Modulation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration by thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid in human aortic endothelial cells

To clarify the agonist-induced Ca2+ entry mechanism, effects of thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid, selective inhibitors of endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase, on intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were studied in cultured human aortic endothelial cells loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fura-2. Thapsigargin (1-1000 nM) and cyclopiazonic acid (0.1-100 microM) produced a biphasic change in [Ca2+]i, which consisted of a transient peak elevation followed by a long-lasting decline of [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner. In the presence of thapsigargin or cyclopiazonic acid, the rapid transient elevation of [Ca2+]i elicited by histamine was attenuated in a time-dependent manner. The slow declining phase of the response to thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid was completely eliminated by removal of extracellular Ca2+, and it was also prevented by reduction of the extracellular Cl- concentration to 40 mM or by the Cl- channel blocker N-phenylanthranilic acid. These findings suggest that the initial transient rising phase and the slow declining phase of [Ca2+]i in response to thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid reflect a blockade of Ca2+ uptake into the endoplasmic reticulum and the Cl(-)-sensitive Ca2+ entry activated by the depletion of agonist-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores, respectively, in human aortic endothelial cells.