© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Integrative Physiology |
Electrical Coupling Between Endothelial Cells and Smooth Muscle Cells in Hamster Feed Arteries
Role in Vasomotor Control
From The John B. Pierce Laboratory and Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
Correspondence to Steven S. Segal, PhD, The John B. Pierce Laboratory, Yale University School of Medicine, 290 Congress Ave, New Haven, CT 06519. E-mail sssegal{at}jbpierce.org
Abstract—Endothelial
cells (ECs) govern smooth muscle cell (SMC) tone via the release of
paracrine factors (eg, NO and metabolites of
arachidonic acid). We tested the hypothesis that ECs
can promote SMC relaxation or contraction via direct electrical
coupling. Vessels (resting diameter, 57±3 µm; length, 4
mm) were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized (75 mm Hg;
37°C). Two microelectrodes were used to simultaneously
impale 2 cells (ECs or SMCs) in the vessel wall separated by 500
µm. Impalements of one EC and one SMC (n=26) displayed equivalent
membrane potentials at rest, during spontaneous
oscillations, and during
hyperpolarization and vasodilation to
acetylcholine. Injection of -0.8 nA into an EC caused
hyperpolarization (
5 mV) and relaxation of SMCs
(dilation, 5 µm) along the vessel segment. In a reciprocal
manner, +0.8 nA caused depolarization (2 mV) of SMCs with
constriction (2 µm). Current injection into SMCs while
recording from ECs produced similar results. We conclude that
ECs and SMCs are electrically coupled to each other in these vessels,
such that electrical signals conducted along the
endothelium can be directly transmitted to the
surrounding smooth muscle to evoke vasomotor responses.
Key Words: endothelium • smooth muscle • electrical coupling • resistance artery • conduction
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