channels in ACh-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations. In beta-escin permeabilized TSM cells, exposure to ACh in the presence of GTP also resulted in [Ca2+]i oscillations. [Ca2+]i oscillations could not be initiated by IP3 alone; however, an elevation of [Ca2+]i was observed. During ongoing [Ca2+]i oscillations, exposure to heparin, an IP3 receptor antagonist, caused a slowing of oscillation frequency but not complete inhibition. In contrast, ruthenium red, a RyR antagonist, completely abolished ACh-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of TSM mRNA demonstrated the expression of RyR-2 and RyR-3 isoforms of the RyR. These results indicate that SR Ca2+ release through RyR channels is critical for ACh-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations in porcine TSM cells.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1996

Chloride-dependent sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release correlates with increased Ca2+ activation of ryanodine receptors.

The mechanism by which chloride increases sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ permeability was investigated. In the presence of 3 microM Ca2+, Ca2+ release from 45Ca(2+)-loaded SR vesicles prepared from procine skeletal muscle was increased approximately 4-fold when the media contained 150 mM chloride versus 150 mM propionate, whereas in the presence of 30 nM Ca2+, Ca2+ release was similar in the chloride- and the propionate-containing media. Ca(2+)-activated [3H]ryanodine binding to skeletal muscle SR was also increased (2- to 10-fold) in media in which propionate or other organic anions were replaced with chloride; however, chloride had little or no effect on cardiac muscle SR 45Ca2+ release or [3H]ryanodine binding. Ca(2+)-activated [3H]ryanodine binding was increased approximately 4.5-fold after reconstitution of skeletal muscle RYR protein into liposomes, and [3H]ryanodine binding to reconstituted RYR protein was similar in chloride- and propionate-containing media, suggesting that the sensitivity of the RYR protein to changes in the anionic composition of the media may be diminished upon reconstitution. Together, our results demonstrate a close correlation between chloride-dependent increases in SR Ca2+ permeability and increased Ca2+ activation of skeletal muscle RYR channels. We postulate that media containing supraphysiological concentrations of chloride or other inorganic anions may enhance skeletal muscle RYR activity by favoring a conformational state of the channel that exhibits increased activation by Ca2+ in comparison to the Ca2+ activation exhibited by this channel in native membranes in the presence of physiological chloride (< or = 10 mM). Transitions to this putative Ca(2+)-activatable state may thus provide a mechanism for controlling the activation of RYR channels in skeletal muscle.

Animals↗