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Biomedical subjects

G Meissner

Publications and source records attributed to G Meissner.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

The muscle ryanodine receptor and its intrinsic Ca2+ channel activity.

In skeletal and cardiac muscle, contraction is initiated by the rapid release of Ca2+ ions from the intracellular membrane system, sarcoplasmic reticulum. Rapid-mixing vesicle ion flux and planar lipid bilayer-single-channel measurements have shown that Ca2+ release is mediated by a high-conductance, ligand-gated Ca2+ channel. Using the Ca2+ release-specific probe ryanodine, a 30 S protein complex composed of four polypeptides of Mr approximately 400,000 has been isolated. Reconstitution of the purified skeletal and cardiac muscle 30 S complexes into planar lipid bilayers induced single Ca2+ channel currents with conductance and gating kinetics similar to those of native Ca2+ release channels. Electron microscopy revealed structural similarity with the protein bridges ("feet") that span the transverse-tubule-sarcoplasmic reticulum junction. These results suggest that striated muscle contains an intracellular Ca2+ release channel that is identical with the ryanodine receptor and the transverse-tubule-sarcoplasmic reticulum spanning feet structures.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Isolation of a Ca2(+)-releasing factor from caffeine-treated skeletal muscle fibres and its effect on Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum.

In the presence of 2 mM caffeine, skeletal muscles of the frog exert small irregular oscillations of single sarcomeres. A factor, released from these oscillating muscles, was partially purified, and its activity was tested on skinned fibres and isolated vesicles of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Purification was achieved in three steps by gel filtration and reversed phase chromatography, and the active compound of the released material was shown probably to be a small peptide. In skinned fibres, the purified factor evoked repetitive contractions and subthreshold sarcomeric oscillations. In 'heavy' SR vesicles passively loaded with 45Ca2+, the factor induced a small but significant increase in the 45Ca2+ efflux rate. At the single channel level, the open probability of the SR Ca2+ release channel increased when the factor was added to the cytoplasmic side of the channel. The results reveal that the released factor potentiates Ca2+ release from the SR by increasing the open time of the Ca2+ release channel.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1989

Multiple conductance states of the purified calcium release channel complex from skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The CHAPS-solubilized and purified 30S ryanodine receptor protein complex from skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. The resulting electrical activity displayed similar responses to agents such as Ca2+, ATP, ryanodine, or caffeine as the native Ca2+ release channel, confirming the identification of the 30S complex as the Ca2+ release channel. The purified channel was permeable to monovalent ions such as Na+, with the permeability ratio PCa/PNa approximately 5, and was highly selective for cations over anions. The purified channel also showed at least four distinct conductance levels for both Na+ and Ca2+ conducting ions, with the major subconducting level in NaCl buffers possessing half the conductance value of the main conductance state. These levels may be produced by intrinsic subconductances present within the channel oligomer. Several of these conductances may be cooperatively coupled to produce the characteristic 100 +/- 10 pS unitary Ca2+ conductance of the native channel.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Single cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-release channel: activation by caffeine.

Caffeine is thought to affect excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle by activating the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-release channel. The effect of caffeine at the single channel level was studied by incorporating canine cardiac SR vesicles into planar lipid bilayers. Cardiac Ca2+-release channels were activated in a steady-state manner by millimolar cis-caffeine and displayed a unitary conductance (77 pS in 50 mM Ca2+ trans) similar to that previously observed for the Ca2+-activated cardiac channel. The caffeine-activated channel was moderately sensitive to the voltage applied across the bilayer, was sensitive to further activation by ATP, and was inhibited by Mg2+ and ruthenium red. Kinetic analysis showed that at low Ca2+ concentration, caffeine activated the channel by increasing the frequency and the duration of open events.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Calmodulin modulation of single sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-release channels from cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) contains a Ca2+-conducting channel that is believed to play a central role in excitation-contraction coupling by releasing the Ca2+ necessary for muscle contraction. The effects of calmodulin on single cardiac and skeletal muscle SR Ca2+-release channels were studied using the planar lipid bilayer-vesicle fusion technique. Calmodulin inhibited Ca2+-release channel opening by reducing the mean duration of single-channel open events without having an effect on single-channel conductance. Inhibition by calmodulin was dependent on Ca2+ concentration and occurred in the absence of ATP. The effects of calmodulin were reversed by mastoparan, a calmodulin-binding peptide. Two other calmodulin antagonists [calmidazolium and N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene sulfonamide] modified the gating behavior of the channel in the absence of exogenous calmodulin in a concentration- and Ca2+-dependent manner. Our results suggest that calmodulin can modulate excitation-contraction coupling by directly interacting with the SR Ca2+-release channel of cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Activation of the Ca2+ release channel of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum by caffeine and related compounds.

