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(Circulation Research. 1997;81:145-153.)
© 1997 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Adenoviral Gene Transfer of Phospholamban in Isolated Rat Cardiomyocytes

Rescue Effects by Concomitant Gene Transfer of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase

Roger J. Hajjar, Ulrich Schmidt, Jing X. Kang, Takashi Matsui, , Anthony Rosenzweig

From the Cardiovascular Research Center & Cardiac Unit (R.J.H., U.S., T.M., A.R.), Medical Services, and the Department of Preventive Medicine (J.X.K.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown.

Correspondence to Anthony Rosenzweig, MD, Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital-East, 149 13th Street, 4th Floor, Room 4207, Charlestown, MA 02129.

	Abstract

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Abstract Phospholamban forms an integral part of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and regulates the activity of SR Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA2a). A number of studies have suggested a decrease in SERCA2a relative to phospholamban in heart failure. To test the hypothesis that changes in the relative abundance of phospholamban to SERCA2a could account for the pathophysiological abnormalities in Ca²⁺ handling observed in failing myocardium, we created a recombinant adenovirus designed to overexpress phospholamban (Ad.RSV.PL). In neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, Ad.RSV.PL increased the expression of phospholamban in a concentration-dependent fashion, reaching 280±43% at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 10.0 plaque forming units (pfu)/cell at 48 hours. The relationship between Ca²⁺-ATPase activity and [Ca²⁺] was shifted rightward in membrane preparations from cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL. Intracellular Ca²⁺ transients measured in the neonatal cells infected with Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 10 pfu/cell) were characterized by (1) a significant prolongation of the relaxation phase (344±26 versus 710±56 milliseconds, P<.01), (2) a decrease in peak [Ca²⁺]_i (967±43 versus 630±33 nmol/L, P<.01), and (3) an elevation in resting [Ca²⁺]_i (143±14 versus 213±17 nmol/L, P<.05). Similarly, the time course of shortening was prolonged in myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL. These effects were partially restored by simultaneous transduction with an adeno-virus carrying SERCA2a. Cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL had an abnormal frequency response: a decrease in peak [Ca²⁺]_i and an increase in resting [Ca²⁺]_i with increasing frequency. These findings indicate that adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of phospholamban modifies intracellular Ca²⁺ handling and the frequency response in cardiomyocytes. Our results suggest that alterations in the ratio of phospholamban to SERCA2a could account for the abnormalities in Ca²⁺ handling observed in heart failure and that overexpression of SERCA2a can largely correct these abnormalities.

Key Words: gene transfer • sarcoplasmic reticulum • phospholamban • Ca²⁺ • Ca²⁺-ATPase

	Introduction

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Phospholamban is an integral protein in the SR of mammalian cardiomyocytes involved in the regulation of Ca²⁺-ATPase, which transports Ca²⁺ into the SR.^{1 2 3 4} In the unphosphorylated state, phospholamban inhibits the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase by reducing its affinity for Ca²⁺.^{2 3 4} Phosphorylation of phospholamban at either the serine 16 site by cAMP-dependent protein kinase or the threonine 17 site by calmodulin-dependent mechanisms removes the inhibition to the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase.^{2 3 4} Phospholamban has been shown to be phosphorylated in situ and to contribute significantly to the positive inotropic response and the relaxant effects of ß-agonism in the working heart.⁵ Recently, in elegant studies in phospholamban-deficient mice and in mice overexpressing phospholamban, Kranias and colleagues^{6 7 8 9 10} have shown that phospholamban tightly regulates SR Ca²⁺ transport and modulates the contractile response to ß-agonism. However, during development, mice may alter their expression of other genes controlling Ca²⁺ kinetics and either mask or dilute the effects of transgene overexpression. Somatic gene transfer offers the advantage of direct overexpression of a specific gene without the confounding effects of developmental adaptations that may be present in transgenic animals. In addition, somatic gene transfer holds the potential for simultaneous independent overexpression of key proteins or for use in conjunction with genetically engineered animal models. Recently, replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus vectors have been used for gene transfer into myocardium both in vivo and in vitro.^{11 12 13 14 15 16 17} In neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, we recently demonstrated that a replication-deficient adenovirus overexpressing SERCA2a (Ad.RSV.SERCA2a) increased the expression of SERCA2a and SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion, abbreviated the intracellular Ca²⁺ transients, and enhanced the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity.¹⁷

