Exercise training increases the Ca2+sensitivity of tension in rat cardiac myocytes

2001 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 309-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Diffee ◽  
Eric A. Seversen ◽  
Marci M. Titus

The heart is known to respond to a program of chronic exercise in ways that enhance cardiac function. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in training-induced improvements in the contractile function of the myocardium are not known. In this study we tested the hypothesis that increased contractility of the myocardium associated with exercise training is due, in part, to increases in the Ca2+ sensitivity of steady-state tension. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sedentary control (C) and exercise-trained (T) groups. The T rats underwent 11 wk of progressive treadmill exercise (1 h/day, 5 days/wk, 26 m/min, 20% grade). Evidence of training effect included a 5.9% increase in heart mass, increases in heart weight-to-body weight ratio, and a 60% increase in skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity in T rats compared with C rats. After the training program, cardiac myocytes were isolated from T and C hearts. Myocytes were chemically skinned (i.e., the sarcolemma was removed) and attached to a force transducer, and steady-state tension was determined in solutions of various Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]). Myocytes isolated from the hearts of T rats showed a significantly ( P < 0.01) increased sensitivity of tension to [Ca2+]. The [Ca2+] giving 50% of maximal tension (pCa50) was 5.90 ± 0.033 and 5.82 ± 0.023 (SD) in T and C myocytes, respectively ( n = 70 myocytes/group). This result suggests that exercise training affects the myofibrillar proteins, such that Ca2+ sensitivity is increased, and that this may be the mechanism that underlies, at least in part, the effect of training to increase myocardial contractility.

2003 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 1137-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Diffee ◽  
Daniel F. Nagle

Myocardial function is enhanced by endurance exercise training, but the cellular mechanisms underlying this improved function remain unclear. Exercise training increases the sensitivity of rat cardiac myocytes to activation by Ca2+, and this Ca2+ sensitivity has been shown to be highly dependent on sarcomere length. We tested the hypothesis that exercise training increases this length dependence in cardiac myocytes. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sedentary control (C) and exercise-trained (T) groups. The T rats underwent 11 wk of progressive treadmill exercise. Heart weight increased by 14% in T compared with C rats, and plantaris muscle citrate synthase activity showed a 39% increase with training. Steady-state tension was determined in permeabilized myocytes by using solutions of various Ca2+concentration (pCa), and tension-pCa curves were generated at two different sarcomere lengths for each myocyte (1.9 and 2.3 μm). We found an increased sarcomere length dependence of both maximal tension and pCa50 (the Ca2+ concentration giving 50% of maximal tension) in T compared with C myocytes. The ΔpCa50 between the long and short sarcomere length was 0.084 ± 0.023 (mean ± SD) in myocytes from C hearts compared with 0.132 ± 0.014 in myocytes from T hearts ( n = 50 myocytes per group). The Δmaximal tension was 5.11 ± 1.42 kN/m2 in C myocytes and 9.01 ± 1.28 in T myocytes. We conclude that exercise training increases the length dependence of maximal and submaximal tension in cardiac myocytes, and this change may underlie, at least in part, training-induced enhancement of myocardial function.


2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Diffee ◽  
Daniel F. Nagle

Myocardial function is enhanced by endurance exercise training, but the cellular mechanisms underlying this improved function remain unclear. A number of studies have shown that the characteristics of cardiac myocytes vary across the width of the ventricular wall. We have previously shown that endurance exercise training alters the Ca2+ sensitivity of tension as well as contractile protein isoform expression in rat cardiac myocytes. We tested the hypothesis that these effects of training are not uniform across the ventricular wall but are more pronounced in the subendocardial (Endo) region of the myocardium. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sedentary control (C) and exercise trained (T) groups. T rats underwent 11 wk of progressive treadmill exercise. Myocytes were isolated from the Endo region of the myocardium and from the subepicardial (Epi) region of both T and C hearts. We found an increase in the Ca2+ sensitivity of tension in T cells compared with C cells, but this difference was larger in the Endo cells than in the Epi cells. In addition, we found a training-induced increase in atrial myosin light chain 1 (aMLC1) expression that was larger in the Endo compared with Epi samples. We conclude that effects of exercise training on myocyte contractile and biochemical properties are greater in myocytes from the Endo region of the myocardium than those from the Epi region. In addition, these results provide evidence that the increase in aMLC1 expression may be responsible for some of the training-induced increase in myocyte Ca2+ sensitivity of tension.


