Normal automaticity in sinoatrial node cells (SANC) involves intracellular Ca2+ cycling within a coupled-clock system: periodic local, subsarcolemmal Ca2+ releases (LCRs) from sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca2+ clock) activate an inward Na+-Ca2+ exchange current that accelerates the diastolic depolarization prompting the ensemble of surface membrane ion channels (membrane clock) to generate the next action potential (AP). Whether intracellular Ca2+ regulates SANC AP firing rate on a beat-to-beat basis is controversial. We loaded single isolated SANC with a caged Ca2+ buffer, NP-EGTA, and simultaneously recorded membrane potential and intracellular Ca2+. Prior to introduction of the caged Ca2+ buffer, spontaneous LCRs during diastolic depolarization (DD) were tightly coupled to rhythmic APs (r2=0.9). The buffer markedly prolonged the decay time (T50) of the AP-induced Ca2+ transient and partially depleted the SR load level, suppressed spontaneous diastolic LCRs and uncoupled them from AP generation, and caused AP firing to become markedly slow and dysrhythmic. When Ca2+ was acutely released from the caged compound by flash photolysis, intracellular Ca2+ dynamics were acutely restored and rhythmic APs resumed immediately at a normal rate. After a few rhythmic cycles, however, these effects of the flash waned as interference with Ca2+ dynamics by the caged buffer was reestablished. Our results directly support the hypothesis that a system of an intracellular Ca2+ clock coupled to a surface membrane voltage clock regulates normal SANC automaticity on a beat-to-beat basis.
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