Biomedical subjects

Laetitia Pereira

Publications and source records attributed to Laetitia Pereira.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Mechanisms of [Ca2+]i transient decrease in cardiomyopathy of db/db type 2 diabetic mice.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the diabetic population. However, molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic cardiomyopathy remain unclear. We analyzed Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release and excitation-contraction coupling in db/db obese type 2 diabetic mice and their control littermates. Echocardiography showed a systolic dysfunction in db/db mice. Two-photon microscopy identified intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) transient decrease in cardiomyocytes within the whole heart, which was also found in isolated myocytes by confocal microscopy. Global [Ca2+]i transients are constituted of individual Ca2+ sparks. Ca2+ sparks in db/db cardiomyocytes were less frequent than in +/+ myocytes, partly because of a depression in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load but also because of a reduced expression of ryanodine receptor Ca2+ channels (RyRs), revealed by [3H]ryanodine binding assay. Ca2+ efflux through Na+/Ca2+ exchanger was increased in db/db myocytes. Calcium current, I(Ca), triggers sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release and is also involved in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ refilling. Macroscopic I(Ca) was reduced in db/db cells, but single Ca2+ channel activity was similar, suggesting that diabetic myocytes express fewer functional Ca2+ channels, which was confirmed by Western blots. These results demonstrate that db/db mice show depressed cardiac function, at least in part, because of a general reduction in the membrane permeability to Ca2+. As less Ca2+ enters the cell through I(Ca), less Ca2+ is released through RyRs.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

'Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) entry' or how the L-type Ca(2+) channel remodels its own signalling pathway in cardiac cells.

The adjustment of Ca(2+) entry in cardiac cells is critical to the generation of the force necessary for the myocardium to meet the physiological needs of the body. In this review, we present the concept that Ca(2+) can promote its own entry through Ca(2+) channels by different mechanisms. We refer to it under the general term of 'Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) entry' (CICE). We review short-term mechanisms (usually termed facilitation) that involve a stimulating effect of Ca(2+) on the L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca-L)) amplitude (positive staircase) or a lessening of Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of I(Ca-L). This latter effect is related to the amount of Ca(2+) released by ryanodine receptors (RyR2) of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Both effects are involved in the control of action potential (AP) duration. We also describe a long-term mechanism based on Ca(2+)-dependent down-regulation of the Kv4.2 gene controlling functional expression of the repolarizing transient outward K(+) current (I(to)) and, thereby, AP duration. This mechanism, which might occur very early during the onset of hypertrophy, enhances Ca(2+) entry by maintaining Ca(2+) channel activation during prolonged AP. Both Ca(2+)-dependent facilitation and Ca(2+)-dependent down-regulation of I(to) expression favour AP prolongation and, thereby, promote sustained voltage-gated Ca(2+) entry used to enhance excitation-contraction (EC) coupling (with no change in the density of Ca(2+) channels per se). These self-maintaining mechanisms of Ca(2+) entry have significant functions in remodelling Ca(2+) signalling during the cardiac AP. They might support a prominent role of Ca(2+) channels in the establishment and progression of abnormal Ca(2+) signalling during cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Neuropeptide Y rapidly enhances [Ca2+]i transients and Ca2+ sparks in adult rat ventricular myocytes through Y1 receptor and PLC activation.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is the most abundant peptide in the mammalian heart, but its cardiac actions are not fully understood. Here we investigate the effect of NPY in intracellular Ca2+ release, using isolated rat cardiac myocytes and confocal microscopy. Cardiac myocytes were field-stimulated at 1 Hz. The evoked [Ca2+]i transient was of higher amplitude and of faster decay in the presence of 100 nM NPY. Cell contraction was also increased by NPY. We analyzed the occurrence of Ca2+ sparks and their characteristics after NPY application. NPY significantly increased Ca2+ sparks frequency in quiescent cells. The Ca2+ spark amplitude was enhanced by NPY but the other characteristics of Ca2+ sparks were not significantly altered. Because cardiac myocytes express both Y1 and Y2 NPY receptors, we repeated the experiments in the presence of the receptor blockers, BIBP3226 and BIIE0246. We found that Y1 NPY receptor blockade completely inhibited NPY effects on [Ca2+]i transient. PTX-sensitive G-proteins and/or phospholypase C (PLC) have been invoked to mediate NPY effects in other cell types. We tested these two hypotheses. In PTX-treated myocytes NPY was still effective, which suggests that the observed NPY actions are not mediated by PTX-sensitive G-proteins. In contrast, the increase in [Ca2+]i transient by NPY was completely inhibited by the PLC inhibitor U73122. In conclusion, we find that NPY has a positive inotropic effect in isolated rat cardiac myocytes, which involves increase in Ca2+ release after activation of Y1 NPY receptor and subsequent stimulation of PLC.

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