This research will be done primarily in Slovak Republic as an extension of NIH grant # ROl HL52620. The overall goal of this proposal is to elucidate the mechanisms of calcium signaling in dyads of mammalian cardiac muscle cells. These structures, representing excitation-contraction coupling units, contain clusters of L-type calcium channels (the excitation unit) in apposition to clusters of ryanodine receptor calcium release channels (the release unit) functionally coupled by calcium ions. The feed-forward calcium signaling steps are important for activation of calcium release by excitation, the feedback calcium signaling steps are important for inactivation of calcium current and calcium release, and their relationship to the topology of channels in the excitation-contraction coupling unit will be determined. To this end, measurements of the kinetics of whole-cell calcium currents, whole-cell calcium transients, and dyadic calcium release events during stimulation and during recovery from inactivation will be carried out. The properties of the excitation-contraction coupling unit, such as calcium channel gating and permeation, the fraction of active calcium channels, and the rate of calcium binding to the ryanodine receptor, will be manipulated. Quantitative analysis of the kinetics of calcium current and calcium release in parallel will be used to estimate parameters of calcium signaling critical for control of gradation and efficiency of excitation-contraction coupling. Computer simulations of experiments on channel clusters that interact by way of calcium signaling will be used to ascertain possible mechanisms and to design experiments with high predictive power. Understanding the regulation of cardiac E-C coupling is important since it might become a strategic site for therapeutic intervention in cardiac muscle dysfunctions. Furthermore, defining mechanisms of calcium-based interaction between channels in co-localized clusters has a broader significance for understanding processes such as synaptic transmission, neuroendocrine secretion and regulation of vascular tone.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
Type
Small Research Grants (R03)
Project #
5R03TW005543-03
Application #
6639984
Study Section
International and Cooperative Projects 1 Study Section (ICP)
Program Officer
Primack, Aron
Project Start
2001-05-20
Project End
2004-08-16
Budget Start
2003-05-01
Budget End
2004-08-16
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$26,036
Indirect Cost
Name
Texas Tech University
Department
Physiology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
609980727
City
Lubbock
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
79430
Ho, Hsiang-Ting; Belevych, Andriy E; Liu, Bin et al. (2016) Muscarinic Stimulation Facilitates Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca Release by Modulating Ryanodine Receptor 2 Phosphorylation Through Protein Kinase G and Ca/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II. Hypertension 68:1171-1178
Polakova, Eva; Zahradnikova Jr, Alexandra; Pavelkova, Jana et al. (2008) Local calcium release activation by DHPR calcium channel openings in rat cardiac myocytes. J Physiol 586:3839-54
Zahradnikova Jr, Alexandra; Polakova, Eva; Zahradnik, Ivan et al. (2007) Kinetics of calcium spikes in rat cardiac myocytes. J Physiol 578:677-91
Valent, Ivan; Zahradnikova, Alexandra; Pavelkova, Jana et al. (2007) Spatial and temporal Ca2+, Mg2+, and ATP2- dynamics in cardiac dyads during calcium release. Biochim Biophys Acta 1768:155-66
Zahradnik, Ivan; Gyorke, Sandor; Zahradnikova, Alexandra (2005) Calcium activation of ryanodine receptor channels--reconciling RyR gating models with tetrameric channel structure. J Gen Physiol 126:515-27
Zahradnikova, Alexandra; Kubalova, Zuzana; Pavelkova, Jana et al. (2004) Activation of calcium release assessed by calcium release-induced inactivation of calcium current in rat cardiac myocytes. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 286:C330-41
Zahradnikova, A; Dura, M; Gyorke, I et al. (2003) Regulation of dynamic behavior of cardiac ryanodine receptor by Mg2+ under simulated physiological conditions. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 285:C1059-70
Dura, M; Zahradnik, I; Zahradnikova, A (2003) Kinetics of cardiac RyR channel gating studied at high temporal resolution. Physiol Res 52:571-8