A decrease in SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity has been identified in a number of animal models of heart disease and in human heart failure associated with altered Ca²⁺ kinetics.^{18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26} However, there is controversy in the literature regarding the expression of SERCA2a and phospholamban in failing human hearts. Nevertheless, alterations in the relative ratio of phospholamban to SERCA2a seem to be an important characteristic of both experimental and human heart failure.^{24 25 26} Adenoviral gene transfer of phospholamban allowed us to test whether increasing phospholamban relative to SERCA2a could account for the abnormalities of Ca²⁺ handling observed in myopathic hearts and to also test the ability of SERCA2a to rescue this phenotype.

	Materials and Methods

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Construction of E1-Deleted Recombinant Adenovirus Vectors
The construction of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a has been described in detail previously.¹⁷ Ad.RSV.ßgal, which carries a nuclear localizing form of ß-galactosidase, was kindly provided by Dr David Dichek (Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, San Francisco, Calif).²⁷ The rabbit phospholamban cDNA was provided by Prof David H. MacLennan from the University of Toronto (Canada).²⁸ The phospholamban cDNA was subcloned into the bacterial plasmid vector pAdRSV4 (provided by Dr Beverly Davidson, University of Iowa, Iowa City), which uses the RSV long terminal repeat as a promoter and the SV40 polyadenylation signal and contains map units with adenovirus sequences from 0 to 1 and from 9 to 16. The position and orientation of the phospholamban cDNA were confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion and by polymerase chain reaction. The plasmid vector containing phospholamban (pAd.RSV.PL) was then cotransfected into 293 cells with pJM17 (provided by Dr Frank L. Graham, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada). The homologous recombinants between pAd.RSV.PL and pJM17 contain the phospholamban cDNA substituted for E1. By use of this strategy, independent plaques were isolated, and expression of phospholamban protein was verified by immunostaining. A positive plaque was further plaque-purified, and protein expression was reconfirmed to yield the recombinant adenovirus Ad.RSV.PL. This adenovirus is structurally similar to Ad.RSV.ßgal and to Ad.RSV.SERCA2a.¹⁷ The recombinant viruses were prepared as high-titer stocks by propagation in 293 cells as previously described.²⁹ The titers of stocks used for these studies were as follows: 3.1x10¹⁰ pfu/mL for Ad.RSV.PL, 2.6x10¹⁰ pfu/mL for Ad.RSV.SERCA2a, and 2.7x10¹⁰ pfu/mL for Ad.RSV.ßgal, with a particle-to-pfu ratio of 40:1, 42:1, and 37:1, respectively.

Preparation of Neonatal Cardiomyocytes
Spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes were prepared from 1- to 2-day-old rats and cultured in F-10 medium (GIBCO, BRL) in the presence of 5% fetal calf serum and 10% horse serum for 3 days as described previously.^{30 31} Measurements of cell shortening and cytosolic Ca²⁺ were performed on neonatal cardiomyocytes cultured on round, coated, glass coverslips (0.1-mm thickness, 31-mm diameter) in 35-mm culture dishes. Cells were counted using a hemocytometer. Approximately 5x10⁵ cells were plated in each coverslip.

Adenoviral Infection of Isolated Cells
Our previous work has demonstrated that the efficiency of gene transfer is significant starting at a virus concentration of 0.1 pfu/cell, with nearly 100% of the cells being infected at 1 pfu/cell. In three different infection experiments with increasing concentrations of Ad.RSV.ßgal, the percentages of cells expressing ßgal, after 48 hours, by histochemical staining in 10 different high-power fields were 98±2% (MOI, 1 pfu/cell), 99±1% (MOI, 10 pfu/cell), and 100% (MOI, 100 pfu/cell). In a similar manner, myocardial cells were infected with three concentrations of Ad.RSV.PL: 1.0, 10, and 100 pfu/cell for 48 hours. Infection with either Ad.RSV.ßgal, Ad.RSV.PL, or Ad.RSV.SERCA2a did not change the morphology of the cells. For each infection experiment with the adenovirus, we used one myocyte to measure functional parameters.

Intracellular Ca²⁺ Measurements and Cell Shortening Detection
Measurements of intracellular Ca²⁺ and cell shortening were performed as described earlier.^{17 30 31} Myocardial cells were loaded with the Ca²⁺ indicator fura 2 by incubating the cells in medium containing 2 µmol/L fura 2-AM (Molecular Probes) for 30 minutes. The cells were then washed with PBS and allowed to equilibrate for 10 minutes in a light-sealed temperature-controlled chamber (32°C) mounted on a Zeiss Axiovert 10 inverted microscope (Zeiss). The coverslip was superfused with a HEPES-buffered solution at a rate of 20 mL/h. Cells were stimulated at different frequencies (0.1 to 2.0 Hz) using an external stimulator (Grass Instruments). A dual excitation spectrofluorometer (IONOPTIX) was used to record fluorescence emissions (505 nm) elicited from exciting wavelengths of 360 and 380 nm. [Ca²⁺]_i was calculated according to the following formula: [Ca²⁺]_i=K_d(R-R_min)/(R_max-R)B, where R is the ratio of fluorescence of the cell at 360 and 380 nm; R_max and R_min represent the ratios of fura 2 fluorescence in the presence of saturating amounts of Ca²⁺ and effectively "zero Ca²⁺," respectively; K_d is the dissociation constant of Ca²⁺ from fura 2; and B is the ratio of fluorescence of fura 2 at 380 nm in zero Ca²⁺ and saturating amounts of Ca²⁺. Unless otherwise stated, measurements of peak [Ca²⁺]_i and resting [Ca²⁺]_i were made when cells were stimulated at 1 Hz. Specifically, measurements of resting [Ca²⁺]_i were made at the end of diastole. High-contrast microspheres attached to the cell surface of the cardiomyocytes were imaged using a charge-coupled device video camera attached to the microscope, and motion along a selected rastor line segment was quantified by a video motion detector system (IONOPTIX).

Preparation of SR Membranes From Isolated Rat Cardiomyocytes
To isolate SR membrane from cultured cardiomyocytes, we used a procedure modified from Harigaya and Schwartz³² as well as Wientzek and Katz.³³ Isolated neonatal cardiomyocytes were suspended in a buffer containing (mmol/L) sucrose 300, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride 1, and PIPES 20, at pH 7.4. The cardiomyocytes were then disrupted with a homogenizer. The homogenates were centrifuged at 500g for 20 minutes. The resultant supernatant was centrifuged at 25 000g for 60 minutes to pellet the SR-enriched membrane. The pellet was resuspended in a buffer containing (mmol/L) KCl 600, sucrose 30, and PIPES 20, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -70°C. Protein concentration was determined in these preparations by a modified Bradford procedure³⁴ using bovine serum albumin for the standard curve (Bio-Rad).

Western Blot Analysis of Phospholamban and SERCA2a in SR Preparations
SDS-PAGE was performed on the isolated membranes from cell cultures under reducing conditions on a 7.5% separation gel with a 4% stacking gel in a Miniprotean II cell (Bio-Rad). Proteins were then transferred to Hybond-ECL nitrocellulose for 2 hours. The blots were blocked in 5% nonfat milk in Tris-buffered saline for 3 hours at room temperature. For immunoreaction, the blot was incubated with 1:2500 diluted monoclonal anti-SERCA2 antibody (Affinity BioReagents) or 1:2500 diluted anti-cardiac phospholamban monoclonal IgG (UBI) for 90 minutes at room temperature. After a washing, the blots were incubated in a solution containing peroxidase-labeled goat anti-mouse IgG (dilution, 1:1000) for 90 minutes at room temperature. The blot was then incubated in a chemiluminescence system and exposed to an X-OMAT x-ray film (Fuji Films) for 1 minute. The densities of the bands were evaluated using NIH Image. Normalization was performed by dividing densitometric units of each membrane preparation by the protein amounts in each of these preparations. Serial dilution of the membrane preparations revealed a linear relationship between amounts of protein and the densities of the SERCA2a immunoreactive bands (data not shown).

