Circulation Research. 2001;88:925-932
Published online before print April 27, 2001,
doi: 10.1161/hh0901.090300
(Circulation Research. 2001;88:925.)
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.
Lysophosphatidic Acid Positively Regulates the Fluid FlowInduced Local Ca2+ Influx in Bovine Aortic Endothelial Cells
Hisayuki Ohata,
Tadahiro Ikeuchi,
Aya Kamada,
Masayuki Yamamoto,
Kazutaka Momose
From the Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Showa University, Tokyo, Japan.
Correspondence to Hisayuki Ohata, PhD, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Showa University, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan. E-mail ohata{at}pharm.showa-u.ac.jp
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Abstract
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AbstractUsing
real-time confocal microscopy, we have
demonstrated that
lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a bioactive phospholipid
existing in
plasma, positively regulates fluid flowinduced
[Ca
2+]
i response in
fluo 4loaded, cultured, bovine aortic endothelial
cells.
The initial increase in
[Ca
2+]
i was
localized to a circular
area with a diameter of <4 µm and spread
concentrically,
resulting in a mean global increase in
[Ca
2+]
i. The local
increase
often occurred in a stepwise manner or repetitively during
constant
flow. The percentage of cells that responded and the averaged
level
of increase in
[Ca
2+]
i were
dependent on both the concentration
of LPA (0.1 to 10 µmol/L) and the
flow rate (25 to 250
mm/s). The response was inhibited by removing
extracellular
Ca
2+ or by the application of
Gd
3+, an inhibitor of
mechanosensitive
(MS) channels, but not by thapsigargin, an
inhibitor of the
endoplasmic reticular
Ca
2+-ATPase. It was also inhibited by
8-bromo-cGMP,
and the inhibition was completely reversed by KT5823, an
inhibitor
of protein kinase G (PKG). These results suggest
that the [Ca
2+]
i
response
arises from Ca
2+ influx through
Gd
3+-sensitive MS channels,
which are
negatively regulated by the activation of PKG. The
spatiotemporal
properties of the
[Ca
2+]
i response
were completely
different from those of a
Ca
2+ wave induced by ATP, a
Ca
2+-mobilizing
agonist. Therefore, we
called the phenomenon Ca
2+ spots. We
conclude
that LPA positively regulates fluid flowinduced local
and
oscillatory [Ca
2+]
i
increase, ie, the Ca
2+ spots, in
endothelial
cells via the activation of elementary
Ca
2+ influx through PKG-regulating
MS
channels. This indicates an important role for LPA as an
endogenous
factor in fluid flowinduced
endothelial function.
Key Words: endothelium mechanotransduction Ca2+ imaging ion channels phospholipids
 |
Introduction
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Vascular
endothelial cells are constantly exposed to various
types
of mechanical stress induced by the blood flow. It is well known
that
endothelial cells sense and respond to fluid flow
and that they
play an important role in the maintenance of
hemodynamic
homeostasis
1 through their
release of
NO,
2 3 4
prostacyclin,
5 6
and endothelin-1.
7 In
particular, this mechanotransduction system is considered
to be an
essential mechanism for local hemodynamic control.
In
addition, delayed responses, such as reorganization of the
cytoskeleton
8 9 and
changes in cell
morphology,
10 11
are also dependent
on fluid flow. An increase in
[Ca
2+]
i is
considered to be a
major mediator in the onset of these
functions.
12 13 14 15 16 17
An ATP-dependent
[Ca
2+]
i response to
fluid flow was observed
by several
investigators.
12 13 16
Recently, P2X4 purinoceptors,
a subtype of ATP-operated cation
channels, were proposed as
candidates of shear
transduction.
17 However, the
[Ca
2+]
i response
to
fluid flow was also observed in the absence of
ATP.
14 15 On the
other hand, integrins, which are adhesion molecules
located at the cell
surface, are likely to be key
mechanosensors.
18 19
Furthermore, mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels may also
transduce
mechanical
stretch.
20 21 22
Thus, the mechanism by
which endothelial cells
transduce fluid flow to cellular events
is still
controversial.
We have reported previously that lysophosphatidic acid
(LPA), a bioactive phospholipid, sensitizes
[Ca2+]i changes to
mechanical stress in cultured smooth muscle cells from the
ileum,23 cultured lung
epithelial cells,24 and
cultured lens epithelial
cells.25 In addition, using
real-time confocal microscopy, we recently demonstrated that LPA
enhanced the mechanical stressinduced local increase in
[Ca2+]i, termed
Ca2+ spots, in cultured lens epithelial
cells.26 Considering those
facts, we have proposed that the Ca2+ spot
is an elementary Ca2+-influx event through
MS ion channels that is directly coupled with the first step in
mechanoreception, and we have suggested that LPA functions as an
endogenous factor affecting mechanotransduction
systems.
LPA is a lipid mediator with diverse biological activities
in various cell types27 via
LPA receptors, termed the endothelial differentiation
gene (Edg) receptor
subfamily,28 and is
present in serum at physiologically
relevant
concentrations.29 30
LPA is present at concentrations of 0.29 µmol/L and 3.21 µmol/L
in normal human plasma and in the plasma of patients with multiple
myeloma, respectively.31 In
addition, it has been demonstrated that LPA accumulates in human
atherosclerotic lesions, suggesting a role of LPA as an
atherogenic/thrombogenic
molecule.32 Therefore, it is
possible that LPA affects the fluid flowinduced cellular response in
endothelial cells. In the present study, using
real-time confocal microscopy, we demonstrate for the first time that
LPA positively regulates fluid flowinduced local
Ca2+ influx (Ca2+
spots) by modulating MS ion channels in cultured bovine aortic
endothelial cells. Our results suggested that LPA may
function as an endogenous factor affecting the sensitivity
of fluid flow reception and resultant cellular responses in
endothelial cells.
 |
Materials and Methods
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Cell Culture
Established cultured bovine aortic
endothelial cells were provided
by Dr Shimizu (School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Showa University,
Tokyo, Japan) and were
cultured in MEM containing 10% FBS under
humidified conditions (95%
air/5% CO
2) at
37°C.
33 For determination
of
[Ca
2+]
i, the
cells were subcultured on glass coverslips 25 mm
in diameter
inside 35-mm Petri dishes. The confluent cells from
the 5th to 30th
passages were used for the experiments.
Confocal Imaging of
[Ca2+]i With Fluo
4
Cultured endothelial cells on
coverslips were loaded with 5 µmol/L fluo 4-AM with 0.03% cremophor
EL in physiological saline solution consisting of
(mmol/L) NaCl 137, KCl 2.7, CaCl2 1.8,
MgCl2 1.0, glucose 5.6, and HEPES 8.4 (pH 7.4)
for 1 hour at room temperature. Fluorescence images of fluo 4
were collected by use of a real-time confocal imaging system as
previously described.26 With
use of the imaging system, fluo 4 images with 60x60 pixels with x-y
resolution of 1.3 to 2 µm per pixel were acquired with 55- to 110-ms
exposure at 32°C. The intensity of fluo 4 fluorescence for
each region of interest was divided by the averaged resting
fluorescence intensity of >10 frames before stimulation of the
same region, after which the background fluorescence was
subtracted. The resultant relative fluorescence intensity
(F/F0) was used as an indicator of
[Ca2+]i. Image
processing and analysis were performed by use of NIH Image
(version 1.62) and macro programs that we
developed.
Application of Mechanical Stress
With the use of a Perista pump (Atto Corp), the bath
solution was spritzed from a pipette placed parallel to the coverslip
at a distance of 300 µm from and 25 µm over the cells of interest
at an appropriate constant flow rate (25 to 250 mm/s) for 4 to 6
seconds or several minutes. The inside diameter of the pipette tip was
500 µm. Exact placement of the tip of the pipette was achieved in
each experiment by use of a focus control unit. The
homogeneous distribution of nonturbulent flow over the
observed cells (15 to 60 cells per microscopic field) was confirmed by
measuring calcein-loaded blood cells eluted from the tip of the
pipette. This fluid flow did not affect acquisition of the
fluorescent images and induced a reproducible response. The
maximum value of shear stress (
) to the cells under this condition
was estimated from the following
equation34 :
=4µQ
-1r-3,
where µ represents the fluid viscosity (0.009 poise),
Q is the flow volume (0.005 to 0.05 mL/s), and r is the radius of the
pipette tip. Estimated values of
ranged from 3.67 to 36.7
dyne/cm2. These values of the shear stress
occur within the physiological range or are
slightly higher.
Materials
Fluo 4-AM and calcein-AM were obtained from Molecular
Probes, Inc. 8-Bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP) and KT5823 were obtained from
Calbiochem-Novabiochem Co. LPA oleoyl was purchased from Avanti Polar
Lipids, Inc. Thapsigargin was obtained from Wako Pure Chemicals. All
other chemicals were commercial products of the highest grade
available.
Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis among multiple groups
and between 2 groups was evaluated by 1-way ANOVA and Student
t test,
respectively.
 |
Results
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Fluid FlowInduced
[Ca2+]i Increase in
the Presence of LPA
Using a real-time confocal imaging system, we monitored
[Ca
2+]
i changes in
cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells loaded with
fluo
4 during the application of fluid flow to the cells in the absence
and
in the presence of LPA
(Figure 1

). Neither the addition of 3
µmol/L LPA nor the
application of fluid flow at 250 mm/s
for 10 seconds affected
[Ca
2+]
i, as shown
in
Figure 1B

. In the
presence of LPA, the fluid flow caused
local increases in
[Ca
2+]
i from the
region near the cell edge
(Figure 1A

). Each local increase
in
[Ca
2+]
i occurred
independently in >80% of the cells observed
in a microscopic field
after a lag time of a few seconds during
the application of fluid flow.
Subsequently, a continuous application
of fluid flow caused a mean
global increase in
[Ca
2+]
i. The
time
course of the increase in the starting region (2 µm
x2
µm) revealed
a stepwise or repetitive increase pattern
in >50% of the cells, which
responded as shown in
Figures
1A

and 1B

in cells 1, 2, and 3. Most repetitive
increases in
[Ca
2+]
i in
restricted regions were considered to result from summation
of
[Ca
2+]
i increases
originating in distinct neighboring starting
regions within a cell, as
illustrated in
Figure 1C

. The
[Ca
2+]
i response
was maintained for at least 20 minutes under flow conditions
in the
presence of LPA and was returned to the baseline level
within a minute
by stopping the fluid flow or washing out the
LPA (data not shown).
Additionally, this phenomenon could be
observed repeatedly in the same
cells for a few hours. It was
clear that the
[Ca
2+]
i response
was not an artifact due to localization
of fluo 4, because the same
phenomena were also observed by
fura 2 ratiometric imaging (data not
shown).

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Figure 1. Visualization of fluid flowinduced [Ca2+]i response in aortic endothelial cells in the presence of LPA. A, Confocal fluorescence (F/F0) images of [Ca2+]i response in cultured endothelial cells loaded with fluo 4 during application of fluid flow (250 mm/s) in the presence of 3 µmol/L LPA. Color scale represents F/F0. Arrows show the first indications of each [Ca2+]i response. The direction of fluid flow was from the bottom to the top. Bar=20 µm. B, Time course of changes in F/F0 in the starting region (2 µmx2 µm) of the Ca2+ response. Each line represents the time course of individual Ca2+ response indicated by the corresponding figure in panel A. C, Time course of changes in F/F0 in 3 different starting regions within a cell indicated by the corresponding color region in the monochrome fluorescence image. Bar=10 µm.
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Dependence of LPA Concentration and Fluid Flow
Rate on Fluid FlowInduced
[Ca2+]i
Response
To clarify the dependence of LPA concentration and
fluid flow rate on fluid flowinduced
[Ca2+]i response,
endothelial cells were stimulated via a stepwise
increase in the rate of fluid flow (25, 60, and 250 mm/s) at
2-minute intervals in the presence of 5 distinct concentrations of
LPA (from 0.1 to 10 µmol/L). Temporal patterns of the
[Ca2+]i response in
the starting region and statistical evaluation of the dependence of LPA
concentration and fluid flow rate on fluid flowinduced
[Ca2+]i response
with the use of linear regression analysis are
presented in
Figures 2
and 3
, respectively. Cells responding to the fluid
flow were defined as those cells in which the
F/F0 of fluo 4 increased by >20% of the
resting level within 1 second. Percentages of cells responding to fluid
flow, the peak level of
F/F0 in responding
cells, and the averaged increase in the level of
F/F0 during the 2 minutes after the onset or
change in the rate of fluid flow were significantly increased with
rising LPA concentration under all 3 flow conditions
(Figures 3A
, 3B
, and 3C
, respectively). In contrast, the
percentage of cells that responded to the fluid flow
(Figure 3D
) and the averaged level of increase
(Figure 3F
), but not the peak level of increase
(Figure 3E
), were significantly increased with an elevation
of the rate of fluid flow in the presence of LPA. These results clearly
indicate that fluid flowinduced
[Ca2+]i response is
dependent on both the LPA submicromolar concentration and the
physiological rate of fluid
flow.

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Figure 2. Temporal patterns of fluid flowinduced [Ca2+]i response at various concentrations of LPA. Endothelial cells were stimulated via stepwise increase in the rate of fluid flow (25, 60, and 250 mm/s) at 120-second intervals at 5 different concentrations of LPA (from 0.1 to 10 µmol/L). Each line represents changes in F/F0 in the starting region (4 µmx4 µm) within a cell. Each graph represents 10 typical changes in [Ca2+]i of responsive cells in >40 cells under identical conditions. Similar results were obtained in 3 or 4 independent experiments.
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Effect of ATP on Fluid FlowInduced
[Ca2+]i
Response
The dependence of ATP concentration and fluid flow rate
on the fluid flowmediated increase in
[Ca2+]i was
examined to establish whether LPA plays a pivotal role in the fluid
flowmediated increase in
[Ca2+]i. As shown
in
Figure 4
, a fluid flowinduced increase in
[Ca2+]i was
observed in the majority of the cells even at a low rate of fluid flow
(25 mm/s) in the presence of 0.3 µmol/L ATP. Peak levels were
not increased by elevations in the concentration of ATP in the range of
0.3 to 3 µmol/L. Furthermore, subsequent increases in the fluid flow
rate to 250 mm/s induced only slight increases in
[Ca2+]i. These
results suggest that a fluid flowinduced increase in
[Ca2+]i in the
presence of ATP is not dependent on the rate of fluid flow under these
conditions.

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Figure 4. Temporal patterns of the fluid flowinduced [Ca2+]i response at various concentrations of ATP. Endothelial cells were stimulated by stepwise increase in rate of fluid flow (from 25 to 250 mm/s) at 120-second intervals at 3 different concentrations of ATP (from 0.3 to 3 µmol/L). Each line represents changes in F/F0 in the starting region (4 µmx4 µm) within a cell. Each graph represents 10 typical changes in [Ca2+]i in >40 cells under the same conditions. Similar results were obtained in 2 independent experiments.
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Mechanisms of Fluid FlowInduced
[Ca2+]i Increase in
the Presence of LPA
Fluid flow induction of
[Ca2+]i increase
was examined to determine whether it arose via
Ca2+ influx through plasma membrane channels
or via Ca2+ release from intracellular
stores
(Figure 5
). The percentage of cells responding to fluid flow
of 250 mm/s in the presence of 3 µmol/L LPA and the rising rate
and peak level of
[Ca2+]i at the
starting region in responsive cells were markedly decreased in cells
exposed to Ca2+-free medium containing 0.1
mmol/L EGTA. In addition, pretreatment with 1 and 3 µmol/L
Gd3+, an inhibitor of MS
channels,35 36
decreased the percentage of cells responding to fluid flow and the
rising rate of
[Ca2+]i at the
starting region in a dose-dependent fashion. On the other hand,
pretreatment with 3 µmol/L thapsigargin, an inhibitor of
the endoplasmic reticular Ca2+-ATPase
pump,37 did not affect the
percentage of cells that responded to the fluid flow. Moreover, the
temporal pattern of increase in
[Ca2+]i at the
starting region was unaffected. We have confirmed that the treatment of
thapsigargin abolished the
[Ca2+]i response to
subsequent applications of 10 µmol/L ATP (data not shown), indicating
that the function of intracellular Ca2+
stores was completely inhibited by the thapsigargin treatment. These
results indicate clearly that the fluid flowinduced increases in
[Ca2+]i arise from
Ca2+ influx through the
Gd3+-sensitive MS channels but not from
Ca2+ release from intracellular
stores.

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Figure 5. Effects of removing external Ca2+ and treatments of Gd3+ and thapsigargin (TG) on the fluid flowinduced [Ca2+]i response in the presence of LPA. Endothelial cells were incubated in normal medium (Cont), in Ca2+-free physiological saline solution containing 0.1 mmol/L EGTA (Ca free), or in the presence of TG at 3 µmol/L, GdCl3 (Gd) at 1 µmol/L (Gd 1), or Gd at 3 µmol/L (Gd 3) for 3 minutes before application of fluid flow (250 mm/s) for 5 seconds in the presence of 3 µmol/L LPA. A, Each line represents changes in F/F0 in the starting region (4 µmx4 µm) within a cell. Each graph represents 10 typical changes in [Ca2+]i of responsive cells in >40 cells under the same conditions. B, Percentages of cells responding to fluid flow were calculated. Data are expressed as mean±SE (n=3 to 7 experiments, >40 cells per experiment). *P<0.05 compared with Cont.
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Recently, it has been reported that a protein kinase G
(PKG)-sensitive channel mainly mediates flow-induced
Ca2+ influx into cultured
endothelial
cells.22 To elucidate the
channels involved in the Ca2+ influx
enhanced by LPA, the effects of 8-Br-cGMP, a membrane-permeable
activator of PKG, and KT5823, a selective PKG
inhibitor,38 on
fluid flowinduced Ca2+ influx enhanced by
LPA were examined
(Figure 6
). Pretreatment with 8-Br-cGMP (2 mmol/L)
significantly decreased the percentage of cells that responded to fluid
flow in the presence of 3 µmol/L LPA. Moreover, the peak level and
the duration of increase in
[Ca2+]i at the
starting region in responsive cells decreased. Inhibition of
Ca2+ influx and the change in the temporal
pattern by 8-Br-cGMP were reversed by pretreatment with KT5823 (1
µmol/L), whereas KT5823 alone did not affect the
Ca2+ influx in the presence of LPA (data not
shown). Taken together, these results indicate that the fluid
flowinduced Ca2+ influx enhanced by LPA
occurs through Gd3+-sensitive MS channel,
which is negatively regulated by the activation of PKG in
endothelial cells.

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Figure 6. Effects of 8-Br-cGMP and KT5823 (KT) on the fluid flowinduced [Ca2+]i response in the presence of LPA. Endothelial cells were incubated in Cont, 2 mmol/L 8-Br-cGMP (cGMP), or 1 µmol/L KT plus 2 mmol/L 8-Br-cGMP (KT+cGMP) for 10 minutes before application of fluid flow (250 mm/s) for 5 seconds in the presence of 3 µmol/L LPA. A, Each line represents changes in F/F0 in the starting region (4 µmx4 µm) within a cell. Each graph represents 10 typical changes in [Ca2+]i of responsive cells in >40 cells under the same conditions. B, Percentages of cells responding to fluid flow were calculated. Data are expressed as mean±SE (n=3 to 7 independent experiments, >40 cells per experiment). *P<0.05 compared with Cont.
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Spatiotemporal Properties of Fluid
FlowInduced
[Ca2+]i Increase in
the Presence of LPA
To determine the exact starting region for fluid
flowinduced local
[Ca2+]i increase in
the presence of LPA, we analyzed the spatiotemporal properties
of the increase in
[Ca2+]i more
closely at higher x-y spatial resolution (1.3 µm per pixel)
(Figure 7
). As shown in the sequential fluo 4
F/F0 images in
Figure 7B
, this increase in
[Ca2+]i started
locally in a circular area with a diameter of <4 µm and then spread
concentrically. In addition, the rising rate of
[Ca2+]i in the
starting region (1.3 µmx1.3 µm) was highest
(Figure 7C
). Also,
[Ca2+]i in the
starting region of the response reached the peak within 0.1 second
after the onset of the response and was always higher than the levels
in the surrounding area during the response to fluid flow
(Figures 7B
and 7D
). These spatiotemporal properties were also
observed in confocal x-y images of LPA-induced
Ca2+ spots in cells pretreated with 3
µmol/L thapsigargin
(Figure 7E
). These results indicate that the fluid
flowinduced local increase in
[Ca2+]i reflects
Ca2+ supplied only to a localized starting
region, which then diffuses passively into the surrounding area. We
called the local increase in
[Ca2+]i the
Ca2+ spot, which is specific
[Ca2+]i response to
fluid flow.

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Figure 7. Spatiotemporal changes in [Ca2+]i within a cell stimulated by fluid flow in the presence of LPA. Endothelial cells were stimulated by fluid flow (250 mm/s) for 5 seconds in the presence of 3 µmol/L LPA. A, Fluo 4 fluorescence image of onset of a Ca2+ spot. Bar=10 µm. Direction of fluid flow was from the bottom to the top. B, Sequential ratio (F/F0) images of the Ca2+ spot at 55-ms intervals. C, Time course of changes in F/F0 in the starting region (1.3 µmx1.3 µm, blue), in regions at a distance of 5 µm (1.3 µmx1.3 µm, light blue) and 10 µm (1.3 µmx1.3 µm, green) from the starting region, and in the whole area of the cell (red rectangular line), as shown in panel A. D, Spatiotemporal changes in [Ca2+]i within 0.2 seconds from the onset of the Ca2+ spot, presented as surface plot with use of NIH Image. E, F/F0 images of the LPA-induced Ca2+ spot in a cell pretreated with 3 µmol/L TG. Bar=10 µm. F, F/F0 images of Ca2+ wave induced by 10 µmol/L ATP. Bar=10 µm. G, Ratios of rising rates of [Ca2+]i in the starting region to [Ca2+]i in the region at distance 10 µm from the starting region in Ca2+ spots () and in Ca2+ waves ( ) plotted against each rising rate in the starting regions.
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The spatiotemporal properties of the LPA-induced
Ca2+ spots were completely different from
those of Ca2+ waves induced by the addition
of 10 µmol/L ATP, a Ca2+-mobilizing
agonist, to endothelial cells
(Figure 7F
). Rising rates of
[Ca2+]i in the
starting region and the surroundings were analyzed. As shown in
Figure 7G
, in 15 of 18 Ca2+ spots
induced by LPA, the ratio of the rising rate of
[Ca2+]i in the
starting region to that in the region at distance of 10 µm from the
starting region was >5.0, and the averaged ratio was 8.90±1.56
(mean±SE), whereas in all 11 Ca2+ waves
induced by the addition of 10 µmol/L ATP, the ratio was <3.0, and
the averaged ratio was 1.67±0.18 (mean±SE,
P<0.001 versus the
Ca2+ spot described above). In addition, the
rising rates in the starting region of the
Ca2+ spots were significantly higher than
those of Ca2+ waves. These results also
indicate that the Ca2+ spot is a localized
[Ca2+]i
response.
 |
Discussion
|
|---|
In the present study, using real-time confocal
microscopy, we
confirmed that LPA positively regulates the fluid
flowinduced
increase in
[Ca
2+]
i in cultured
bovine aortic endothelial cells
loaded with fluo 4.
Several lines of evidence indicate that
this increase in
[Ca
2+]
i is due to
Ca
2+ influx through recently
identified
PKG-regulating MS channels stimulated by fluid flow:
(1) The percentage
of cells responding to the elevation in fluid
flow and the averaged
increase in the
[Ca
2+]
i response
increased
with elevation of both the concentration of LPA (from 0.1 to
10
µmol/L) and the rate of fluid flow in the range of 25
to 250
mm/s (from 3.67 to 36.7 dyne/cm
2), which
corresponded
to in vivo arterial blood flow and shear
stress
(Figures 2

and
3

). In addition, the peak level in the
[Ca
2+]
i response
increased
with rising LPA concentration but not with the rate of fluid
flow.
These results suggest that increases in
[Ca
2+]
i as a
consequence
of elevation of the flow rate should be mainly ascribed to
increases
in duration and/or frequency of the
[Ca
2+]
i response;
however,
elevation of LPA concentration increased the peak level in
addition
to the duration and/or the frequency. (2) The
[Ca
2+]
i response
was
inhibited in Ca
2+-free medium containing
0.1 mmol/L EGTA or
by an addition of
Gd
3+, an inhibitor of MS
channels,
35 36
but
not by thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the endoplasmic
reticular
Ca
2+-ATPase
37
(Figure 5

). (3) The
[Ca
2+]
i response
was also inhibited by
8-Br-cGMP, and the inhibition was reversed by
pretreatment with
KT5823, a selective PKG
inhibitor
38
(Figure 6

), suggesting
that the
Ca
2+ influx occurs through a recently
identified MS
channel, which is negatively regulated by the activation
of
PKG in endothelial
cells.
22 This channel is
considered to be
the main Ca
2+ entry pathway
mediating fluid flowinduced
Ca
2+ influx in
endothelial
cells.
22 (4) The
spatiotemporal
properties of the Ca
2+
response indicate that Ca
2+ supplied
from
the restricted starting region diffuses passively into
the surrounding
area
(Figure 7

). These results are the first
visualized data
indicating that fluid flowinduced elementary
Ca
2+ influx through MS channels occurs in
endothelial cells. These
pharmacological and
spatiotemporal properties of Ca
2+ spots,
elementary
MS Ca
2+ influx events, were
recently observed in mechanically
stimulated bovine lens epithelial
cells in the presence of the
same concentration of
LPA.
26 The occurrence of
Ca
2+ spots must
be an elementary event
underlying mechanical stressinduced
cellular responses, including
fluid flowinduced endothelial
responses.
MS channel density is estimated effectively at
0.1/µm2 in endothelial
cells.21 Because the density
of Ca2+ spots was 1 to 3
Ca2+ spots per 200 to 400
µm2, 3% to 10% of MS channels would
apparently respond to fluid flow. Furthermore, the number of
Ca2+ spots must be underestimated because of
the limitations of the spatiotemporal performance of the
real-time confocal system that was used. A large
Ca2+ spot may mask neighboring
Ca2+ spots. Consequently, undetectable
Ca2+ spots may occur. On the other hand,
cells are stimulated by homogeneous application of fluid
flow; however, the mechanical force may focus on specific regions
depending on the relationship between cell shape, distribution of the
cytoskeleton, and the direction of fluid flow. Therefore, those MS
channels localized exclusively in the region in which the mechanical
force is focused may be activated. Such local
[Ca2+]i increases
are considered to be physiologically suitable
properties for detecting the strength and direction of mechanical
stress and also to be a stimulant with a vector, such as fluid flow, in
contrast to the response to chemical stimulants. Further studies are
required to clarify the relationship between distribution of sites of
local increases in
[Ca2+]i, cell
shape, and the direction and strength of fluid flow.
No endogenous substances that affect fluid
flowstimulated Ca2+ influx are known
except ATP, although there have been a number of examples showing that
fluid flow stimulates Ca2+ influx into
endothelial cells. P2X4 purinoceptormediated
Ca2+ signaling would be one candidate, and
the shear stressdependent pathway would be another; however, the
physiological role remains
unclear,17 because
Ca2+ signaling as a response to fluid flow
was also observed in the absence of
ATP.14 15 In this
respect, LPA would be another important endogenous factor
affecting fluid flowstimulated Ca2+ influx
in endothelial cells. The percentage of cells
responding to fluid flow, the peak level, and the averaged level of
increase in [Ca2+]i
were increased by elevating the concentration of LPA
(Figures 3A
through 3C), and the range of the concentration
corresponded to the human plasma concentration in the range of the
physiological level to the
pathophysiological
level.31 On the other hand,
the [Ca2+]i
responses to fluid flow in the presence of ATP were not dependent on
the rate of fluid flow under conditions identical to those with LPA
(Figure 4
). Therefore, there is a possibility that LPA
functions as an essential factor for a fluid flowmediated
endothelial cell response at the normal submicromolar
level and that LPA can affect the progress of vascular pathogenesis via
endothelial dysfunction at the
pathophysiological level. LPA accumulates in human
atherosclerotic lesions31 or
is released from activated
pletelets29 and may
subsequently contribute to several vascular responses, such as changes
in endothelial cell wound
healing39 and
permeability.40 The positive
regulating effect of LPA on the fluid flowinduced
Ca2+ influx may be involved in these
processes in endothelial cells. Our results support a
physiological and
pathophysiological role of LPA in
endothelial cellrelated
cardiovascular function, although the subsequent
endothelial cellular responses and intracellular
signaling cascade after the Ca2+ influx
through PKG-regulating MS channels in the presence of LPA must be
clarified.
Although the mechanisms by which LPA enhances
Ca2+ influx through PKG-regulating MS
channels remain unclear, this occurrence was not considered to be due
to activation of phospholipase C by LPA itself, because
application of LPA actually increased
[Ca2+]i via its
G-proteincoupled
receptor27 only at 10
µmol/L, but not at 3 µmol/L. These results also indicated that the
mechanism of fluid flowstimulated Ca2+
influx in the presence of LPA was not explained as a direct action of
LPA itself on
[Ca2+]i. We have
previously confirmed that the enhancing effect was not due to the
amphipathic action of LPA at the same range of the concentration in
cultured lens epithelial
cells.25 Elucidation of the
LPA receptor subtypes and of the signal transduction pathway associated
with the enhancing effect may contribute to the understanding of
regulatory mechanisms modulating fluid flowstimulated
Ca2+ influx through MS
channels.
In conclusion, LPA positively regulated Ca2+
influx through the PKG-regulating MS channel in fluid flowstimulated
endothelial cells at a range from the
physiological level to the
pathophysiological level. It is likely that this
effect of LPA in endothelial cells plays an important
role in the maintenance of local hemodynamic
homeostasis.
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
This study was supported in part by a
grant-in-aid for a Drug
Innovation Science Project (to Dr
Momose) from the Japan Health
Science Foundation and a grant-in-aid (to
Drs Ohata and Yamamoto)
for General Scientific Research from the
Ministry of Education,
Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan. We thank
Dr S. Shimizu
(Pharmaceutical Sciences, Showa University) for kindly
providing
cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. We
are grateful to
Dr T. Kawanishi (National Institute of Health Sciences)
for
insightful comments.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
Original received January 3, 2001; revision received March 2,
2001; accepted March 19, 2001.
 |
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