The caffeine-sensitive Ca2+ release pathway in skeletal muscle was identified and characterized by studying the release of 45Ca2+ from heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles and by incorporating the vesicles or the purified Ca2+ release channel protein complex into planar lipid bilayers. First-order rate constants for 45Ca2+ efflux of 1 s-1 were obtained in the presence of 1-10 microM free Ca2+ or 2 X 10(-9) M free Ca2+ plus 20 mM caffeine. Caffeine- and Ca2+-induced 45Ca2+ release were potentiated by ATP and Mg.ATP, and were both inhibited by Mg2+. Dimethylxanthines were similarly (3,9-dimethylxanthine) or more (1,7-, 1,3-, and 3,7-dimethylxanthine) effective than caffeine in increasing the 45Ca2+ efflux rate. 1,9-Dimethylxanthine and 1,3-dimethyluracil (which lacks the imidazole ring) did not appreciably stimulate 45Ca2+ efflux. Recordings of calcium ion currents through single channels showed that the Ca2+- and ATP-gated SR Ca2+ release channel is activated by addition of caffeine to the cis (cytoplasmic) and not the trans (lumenal) side of the channel in the bilayer. The single channel measurements further revealed that caffeine activated Ca2+ release by increasing the number and duration of open channel events without a change of unit conductance (107 pS in 50 mM Ca2+ trans). These results suggest that caffeine exerts its Ca2+ releasing effects in muscle by activating the high-conductance, ligand-gated Ca2+ release channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1988

Evidence for a Ca2+ channel within the ryanodine receptor complex from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The solubilized [3H]ryanodine receptor from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum was centrifuged through linear sucrose gradients. A single peak of radioactivity with apparent sedimentation coefficient of approximately 30S specifically comigrated with a high molecular weight protein of apparent relative molecular mass approximately 400,000. Incorporation of the ryanodine receptor into lipid bilayers induced single Ca2+ channel currents with conductance and kinetic behavior almost identical to that of native cardiac Ca2+ release channels. These results suggest that the cardiac ryanodine receptor comprises the Ca2+ release channel involved in excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Purification and reconstitution of the calcium release channel from skeletal muscle.

The calcium release channel from rabbit muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) has been purified and reconstituted as a functional unit in lipid bilayers. Electron microscopy reveals the four-leaf clover structure previously described for the 'feet' that span the transverse tubule (T)-SR junction. Ca2+ release from the SR induced by T-system depolarization during excitation-contraction coupling in muscle may thus be effected through a direct association of the T-system with SR Ca2+-release channels.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Properties of single chloride selective channel from sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The behavior of single chloride channels in sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit and trout skeletal muscle was examined by fusing isolated vesicle fractions into planar lipid bilayers. The channel exhibited a full open state with a unit conductance of 65 pS (in 100 mM Cl-) and several subconductance states with reversal potentials which were dependent on the chloride gradient across the bilayer. Open probability was 0.6-0.95 for membrane potentials ranging from -60 to +60 mV. The kinetic behaviour could be described by assuming one time constant for the fully conducting channel, and at least two time constants for the non-conducting channel. In the presence of methane sulfonate, sulfate and phosphate anions, a decrease in the unit current amplitude but not open time argued in favor of a competition between these anions and Cl- at the transport site of the channel. Chloride channel activity was not affected by variations of Ca2+ concentration in both chambers or by the presence of Mg2+. Similarly, neither millimolar ATP nor the presence of the drugs taurine (up to 10 mM), lidocaine (2-40 microM) or the calmodulin antagonist W7 (5-150 microM), modified channel behavior. Finally, pH variations between 6.8 to 8 were without effect.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗
PubMed1987

Evidence for a junctional feet-ryanodine receptor complex from sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, labelled with the Ca2+ release channel probe [3H]ryanodine, were solubilized in detergent, then centrifuged through sucrose gradients. A single peak of ryanodine binding activity was observed with an apparent sedimentation coefficient of 30S. Electron microscopy of the peak fraction showed disk structures of 25-28 nm diameter and 10 nm thickness. Proteins specifically enriched in the peak fraction were the Mr 160,000 and 260,000 and junctional feet proteins (Mr 320,000 and 300,000). This suggests that the feet proteins and ryanodine receptor may be specifically associated into a large oligomeric complex comprising subunits of Mr 160,000-320,000.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1987

Rapid calcium release from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles is dependent on Ca2+ and is modulated by Mg2+, adenine nucleotide, and calmodulin.