SR Ca²⁺-ATPase Activity
SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity assays were carried out according to Chu et al³⁵ on the basis of pyruvate/NADH-coupled reactions. By use of a photometer (Beckman DU 640) adjusted at a wavelength of 340 nm, oxidation of NADH (which is coupled to the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase) was assessed at 37°C in the membrane preparations by the difference of the total absorbance and basal absorbance. The reaction was carried out in a volume of 1 mL. All experiments were carried out in triplicate. The activity of the Ca²⁺-ATPase was calculated as follows: absorbance/6.22xproteinxtime (in nmol ATP/mg proteinxmin). The measurements were repeated at different [Ca²⁺] levels. The effect of the specific Ca²⁺-ATPase inhibitor CPA at a concentration range of 0.001 to 10 µmol/L was also studied in these preparations.^{36 37}

Statistical Analyses
Data were represented as mean±SEM for continuous variables. Student's t test was used to compare the means of normally distributed continuous variables. Parametric one-way ANOVA techniques were used to compare normally distributed continuous variables among uninfected groups of cells, Ad.RSV.ßgal-infected cells, Ad.RSV.PL-infected cells, and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a-infected cells.

	Results

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Phospholamban Expression in Cardiomyocytes Infected With Ad.RSV.PL and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a
We quantified the levels of phospholamban in membrane preparations from uninfected cardiomyocytes infected with increasing concentrations of Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 1, 10, and 100 pfu/cell). As shown in Fig 1, there was a 4-fold increase in phospholamban protein levels in a dose-dependent fashion. Over this range, there was a dose-dependent increase in the protein expression of phospholamban between 1 and 10 pfu/cell but no further increases between 10 and 100 pfu/cell. Coinfection of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a with Ad.RSV.PL produced an increase in protein expression of both SERCA2a and phospholamban, as shown by the immunoblot in Fig 2a. As shown in Fig 2b, there were no significant differences between the phospholamban protein levels in the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL alone at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell (P>.2). Similarly, there were no significant differences between the SERCA2a protein levels in the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.SERCA2a alone at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell (P>.2).

View larger version (50K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. a, Immunoblots of phospholamban after 48 hours of infection with increasing doses of Ad.RSV.PL. b, Protein levels of SR Ca2+-ATPase in uninfected cardiomyocytes (n=8) and in cardiomyocytes infected for 48 hours with 1, 10, and 100 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL. *P<.05 compared with uninfected cells. #P<.05 compared with Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 1 pfu/cell. There were no significant differences between the protein levels at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and at an MOI of 100 pfu/cell (P>.1).

View larger version (26K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2. a, Immunoblots of phospholamban and SERCA2a after 48 hours of infection with either Ad.RSV.PL and/or Ad.RSV.SERCA2a at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell in neonatal cardiomyocytes. b, Protein levels of phospholamban and SERCA2a in uninfected cardiomyocytes (n=8) and in cardiomyocytes infected for 48 hours with 10 pfu/cell with either Ad.RSV.PL and/or Ad.RSV.SERCA2a. *P<.05 compared with uninfected cells. #P<.05 compared with Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a at an MOI of 0. P<.05 compared with Ad.RSV.SERCA2a at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 0 pfu/cell. There were no significant differences between the phospholamban protein levels in the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL alone at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell (P>.2). Similarly, there were no significant differences between the SERCA2a protein levels in the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.SERCA2a alone at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and the group of myocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell (P>.2).

SR ATPase Activity in Cardiomyocytes Infected With Ad.RSV.Pl and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a
The effects of phospholamban overexpression on SR ATPase activity were measured in membranes from cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 10 pfu/cell). As shown in Fig 3a, the relationship between ATPase activity and Ca²⁺ was shifted to the right in the preparations from cardiomyocytes overexpressing phospholamban compared with the uninfected preparations without changing maximal Ca²⁺-ATPase activity. Coinfection with Ad.RSV.SERCA2a restored the Ca²⁺-ATPase activity and also increased the maximal Ca²⁺-ATPase activity. To verify that the ATPase activity we measured from the membrane preparations was SR-related, we used the specific inhibitor CPA after maximally activating the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase with 10 µmol/L of Ca²⁺. As shown in Fig 3b, CPA inhibited the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity in a dose-dependent fashion in all three membrane preparations (uninfected, Ad.RSV.PL, and Ad.RSV.PL+Ad.RSV.SERCA2a).

