Neurohormonal control of calcium sensitivity of myofilaments in rat single heart cells

To investigate the changes in the properties of cardiac contractile proteins due to neurohormonal stimulation, different agonists were applied to single cells isolated from rat ventricle. Cells were then rapidly skinned by Triton X-100, and force was recorded after gluing the cells to a strain gauge. The skinned cells had mechanical properties very similar to those described for thin trabeculas. Tension-pCa relations were highly reproducible from one cell to another, with sarcomere length fixed at 2.1 microns. The application of alpha 1-adrenergic and muscarinic agonists, which increase the turnover of phosphatidylinositol, for 5 minutes before skinning the cells increased the sensitivity of the myofilaments to calcium, as indicated by a leftward shift of the tension-pCa relation, whereas beta-adrenergic stimulation induced a rightward shift. The increase in calcium sensitivity was also evoked by protein kinase C activators such as 1,2-dioctanoylglycerol and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate but not by protein kinase C itself or by purinergic agonists, although the latter also increased the turnover of phosphatidylinositol. Incubation of the skinned cells with phosphatase reversed the alterations in calcium sensitivity induced by previous agonist stimulation of the intact cells. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a potentially influential mechanism for the physiological regulation of cardiac muscle contractility.