2006 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron C. Hinken ◽  
F. Steven Korte ◽  
Kerry S. McDonald

Chronic exercise training increases the functional capacity of the heart, perhaps by increased myocyte contractile function, as has been observed in rodent exercise models. We examined whether cardiac myocyte function is enhanced after chronic exercise training in Yucatan miniature swine, whose heart characteristics are similar to humans. Animals were designated as either sedentary (Sed), i.e., cage confined, or exercise trained (Ex), i.e., underwent 16–20 wk of progressive treadmill training. Exercise training efficacy was shown with significantly increased heart weight-to-body weight ratios, skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity, and exercise tolerance. Force-velocity properties were measured by attaching skinned cardiac myocytes between a force transducer and position motor, and shortening velocities were measured over a range of loads during maximal Ca2+ activation. Myocytes ( n = 9) from nine Ex pigs had comparable force production but a ∼30% increase in peak power output compared with myocytes ( n = 8) from eight Sed. Interestingly, Ex myofibrillar samples also had higher baseline PKA-induced phosphorylation levels of cardiac troponin I, which may contribute to the increase in power. Overall, these results suggest that enhanced power-generating capacity of porcine cardiac myofibrils contributes to improved cardiac function after chronic exercise training.


1985 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1410-1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Marcus ◽  
C. M. Tipton

The influence of endurance training on functional capacity [maximal O2 consumption (VO2 max)], caudal arterial blood pressure, and myocardial capillary density were investigated in normotensive rats and rats made hypertensive using the two-kidney one-clip approach (Goldblatt's hypertension). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to sham (N: 120–140 mmHg), moderately hypertensive (MH = 0.30-mm clips, 150–170 mmHg), or severely hypertensive (SH = 0.25-mm clips, 190–230 mmHg) groups. Rats designated to be runners (T) were exercised on a motor-driven treadmill equal to 50–70% of their VO2 max values for 8–12 wk. Compared with their nontrained (NT) controls, training was associated with significantly higher VO2 max values (12–15%) and muscle cytochrome-c oxidase activities (33–78%). Resting systolic blood pressure was not significantly changed in the N-and MH-T subgroups; however, it was 20–30 mmHg higher in the SH-T subgroup. Mean absolute heart weight for only the N-T group was significantly heavier than their NT controls. However, the mean predicted heart weights (heart wt = 0.639 X body wt of N-NT + 0.001 g) of the two SH groups were significantly higher than expected. The SH-T group had a lower (11%) subepicardial capillary density mean than its NT control and significantly fewer capillaries in the subendocardial region than the other five subgroups. It was concluded that moderate exercise training appeared to be detrimental to rats with severe hypertension because it increased resting blood pressure and decreased myocardial capillary density, even though it improved their functioning capacity.


1999 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 1696-1701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl G. Noble ◽  
Albert Moraska ◽  
Robert S. Mazzeo ◽  
David A. Roth ◽  
M. Charlotte Olsson ◽  
...  

High-intensity treadmill exercise increases the expression of a cardioprotective, inducible 72-kDa stress protein (SP72) in cardiac muscle. This investigation examined whether voluntary free wheel exercise training would be sufficient to confer a similar response. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either treadmill (TM-Tr) or free wheel (FW-Tr) training groups. By the end of the 8-wk training period, TM-Tr animals ran 1 h/day, 5 days/wk up a 10% grade, covering a distance of 8,282 m/wk. FW-Tr rats ran, on average, 5,300 m/wk, with one-third of the animals covering distances similar to those for the TM-Tr group. At the time of death, hearts of trained and caged sedentary control (Sed) animals were divided into left (LV) and right (RV) ventricles. Citrate synthase activity and the relative immunoblot contents of SP72, SP73 (the constitutive isoform of the SP70 family), and a 75-kDa mitochondrial chaperone (SP75) were subsequently determined. LV and RV did not differ on any measure, and SP73, SP75, and citrate synthase were not affected by training. Cardiac SP72 levels were elevated over fourfold in both ventricles of TM-Tr compared with RV of FW-Sed rats. Despite the animals having run a similar total distance, cardiac SP72 content in FW-Tr rats was not different from that in Sed animals. These data indicate that voluntary exercise training is insufficient to elicit an elevation of SP72 in rat heart and suggest that exercise intensity may be a critical factor in evoking the cardioprotective SP72 response.