View larger version (10K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 3. a, SR Ca2+-ATPase activity as a function of Ca2+ in membrane preparations of uninfected cardiomyocytes (, n=6), cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL (, n=6), and cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL and 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (, n=6). b, Effect of increasing concentrations of CPA on SR Ca2+-ATPase activity at a [Ca2+] of 10 µmol/L in membrane preparations of uninfected cardiomyocytes (, n=6), cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL (, n=6), and cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL and 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (, n=6).

Characterization of Ca²⁺ Transients and Shortening in Rat Cardiomyocytes Infected With Ad.RSV.PL
To examine the effect of phospholamban overexpression on Ca²⁺ handling, we measured intracellular Ca²⁺ in uninfected cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocytes infected either with Ad.RSV.ßgal or with Ad.RSV.PL (±Ad.RSV.SERCA2a). As shown in Fig 4a, cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.ßgal did not affect the Ca²⁺ transient or shortening compared with control uninfected cardiomyocytes. As depicted in Fig 4b, the Ca²⁺ transient and shortening were significantly altered with increasing concentrations of Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 1, 10, and 100 pfu/cell): observed changes included prolongation of the Ca²⁺ transient and shortening and a decrease in the peak Ca²⁺. These results, summarized in the Table, show that there was a dose-dependent prolongation of the Ca²⁺ transient and mechanical shortening up to 10 pfu/cell, with no further significant prolongation at 100 pfu/cell. Similarly, peak [Ca²⁺] decreased up to 10 pfu/cell, with no further significant decrease at 100 pfu/cell. Coinfection with Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (MOI, 10 pfu/cell) restored both the Ca²⁺ transient and the shortening to near normal levels, as shown in Fig 4c. Fig 5 shows a significant decrease in mean peak [Ca²⁺], a significant increase in mean resting [Ca²⁺], and a significant prolongation of the Ca²⁺ transient in the group of cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 10 pfu/cell) compared with uninfected cells (panels a through c, respectively). These effects were partially restored by the addition of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (MOI, 10 pfu/cell) (Fig 5). Similarly, the time course of shortening was significantly prolonged in cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL at an MOI of 10 pfu/cell (time to 80% relaxation, from 387±22 to 780±44 milliseconds; P<.05; n=12), whereas coinfection with Ad.RSV.SERCA2a restored the time course to normal (405±25 milliseconds, n=10, P>.1 compared with uninfected cells).

View larger version (10K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 4. a, Intracellular Ca2+ transients and shortening in an uninfected cardiomyocyte and in a cardiomyocyte infected for 48 hours with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.ßgal and stimulated at 1 Hz. b, Intracellular Ca2+ transients and shortening in an uninfected cardiomyocyte and in a cardiomyocyte infected for 48 hours with 1, 10, and 100 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL stimulated at 1 Hz. c, Intracellular Ca2+ transients and shortening in an uninfected cardiomyocyte, a cardiomyocyte infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL, and a cardiomyocyte infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL and 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a for 48 hours, stimulated at 1 Hz.

View this table: [in this window] [in a new window]   Table 1. Physiological Parameters of Cardiomyocytes Overexpressing Phospholamban

View larger version (15K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 5. a, Mean of the peak of the intracellular Ca2+ transients in uninfected cardiomyocytes (n=10), cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL (n=12), and cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL and 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (n=10) for 48 hours and stimulated at 1 Hz. b, Mean of the resting levels of [Ca2+]i in uninfected cardiomyocytes (n=10), cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL (n=12), and cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL and 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (n=10) for 48 hours, stimulated at 1 Hz. c, Mean of the time to 80% relaxation of the intracellular Ca2+ transients in uninfected cardiomyocytes (n=10), cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL (n=12), and cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL and 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (n=10) for 48 hours, stimulated at 1 Hz. *P<.05 compared with uninfected cells. #P<.05 compared with Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 10 pfu/cell).