A subpopulation of canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles has been found to contain a "Ca2+ release channel" which mediates the release of intravesicular Ca2+ stores with rates sufficiently rapid to contribute to excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle. 45Ca2+ release behavior of passively and actively loaded vesicles was determined by Millipore filtration and with the use of a rapid quench apparatus using the two Ca2+ channel inhibitors, Mg2+ and ruthenium red. At pH 7.0 and 5-20 microM external Ca2+, cardiac vesicles released half of their 45Ca2+ stores within 20 ms. Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release was inhibited by raising and lowering external Ca2+ concentration, by the addition of Mg2+, and by decreasing the pH. Calmodulin reduced the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release rate 3-6-fold in a reaction that did not appear to involve a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Under various experimental conditions, ATP or the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-methylene)triphosphate (AMP-PCP), and caffeine stimulated 45Ca2+ release 2-500-fold. Maximal release rates (t1/2 = 10 ms) were observed in media containing 10 microM Ca2+ and 5 mM AMP-PCP or 10 mM caffeine. An increased external Ca2+ concentration (greater than or equal to 1 mM) was required to optimize the 45Ca2+ efflux rate in the presence of 8 mM Mg2+ and 5 mM AMP-PCP. These results suggest that cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum contains a ligand-gated Ca2+ channel which is activated by Ca2+, adenine nucleotide, and caffeine, and inhibited by Mg2+, H+, and calmodulin.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1987

Monoclonal antibody specific for the transverse tubular membrane of skeletal muscle activates the dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channel.

In skeletal muscle, dihydropyridine receptors and dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels are preferentially localized in the transverse tubular membranes. Starting with an antigenic membrane fraction enriched in rabbit muscle transverse tubules (T-tubules), several monoclonal antibodies were produced by a fusion of spleen cells from an immunized BALB/c mouse with P3 X 63Ag.8.6.5.3 mouse myeloma cells. Antibodies were screened according to a scheme designed to select IgG immunoglobins that recognized a determinant specifically associated with the T-tubule membrane. Antibodies that fulfilled the screening criteria were used in in vitro planar bilayer recording of the activity of the dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channel present in T-tubules. Cells producing one antibody (Ab 21) survived cloning dilution and stably produced a monoclonal antibody (mAb21-4) that increased the rate of single channel opening when interacting with the internal side of the channel protein. mAb21-4 immobilized by covalent crosslinking on beads (Affi-Gel 10) consistently immunoprecipitated polypeptide bands with the following electrophoretic mobility: Mr values of greater than or equal to 175,000; 90,000; 55,000; and 34,000.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Ryanodine modifies conductance and gating behavior of single Ca2+ release channel.

Ryanodine affects excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal and cardiac muscle by specifically interacting with the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release channel. The effect of the drug at the single channel level was studied by incorporating skeletal and cardiac SR vesicles into planar lipid bilayers. The two channels were activated by micromolar free Ca2+ and millimolar ATP and inhibited by Mg2+ and ruthenium red. Addition of micromolar concentrations of ryanodine decreased about twofold the unit conductance of the Ca2+- and ATP-activated skeletal and cardiac channels. A second effect of ryanodine was to increase the open probability (Po) of the channels in such a way that Po was close to unity under a variety of activating and inactivating conditions. The effects of ryanodine were long lasting in that removal of ryanodine by perfusion did not return the channels into their fully conducting state.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1986

Ryanodine activation and inhibition of the Ca2+ release channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The effect of the plant alkaloid ryanodine on the skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channel was studied by determining the Ca2+ permeability of "heavy" vesicles passively loaded with 45Ca2+ in the presence or absence of ryanodine. Depending on the experimental conditions, ryanodine either stimulated or inhibited Ca2+ efflux. Vesicles were rendered permeable to 45Ca2+ at a ryanodine concentration of 0.01 microM when diluted into a medium containing the two Ca2+ release channel inhibitors Mg2+ and ruthenium red. At ryanodine concentrations greater than 10 microM, 45Ca2+ efflux was inhibited in channel-activating (5 microM Ca2+) or -inhibiting (10 mM Mg2+ plus 10 microM ruthenium red) media. An optimal stimulatory effect was observed when vesicles were incubated with ryanodine at 37 degrees C and in media that caused partial opening of the channel. Similar results to those described above were obtained using cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles that were capable of rapid 45Ca2+ efflux. Use of the slowly permeating molecule L-[3H]glucose allowed measurement of channel-mediated efflux rates from vesicles in the presence and absence of ryanodine. At low activating concentrations, ryanodine did not appreciably change the regulation of L-glucose efflux rates by external Ca2+, Mg2+, and adenine nucleotide. These results suggested two possible modes of action of ryanodine: 1) a change in the gating mechanism of the channel which is not readily detected using the slowly permeating molecule L-glucose or 2) a change in channel structure which prevents its complete closing.

Adenine Nucleotides↗