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (5) ◽  
pp. H1348-H1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig A. Emter ◽  
Christopher P. Baines

Cardiac hypertrophy in response to hypertension or myocardial infarction is a pathological indicator associated with heart failure (HF). A central component of the remodeling process is the loss of cardiomyocytes via cell death pathways regulated by the mitochondrion. Recent evidence has indicated that exercise training can attenuate or reverse pathological remodeling, creating a physiological phenotype. The purpose of this study was to examine left ventricular (LV) function, remodeling, and cardiomyocyte mitochondrial function in aortic-banded (AB) sedentary (HFSED; n = 6), AB exercise-trained (HFTR, n = 5), and control sedentary ( n = 5) male Yucatan miniature swine. LV hypertrophy was present in both AB groups before the start of training, as indicated by increases in LV end-diastolic volume, LV end-systolic volume (LVESV), and LV end-systolic dimension (LVESD). Exercise training (15 wk) prevented further increases in LVESV and LVESD ( P < 0.05). The heart weight-to-body weight ratio, LV + septum-to-body weight ratio, LV + septum-to-right ventricle ratio, and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area were increased in both AB groups postmortem regardless of training status. Preservation of LV function after exercise training, as indicated by the maintenance of fractional shortening, ejection fraction, and mean wall shortening and increased stroke volume, was associated with an attenuation of the increased LV fibrosis (23%) and collagen (36%) observed in HFSED animals. LV mitochondrial dysfunction, as measured by Ca2+-induced mitochondrial permeability transition, was increased in HFSED ( P < 0.05) but not HFTR animals. In conclusion, low-intensity interval exercise training preserved LV function as exemplified by an attenuation of fibrosis, maintenance of a positive inotropic state, and inhibition of mitochondrial dysfunction, providing further evidence of the therapeutic potential of exercise in a clinical setting.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (4) ◽  
pp. L806-L812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Sue Carraway ◽  
Andrew J. Ghio ◽  
Jacqueline D. Carter ◽  
Claude A. Piantadosi

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is an oxygen-dependent enzyme that may regulate vascular tone and cell proliferation through the production of carbon monoxide (CO). We tested the hypothesis that HO-1 is upregulated in the lung in chronic hypoxia by exposing male Sprague-Dawley rats to 17,000 feet (395 Torr) for 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, or 21 days. After exposure, blood gases, carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels, and hematocrit were measured, and the lungs were either inflation fixed for immunohistochemistry or frozen for later measurement of HO enzyme activity, Western blot for HO-1 protein, and RT-PCR for HO-1 mRNA. The heart was excised and weighed, and the right-to-left heart weight ratio was determined. During hypoxia, the hematocrit increased progressively, reaching significantly higher values than the control value after 3 days. COHb levels increased above the control value after 1 day of hypoxia and increased progressively between 14 and 21 days, whereas arterial[Formula: see text] and arterial[Formula: see text] did not vary significantly. HO-1 protein determined by Western blot increased for the first 7 days and declined thereafter; however, enzyme activity was elevated only after 1 day. Changes in HO-1 during hypoxia were localized by immunohistochemistry to inflammatory cells (early) and newly muscularized arterioles (later). Lung HO-1 mRNA normalized to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was increased after 1 and 21 days. The data indicate that lung HO-1 protein and activity are upregulated only during early chronic hypoxia, whereas persistent COHb elevations indicate high endogenous CO production rates at nonpulmonary sites. If CO has antiproliferative properties, the lack of HO enzyme activity in the lung may be permissive for pulmonary vascular proliferation in hypoxia.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (8) ◽  
pp. R586-R595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Delavar ◽  
Leonardo Nogueira ◽  
Peter D. Wagner ◽  
Michael C. Hogan ◽  
Daniel Metzger ◽  
...  