Effects of Isoproterenol on Ca²⁺ Transients in Cardiomyocytes
To evaluate the role phospholamban plays in the lusitropic effect of ß-agonism, we evaluated the effects of isoproterenol in cardiomyocytes overexpressing phospholamban. Increasing concentrations of isoproterenol resulted in a decrease in the relaxation time of the Ca²⁺ transient in uninfected cells (Fig 6). At low doses of isoproterenol, cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 10 pfu/cell) demonstrated a larger decrease in the time to 80% relaxation. However, at maximal isoproterenol stimulation (1 µmol/L), there was no significant difference between the [Ca²⁺] time course of Ad.RSV.PL-infected and uninfected control cardiomyocytes.

View larger version (14K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 6. Effect of increasing concentrations of isoproterenol on the time course of the intracellular Ca2+ transients in uninfected cardiomyocytes (n=5) and cardiomyocytes infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL (n=5), stimulated at 1 Hz.

Effects of Increasing the Stimulation Frequency in Cardiomyocytes
The positive contractile response to increasing frequency of stimulation is thought to be mediated by the SR and by the Ca²⁺ loading of the SR. We tested the effects of slowing the rate of Ca²⁺ uptake by overexpressing phospholamban on the frequency response of cardiomyocytes. We increased the stimulation frequency from 0.5 to 2 Hz in uninfected cardiomyocytes and in cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 10 pfu/cell). As shown in Fig 7, cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL (MOI, 10 pfu/cell) exhibited a significant increase in resting Ca²⁺ not evident in uninfected cells. Furthermore, coinfection with Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (MOI, 10 pfu/cell) restored the frequency response to normal.

View larger version (49K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 7. Response of intracellular Ca2+ transients to increasing frequency of stimulation in an uninfected cardiomyocyte (a), a cardiomyocyte infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL (b), and a cardiomyocyte infected with 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.PL and 10 pfu/cell of Ad.RSV.SERCA2a (c) for 48 hours.

	Discussion

Top Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussion References

 
In the present study, we used adenoviral gene transfer to overexpress phospholamban alone and in combination with SERCA2a. Physiological effects of expression on intracellular Ca²⁺ handling and SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity were evaluated. This approach allows us to study dose-dependent interactions of these two key SR proteins in working cardiomyocytes.

Adenoviral Gene Transfer in Cardiomyocytes
A number of investigators have shown that gene transfer using adenovirus is effective in mammalian myocardium both in vivo and in vitro.^{11 12 13 14 15 16} We had previously shown that adenoviral gene transfer of SERCA2a was both dose dependent and time dependent in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes.¹⁷ In the present study using an adenovirus encoding phospholamban under the same promoter, RSV, there was a 4-fold increase in phospholamban, which was also dose dependent. The smaller size of phospholamban compared with SERCA2a (6 kD in its monomer form compared with 110 kD) may explain, at least in part, the more effective protein expression by Ad.RSV.PL than by Ad.RSV.SERCA2a under similar conditions. Nevertheless, using these recombinant adenoviruses, we were able to achieve significant overexpression of phospholamban and SERCA2a, individually and in combination. Coinfection with both Ad.RSV.PL and Ad.RSV.SERCA2a mediated overexpression of both SERCA2a and phospholamban that was the same as the expression from infection with either Ad.RSV.PL or Ad.RSV.SERCA2a alone. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that coinfection with more than one recombinant adenovirus is feasible in myocardial cells. The ability to simultaneously manipulate expression of multiple proteins in the context of primary myocytes is an advantage of somatic gene transfer for the study of interacting components of complex systems.

Physiological Consequences of Altering the Phospholamban-to-SERCA2a Ratio
The expression of phospholamban relative to SERCA2a has been shown to be altered in a number of disease states.^{25 26} In hypothyroidism phospholamban levels are increased, whereas in hyperthyroidism phospholamban levels are decreased.^{38 39} An increased ratio of phospholamban to SERCA2a is an important characteristic of both human and experimental heart failure.^{18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26} Both experimental and human heart failure are characterized by a prolonged Ca²⁺ transient and impaired relaxation. In the present study, increasing levels of phospholamban relative to SERCA2a significantly altered intracellular Ca²⁺ handling in the isolated cardiomyocytes by prolonging the relaxation phase of the Ca²⁺ transient, decreasing Ca²⁺ release, and increasing resting Ca²⁺. These results support the hypothesis that altering the relative ratio of phospholamban to SERCA2a can account for the abnormalities in Ca²⁺ handling observed in failing ventricular myocardium. In addition, the present study shows that overexpressing SERCA2a can largely "rescue" the phenotype created by increasing the phospholamban-to-SERCA2a ratio. This rescue effect by SERCA2a is especially encouraging, since it suggests that restoring the normal phospholamban-to-SERCA2a ratio through somatic gene transfer could correct the abnormalities of Ca²⁺ handling and contraction seen in failing hearts.

Effect of Adenoviral Gene Transfer on SR Ca²⁺-ATPase
The SR Ca²⁺-ATPase plays a key role in excitation-contraction coupling, lowering Ca²⁺ during relaxation in cardiomyocytes, and "loading" the SR with Ca²⁺ for the subsequent release and contractile activation.¹ The Ca²⁺-pumping activity of this enzyme is influenced by phospholamban. In the unphosphorylated state, phospholamban inhibits the Ca²⁺-ATPase, whereas phosphorylation of phospholamban by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and by Ca²⁺ calmodulin–dependent protein kinase reverses this inhibition.^{1 2 3 4} Therefore, an increase in phospholamban content should decrease the affinity of the SR Ca²⁺ pump for Ca²⁺. As shown in Fig 4, overexpression of phospholamban shifted the relationship between SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity and Ca²⁺ to the right, indicating a decrease of the sensitivity of the SR Ca²⁺ to pump to Ca²⁺. However, there was no change in the maximal Ca²⁺-ATPase activity in the Ad.RSV.PL-infected cardiomyocytes. Our findings are in agreement with the results of Odermatt et al,⁴⁰ who found that the V_max of the Ca²⁺-ATPase of cardiac SR is not altered by interaction with phospholamban and phosphorylation. These findings are also similar to those of Kadambi et al,⁹ who showed that in mice overexpressing phospholamban, the affinity of the SR Ca²⁺ pump for Ca²⁺ was decreased but that the maximal velocity of the SR Ca²⁺ uptake was not changed. From the present experiment, it can also be concluded that phospholamban affects the affinity of the SR Ca²⁺ pump for Ca²⁺ without changing the maximal ATPase activity. The concomitant overexpression of SERCA2a and phospholamban restored the ATPase activity and also increased the maximal Ca²⁺-ATPase activity. This brings further evidence that the expression of additional SR Ca²⁺-ATPase pumps can overcome the inhibitory effects of phospholamban.

Effects of Adenoviral Gene Transfer on Ca²⁺ Kinetics
Adenoviral gene transfer of phospholamban provides an attractive system for further elucidation of the effects of inhibiting SR Ca²⁺-ATPase on intracellular Ca²⁺ handling. A decrease in SR Ca²⁺ uptake rates is expected to lead to a smaller amount of Ca²⁺ sequestered by the SR, resulting in a smaller amount of Ca²⁺ release. In neonatal cardiomyocytes, we observed a significantly prolonged Ca²⁺ transient and a higher resting [Ca²⁺] reflecting the decreased Ca²⁺ uptake and a decrease in peak [Ca²⁺] levels reflecting less Ca²⁺ available for release. These results support the concept that the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase is important during relaxation by controlling the rate and amount of Ca²⁺ sequestered and during contraction by releasing the Ca²⁺ that is taken up by the SR. Overexpression of both phospholamban and SERCA2a partially restored the Ca²⁺ transient; however, the time course of the Ca²⁺ transient was still prolonged in cardiomyocytes infected with both Ad.RSV.SERCA2a and Ad.RSV.PL. This finding was somewhat surprising, since the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity was restored to normal and even enhanced in cardiomyocytes infected with both Ad.RSV.SERCA2a and Ad.RSV.PL.

