scholarly journals Caldesmon ablation in mice causes umbilical herniation and alters contractility of fetal urinary bladder smooth muscle

2021 ◽  
Vol 153 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Pütz ◽  
Lisa Sophie Barthel ◽  
Marina Frohn ◽  
Doris Metzler ◽  
Mohammed Barham ◽  
...  

The actin-, myosin-, and calmodulin-binding protein caldesmon (CaD) is expressed in two splice isoforms: h-CaD, which is an integral part of the actomyosin domain of smooth muscle cells, and l-CaD, which is widely expressed and is involved in many cellular functions. Despite extensive research for many years, CaD's in vivo function has remained elusive. To explore the role of CaD in smooth muscle contraction in vivo, we generated a mutant allele that ablates both isoforms. Heterozygous animals were viable and had a normal life span, but homozygous mutants died perinatally, likely because of a persistent umbilical hernia. The herniation was associated with hypoplastic and dysmorphic abdominal wall muscles. We assessed mechanical parameters in isometrically mounted longitudinal strips of E18.5 urinary bladders and in ring preparations from abdominal aorta using wire myography. Ca2+ sensitivity was higher and relaxation rate was slower in Cald1−/− compared with Cald1+/+ skinned bladder strips. However, we observed no change in the content and phosphorylation of regulatory proteins of the contractile apparatus and myosin isoforms known to affect these contractile parameters. Intact fibers showed no difference in actin and myosin content, regardless of genotype, although KCl-induced force tended to be lower in homozygous and higher in heterozygous mutants than in WTs. Conversely, in skinned fibers, myosin content and maximal force were significantly lower in Cald1−/− than in WTs. In KO abdominal aortas, resting and U46619 elicited force were lower than in WTs. Our results are consistent with the notion that CaD impacts smooth muscle function dually by (1) acting as a molecular brake on contraction and (2) maintaining the structural integrity of the contractile machinery. Most importantly, CaD is essential for resolution of the physiological umbilical hernia and ventral body wall closure.

2011 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhua Zhang ◽  
Dwaraka Srinivasa R. Kuppam ◽  
Arnold Melman ◽  
Michael E. DiSanto

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (4) ◽  
pp. F690-F699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoling Su ◽  
Arun Changolkar ◽  
Samuel Chacko ◽  
Robert S. Moreland

The effect of diabetes mellitus on the regulation of urinary bladder smooth muscle contraction was studied. Diabetes was induced in the rabbit by alloxan injection followed by 16 wk of housing. The bladder was harvested and strips of wall devoid of both mucosa and serosa were examined. Intact strips of bladder smooth muscle from diabetic animals produced less stress in response to membrane depolarization than muscle from control animals; sensitivity to KCl was not changed. Carbachol responses were similar in muscle strips from the two animal groups. Basal myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation levels were significantly elevated in response to most stimuli in muscle strips from diabetic animals, although levels of stress were either unchanged or lower. α-Toxin-permeabilized strips that allow for control of the intracellular environment while maintaining excitation-contraction coupling showed increased levels of MLC phosphorylation but decreased sensitivity to activator Ca2+ in smooth muscle from diabetic animals. MLC phosphatase contents were similar in smooth muscle from the two animal groups; however, MLC phosphatase activity was greater in muscle from control compared with diabetic animals. These results suggest that diabetes mellitus uncouples basal MLC phosphorylation from force in the bladder smooth muscle cell.


2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangju Ji ◽  
Robert J. Barsotti ◽  
Morris E. Feldman ◽  
Michael I. Kotlikoff

Smooth muscle cells undergo substantial increases in length, passively stretching during increases in intraluminal pressure in vessels and hollow organs. Active contractile responses to counteract increased transmural pressure were first described almost a century ago (Bayliss, 1902) and several mechanisms have been advanced to explain this phenomenon. We report here that elongation of smooth muscle cells results in ryanodine receptor–mediated Ca2+ release in individual myocytes. Mechanical elongation of isolated, single urinary bladder myocytes to ∼120% of slack length (ΔL = 20) evoked Ca2+ release from intracellular stores in the form of single Ca2+ sparks and propagated Ca2+ waves. Ca2+ release was not due to calcium-induced calcium release, as release was observed in Ca2+-free extracellular solution and when free Ca2+ ions in the cytosol were strongly buffered to prevent increases in [Ca2+]i. Stretch-induced calcium release (SICR) was not affected by inhibition of InsP3R-mediated Ca2+ release, but was completely blocked by ryanodine. Release occurred in the absence of previously reported stretch-activated currents; however, SICR evoked calcium-activated chloride currents in the form of transient inward currents, suggesting a regulatory mechanism for the generation of spontaneous currents in smooth muscle. SICR was also observed in individual myocytes during stretch of intact urinary bladder smooth muscle segments. Thus, longitudinal stretch of smooth muscle cells induces Ca2+ release through gating of RYR. SICR may be an important component of the physiological response to increases in luminal pressure in smooth muscle tissues.


1985 ◽  
Vol 68 (s10) ◽  
pp. 147s-150s ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Thom ◽  
J. Calvete ◽  
R. Hayes ◽  
G. Martin ◽  
P. Sever

1. The effects of compounds with α2-agonist and α2-antagonist properties on human forearm blood flow and on isolated human arterial segments have been studied. 2. The findings from these studies in vivo and in vitro did not provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that postsynaptic α2-receptors mediate smooth muscle contraction in the tissues under investigation. 3. The constriction of the forearm vascular bed in response to low intra-arterial doses of idazoxan (RX 781094), an α2-antagonist, provides evidence for a physiological role for a presynaptic α2 autoregulatory mechanism. 4. The variability of the forearm vascular responses to higher doses of idazoxan highlights the pitfalls that may have misled previous authors in their interpretation of the results of similar studies. A U-shaped dose-response curve to compounds with mixed α2-and α1-antagonist properties may be constructed, which emphasizes the importance of the dose-dependent selectivity of these antagonists at α2- and α1-receptors. 5. The effect of idazoxan on the responses of arterial segments in vitro to exogenous catecholamines was dependent on the integrity of the endothelium, and provides evidence that α2-receptors may mediate release of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita S. Mannikarottu ◽  
Michael E. DiSanto ◽  
Stephen A. Zderic ◽  
Alan J. Wein ◽  
Samuel Chacko

2003 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
pp. 757-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Wibberley ◽  
Zunxuan Chen ◽  
Erding Hu ◽  
J Paul Hieble ◽  
Timothy D Westfall

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