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is exercise responsive, pro-angiogenic, and expressed in several muscle cell types. We hypothesized that in adult mice, VEGF generated within skeletal myofibers (and not other cells within muscle) is necessary for the angiogenic response to exercise training. This was tested in adult conditional, skeletal myofiber-specific VEGF gene-deleted mice (skmVEGF−/−), with VEGF levels reduced by >80%. After 8 wk of daily treadmill training, speed and endurance were unaltered in skmVEGF−/− mice, but increased by 18% and 99% ( P < 0.01), respectively, in controls trained at identical absolute speed, incline, and duration. In vitro, isolated soleus and extensor digitorum longus contractile function was not impaired in skmVEGF−/− mice. However, training-induced angiogenesis was inhibited in plantaris (wild type, 38%, skmVEGF−/− 18%, P < 0.01), and gastrocnemius (wild type, 43%, P < 0.01; skmVEGF−/−, 7%, not significant). Capillarity was maintained (different from VEGF gene deletion targeted to multiple cell types) in untrained skmVEGF−/− mice. Arteriogenesis (smooth muscle actin+, artery number, and diameter) and remodeling [vimentin+, 5′-bromodeoxycytidine (BrdU)+, and F4/80+ cells] occurred in skmVEGF−/− mice, even in the absence of training. skmVEGF−/− mice also displayed a limited oxidative enzyme [citrate synthase and β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (β-HAD)] training response; β-HAD activity levels were elevated in the untrained state. These data suggest that myofiber expressed VEGF is necessary for training responses in capillarity and oxidative capacity and for improved running speed and endurance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Li ◽  
Qin Deng ◽  
Sulei Hu ◽  
Jari A. Laukkanen ◽  
Cheng Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Cardiomyocyte-specific knockout of pro-survival integrin β1 subunit and its downstream components have been demonstrated to aggravate remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). However, as a component of integrin pathway, it is unclear whether knockdown of pro-survival C3G (rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1) in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts could have effect on myocardial remodeling. Methods and results: A rat model of MI was established by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery. Infarcted myocardium and its border zones in Sprague-Dawley rats were transiently infected with C3G knockout lentivirus via local injection to knockdown C3G in the myocardium. Twelve weeks after injection with the lentiviruses, cardiomyocytic apoptosis and collagen in surviving myocardium, and left ventricle (LV) end-diastolic diameter were decreased, whereas LV weight / body weight ratio and LV ejection fraction were increased in MI group via down-regulation of pro-survival C3G, phosphorylated (p) ERK1/2 (phosphorylated extracellular regulated kinase 1/2) and Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma-2), and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax in the surviving myocardium. On the other hand, treatment with the lentiviruses was found to delete C3G and diminish cell proliferation in vitro cardiac myocytic and fibroblastic cell lines respectively via down-regulation of p-ERK1/2 and Bcl-2, and up-regulation of Bax. Conclusions: Knockdown of pro-survival C3G in myocardium may mitigate surviving myocardial remodeling after MI, possibly through regulation of p-ERK1/2, Bcl-2 and Bax in vivo cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts.


1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (5) ◽  
pp. H1564-H1570 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Scislo ◽  
S. E. DiCarlo ◽  
H. L. Collins

Exercise training alters the cardiopulmonary baroreflex regulation of the circulation; however, the mechanisms responsible are unknown. One possibility is an enhanced afferent response to cardiopulmonary stimulation. We therefore tested the hypothesis that daily spontaneous running (DSR) would enhance cardiopulmonary vagal afferent responses to mechanical (increase in left atrial pressure, LAP) and chemical (phenyl biguanide, PBG) stimulation. Reactivity of single-fiber cardiopulmonary vagal afferents was evaluated in 16 control and 12 DSR anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were weaned at 3 wk of age and randomly assigned to a control or DSR group. Eight to twelve weeks of DSR was associated with a 27% increase in heart weight-to-body weight ratio (3.27 +/- 0.08 vs. 2.56 +/- 0.05 g/kg, P < 0.001) and resting bradycardia (394 +/- 10 vs. 421 +/- 8 beats/min, P = 0.036). However, DSR did not alter the stimulus-response curves to increases in LAP (frequency of discharge vs. LAP) for either the high-frequency (maximum response, sedentary 59.6 +/- 3.2, DSR 60.1 +/- 5.0 spikes/s) or low-frequency (maximum response, sedentary 20.0 +/- 2.9 DSR 20.6 +/- 3.9 spikes/s) receptors. Dose-response curves to chemical stimulation (spikes/s vs. PBG dose) were also not altered by DSR. Thus DSR did not change vagal afferent reactivity to mechanical or chemical stimulation.


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