Effects of Adenoviral Gene Transfer on the Response to ß-Agonism
Phospholamban has been shown to play a key role in modulating the response of agents that increase cAMP levels in cardiomyocytes.⁵ Since phosphorylation of phospholamban reduces the inhibition to the SR Ca²⁺ pump, thereby enhancing the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase, we were specifically interested in evaluating the effects of ß-agonism on the relaxation phase of the Ca²⁺ transient. In the basal state, the overexpression of phospholamban significantly prolongs the Ca²⁺ transient. As shown in Fig 6, at maximal isoproterenol stimulation, the time course of the Ca²⁺ transients in the uninfected cardiomyocytes and the cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL were decreased to the same level. Our findings demonstrate that phospholamban plays a major role in the enhanced relaxation of the heart to ß-agonism. In addition, it corroborates our findings that phospholamban decreases the affinity of the SR Ca²⁺ pump for Ca²⁺ but does not decrease the maximal Ca²⁺ uptake rate.

Effects of Adenoviral Gene Transfer on the Frequency Response
The response to increasing stimulation frequencies in mammalian cardiomyocytes is governed by the SR. A number of investigators have proposed that the decreased SR Ca²⁺-ATPase activity observed in myopathic hearts is responsible for the negative force-frequency relationship in myopathic ventricles.^{20 22} Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that inhibiting the SR Ca²⁺-ATPase by overexpressing phospholamban would alter the frequency response of cardiomyocytes. In the uninfected cardiomyocytes, an increase in stimulation frequency did not significantly alter either peak or resting [Ca²⁺]_i. This response is typical of rat cardiomyocytes that have either a flat response to increasing frequency of stimulation or a decrease in contractile force.⁴¹ However, in cardiomyocytes infected with Ad.RSV.PL, there was a significantly greater increase in resting [Ca²⁺] and a decrease in peak [Ca²⁺]. These results would suggest that diminished SR Ca²⁺ uptake leads to a diminished Ca²⁺ release, which becomes even more accentuated at higher frequencies of stimulation.

Conclusions
In the present study, we have used recombinant adenovirus vectors to alter expression of two key SR proteins alone and in combination in isolated cardiomyocytes. We have characterized the biochemical and physiological effects of phospholamban overexpression and found that (1) the Ca²⁺-ATPase–[Ca²⁺ ] relationship was shifted rightward; (2) intracellular Ca²⁺ transients measured in the neonatal cells exhibited a significant prolongation of the relaxation phase, a decrease in peak [Ca²⁺]_i, and an elevation in resting [Ca²⁺]; (3) an enhanced responsiveness to ß-agonist stimulation; and (4) an abnormal response to increasing frequency stimulation. Our results support the hypothesis that alterations in the ratio of phospholamban to SERCA2a could account for the abnormalities in Ca²⁺ handling observed in heart failure and that overexpression of SERCA2a can largely correct these abnormalities.

Targeting phospholamban and SERCA2a by somatic gene transfer in animal models of heart failure in order to correct the alterations in the relative ratio of phospholamban to SERCA2a will allow us to test whether this strategy will improve contractile function in the failing heart.

	Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms

 

ß-gal (combination form) = ß-galactosidase Ad (combination form) = adenovirus CPA = cyclopiazonic acid MOI = multiplicity of infection pfu = plaque-forming unit(s) PL (combination form) = phospholamban RSV = Rous sarcoma virus SERCA2a = cardiac SR Ca2+-ATPase SR = sarcoplasmic reticulum SV40 = simian virus 40

	Acknowledgments

 
This study was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (HL-50361 and HL-57623 to Dr Hajjar and HL-54202 and AI-40970 to Dr Rosenzweig), by the Merrill Research Fund for Cardiovascular Research, and by the D.Y. and Joan Fu fund for Cardiovascular Research.

	Footnotes

 
This manuscript was sent to Ketty Schwartz, Associate Editor, for review by expert referees, editorial decision, and final disposition.

Received January 31, 1997; accepted May 29, 1997.

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