Ew. Inscho et al., AGONIST-INDUCED CALCIUM REGULATION IN FRESHLY ISOLATED RENAL MICROVASCULAR SMOOTH-MUSCLE CELLS, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 8(4), 1997, pp. 569-579
The studies presented here were performed to determine the effect of a
gonist stimulation on the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)
) in single smooth muscle cells, freshly isolated from afferent arteri
oles and interlobular arteries averaging between 10 to 40 mu m in diam
eter. Microvessels were obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats using a
n iron oxide collection technique followed by collagenase digestion. F
reshly isolated microvascular smooth muscle cells (MVSMC) were loaded
with fura 2 and studied using fluorescence photometry techniques. The
resting [Ca2+](i) averaged 67 +/- 3 nM (N = 82 cells). Increasing the
extracellular K+ concentration significantly increased [Ca2+](i) dose-
dependently (P < 0.05). Involvement of extracellular Ca2+ in the respo
nse to KCl-induced depolarization was also evaluated. Resting [Ca2+](i
) increased approximately 132% from 40 +/- 5 nM to 93 +/- 26 nM in res
ponse to 90 mM extracellular KCl. This change was abolished in nominal
ly Ca2+-free conditions and markedly attenuated by diltiazem. Inhibiti
on of K+ channels with charybdotoxin or tetraethylammonium chloride pr
oduced a modest transient increase in [Ca2+](i) during the response to
30 mM K+ and had no detectable effect on responses to 90 mM K+. Studi
es were also performed to establish whether freshly isolated renal MVS
MC exhibit appropriate responses to receptor-dependent physiological a
gonists. Angiotensin II (100 nM) increased cell Ca2+ from 97 +/- 10 nM
to 265 +/- 47 nM (N = 12 cells). Similarly, 100 mu M ATP increased MV
SMC [Ca2+](i) from a control level of 71 +/- 14 nM to 251 +/- 47 nM (N
= 11 cells). Norepinephrine administration caused [Ca2+](i) to increa
se from 63 +/- 4 nM to 212 +/- 47 nM (N = six cells), and vasopressin
increased [Ca2+](i) from 86 +/- 10 nM to 352 +/- 79 nM (N = five cells
). These data demonstrate that receptor-dependent and -independent vas
oconstrictor agonists increase [Ca2+](i) in MVSMC, freshly isolated fr
om rat preglomerular vessels. Furthermore, the ability to measure [Ca2
+](i) in responses to physiological stimuli in these single cells perm
its investigation of signal transduction mechanisms involved in regula
ting renal microvascular resistance.