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The effects of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S-1-P) on pacemaker activity and underlying membrane currents were studied in isolated rabbit sino-atrial (SA) node cells. S-1-P (0.1 microM) reversibly increased the cycle length of spontaneous pacemaker activity from 560 to 1434 ms, and hyperpolarized the maximal diastolic potential (MDP) from -67 to -70 mV. In voltage-clamp experiments, S-1-P (1 microM) activated a pertussis toxin-sensitive, inwardly-rectifying, time-independent K+ current (I(K,ACh)) that had a reversal potential of -88 mV (K+ equilibrium potential -86 mV). S-1-P (1 microM) had no measurable effect on the L-type Ca2+ current (I(Ca,L)) or the hyperpolarization-activated inward current (I(f)) under basal conditions. In the presence of the beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol (ISO, 0.1 microM), S-1-P (1 microM) reversed the ISO-induced increase in pacing rate, hyperpolarized the MDP and decreased the ISO-induced enhancement of both I(Ca,L) (from 171 to 118% of control) and I(f) (from 211 to 135% of control). These results demonstrate that under basal conditions S-1-P can significantly slow spontaneous pacing in rabbit SA node cells mainly due to activation of a background, inwardly-rectifying K+ current. In the presence of ISO, S-1-P also slows the spontaneous pacing rate due to activation of the same K+ current, as well as inhibition of I(Ca,L) and I(f).

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S-1-P) is a bioactive sphingolipid that is released from activated platelets. Extracellular S-1-P augments an inwardly rectifying potassium conductance in cultured atrial preparations, but the electrophysiological effects of this compound in the ventricle are unknown. The electrophysiological effects of S-1-P were examined in single myocytes from rat ventricular muscle. Action potential waveforms and underlying ionic currents in the presence and absence of 3 microM S-1-P (1-6 min) were recorded. S-1-P increased the minimum stimulus current needed to elicit an action potential by approximately 100 pA. Pertussis toxin or preexposure to S-1-P did not alter this effect. The action potential waveform was unchanged by S-1-P. The inward sodium current (INa) was examined in a range of membrane potentials just negative to the potential for firing an action potential. S-1-P reversibly inhibited peak INa by approximately 50 pA, whereas the inward rectifier potassium current was not significantly changed. The results of this study suggest that S-1-P inhibits rat ventricular excitability by reducing INa.

1. It has been suggested that activation of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) is a necessary step in the chain of events leading to the production of negative inotropy by muscarinic receptor agonists in mammalian ventricles, and that some cyclic GMP-elevating agents, such as sodium nitroprusside (SNP), fail to exert a negative inotropic effect because they elevate cyclic GMP levels in a pool that does not activate the kinase. This hypothesis was tested in the present study by monitoring the effects of carbachol, SNP and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on contractility, cyclic GMP content and PKG activity in rat intact ventricular preparations and freshly isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes. 2. The presence of PKG in both the intact vehicle and in isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes was confirmed by MonoQ anion exchange chromatography and Western blotting. The elution profile indicated that the conditions of the PKG assay were selective for measuring PKG activity. 3. Carbachol induced a marked negative inotropic effect in intact, perfused hearts and ventricular strips in the presence of isoproterenol. The negative inotropic effect of carbachol was not associated with significant changes in cyclic GMP content or PKG activity in intact ventricular tissue, or in PKG activity in isolated cardiomyocytes. 4. SNP and ANP significantly increased cyclic GMP levels and activated PKG in intact ventricular preparations. Both drugs also activated PKG in isolated cardiomyocytes. However, neither drug had any negative inotropic effect in isoprenaline-stimulated perfused hearts and ANP did not change the contractility of isoprenaline-stimulated isolated cardiomyocytes. 5. The results of this study demonstrate that the negative inotropic effects of muscarinic receptor agonists can occur in the absence of significant activation of PKG. Conversely, marked increases in ventricular cyclic GMP content and PKG activity caused by SNP or ANP were not accompanied by a negative inotropic effect. 6. These results suggest that increases in cyclic GMP levels and activation of PKG do not play important roles in the regulation of rat ventricular contractility by muscarinic receptor agonists.

Guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) has been suggested to be involved in the negative inotropic effects of muscarinic receptor agonists in beta-adrenergic receptor agonist-stimulated ventricular preparations. To test this hypothesis, changes in contractility induced by acetylcholine or carbachol, or the nitrovasodilator sodium nitroprusside (SNP), in the presence of 1 nM isoproterenol were measured in electrically stimulated rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. In parallel experiments, cardiomyocytes were treated with the same agonists, and cGMP and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels were estimated. After 2 min, isoproterenol increased the magnitude of cell shortening by 60% and accelerated contraction and relaxation rates. Carbachol (1 and 10 microM) and acetylcholine (1 and 10 microM) inhibited the positive inotropic effects of isoproterenol, whereas SNP (10 and 100 microM) had no inotropic effect. All three agents increased cGMP levels but had no effect on isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP levels. SNP caused the largest elevations in cGMP. These results suggest that the negative inotropic effects of muscarinic agonists observed in isoproterenol-stimulated rat ventricular cardiomyocytes are not mediated by alterations in cGMP and/or cAMP levels.

The role of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in the relaxation of vascular smooth muscle by cAMP analogs was studied. The analog N6,2'-O-dibutyryl-cAMP (dbu-cAMP) reduced KCl- and phenylephrine (PE)-induced tension in rat aortic rings in a dose-dependent fashion (10-100 microM). Conversely, incubation with 8-bromo-cAMP (8Br-cAMP; 10-100 microM) had very little effect on tension. The soluble and particulate PKA activity was determined in the analog-treated, PE-contracted tissue. Interference from extracellular analogs was eliminated by washout of analog prior to homogenization of the tissue for the PKA assay and by the addition of charcoal (10 mg/ml) to the homogenization buffer. The nonrelaxant analog 8Br-cAMP significantly increased the activity ratio of soluble PKA at a concentration of 30 microM and, in the particulate fraction, increased the activity ratio at 30- and 100 microM. Total PKA activity in the soluble fraction was significantly decreased by all concentrations of 8Br-cAMP used (10, 30, 100 microM). The relaxant analog dbu-cAMP had no significant effect at any concentration on catalytically active or total PKA activity levels. The only effect seen, at 30 microM, was an increase in the particulate activity ratio, and this was smaller than that seen with 8Br-cAMP. The basis for the alteration in PKA activity by 8Br-cAMP was a decrease in total soluble PKA activity as opposed to an increase in free catalytic PKA subunit. The fall in total activity was most likely due to adsorption by charcoal of catalytic subunit released from the 8Br-cAMP-activated holoenzyme. Thus, under the conditions used to assay PKA activity in cAMP-analog-treated vascular tissue, a decrease in total PKA activity represents an activation of the enzyme and, in fact, appears to be a better indicator of activation than changes in activity ratios. In either case, activation of soluble and particulate PKA by cAMP analogs did not correlate with relaxation of rat aortic rings.

The effects of N6,O2-dibutyrl-adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (db-cAMP) and 8-bromo-adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP) on tension and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activities in rat vas deferens were investigated. A soluble enzyme fraction obtained from the vas deferens was found to contain both type I and type II isozymes of PKA, whereas a particulate fraction contained only the type II isozyme. Exposure of the vas deferens to db-cAMP (1-100 microM) for 30 min caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of phenylephrine-induced contractions, with an EC50 of less than 10 microM. 8-Br-cAMP had no significant effect on contractions over a similar concentration range. Both of the analogs were able to activate PKA significantly at a concentration of 10 microM, and the magnitude of the PKA activation was greater with 8-Br-cAMP than with db-cAMP. Charcoal was added to the homogenization buffer in these experiments to prevent the artifactual activation of PKA by cAMP analogs trapped in the extracellular space. The ability of db-cAMP, but not 8-Br-cAMP, to inhibit the contraction of vas deferens could not be explained on the basis of differential activation of soluble or particulate PKA or of specific isozymes of the enzyme. It is, therefore, concluded that activation of PKA is not responsible for the relaxant effects of cAMP analogs in some smooth muscle.