Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Analysis of Tubular Membrane Networks in Cardiac Myocytes from Atria and Ventricles
Published on: October 15, 2014
Sarcoplasmic reticulum-associated and protein kinase C-regulated ADP-ribosyl cyclase in cardiac muscle
L G Mészáros1, R W Wrenn, G Váradi
1Department of Physiology and Endocrinology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912, USA.
Abstract:
Two types of ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity were distinguished in dog and rat cardiac muscles by measuring the enzymatic conversion of NGD (as an NAD analog) into the fluorescent product cyclic GDP-ribose in cardiac muscle subcellular fractions. Both types of activity were confined to membrane fractions isolated from microsomes by sucrose gradient centrifugation. One of the activities co-purified with fractions that were enriched in sarcolemma (SLM), as evidenced by immunodetection of the dihydropyridine receptor, while the other activity was found to co-precipitate with the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), that was identified on the basis of its immuno-staining with a ryanodine receptor monoclonal antibody. In certain aspects, the plasma membrane-bound ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity resembled the characteristics of CD38 or CD38-like proteins: it was sensitive to thiols and lectins and was recognized by a monoclonal anti CD38 antibody. The SR enzyme had apparently distinct properties, as it was insensitive to both thiols and lectins and was not recognized by the CD38 antibody. In addition, the SR-associated ADP-ribosyl cyclase was inhibited by endogenous protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation in both dog and rat cardiac SR. The PKC-modulated SR ADP-ribosyl cyclase we describe here might be a principal component of the signal transduction machinery that is responsible for regulation of the intracellular levels of cADPR.
Related Concept Videos
Cross-bridge Cycle
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory organs,...
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
Structure of Cardiac Muscles
Compared to skeletal muscles, cardiac muscle cells are small and mostly have a single nucleus. