Mechanism of asynchronous Ca(2+) waves underlying agonist-induced contraction in the rat basilar artery

Uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP) is a potent vasoconstrictor of cerebral arteries and induces Ca(2+) waves in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This study aimed to determine the mechanisms underlying UTP-induced Ca(2+) waves in VSMCs of the rat basilar artery.

Isometric force and intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) were measured in endothelium-denuded rat basilar artery using wire myography and confocal microscopy respectively.

Uridine 5'-triphosphate (0.1-1000 micromol.L(-1)) concentration-dependently induced tonic contraction (pEC(50) = 4.34 +/- 0.13), associated with sustained repetitive oscillations in [Ca(2+)](i) propagating along the length of the VSMCs as asynchronized Ca(2+) waves. Inhibition of Ca(2+) reuptake in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by cyclopiazonic acid abolished the Ca(2+) waves and resulted in a dramatic drop in tonic contraction. Nifedipine reduced the frequency of Ca(2+) waves by 40% and tonic contraction by 52%, and the nifedipine-insensitive component was abolished by SKF-96365, an inhibitor of receptor- and store-operated channels, and KB-R7943, an inhibitor of reverse-mode Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange. Ongoing Ca(2+) waves and tonic contraction were also abolished after blockade of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate-sensitive receptors by 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate, but not by high concentrations of ryanodine or tetracaine. However, depletion of ryanodine-sensitive SR Ca(2+) stores prior to UTP stimulation prevented Ca(2+) waves.

Uridine 5'-triphosphate-induced Ca(2+) waves may underlie tonic contraction and appear to be produced by repetitive cycles of regenerative Ca(2+) release from the SR through inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate-sensitive receptors. Maintenance of Ca(2+) waves requires SR Ca(2+) reuptake from Ca(2+) entry across the plasma membrane via L-type Ca(2+) channels, receptor- and store-operated channels, and reverse-mode Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange.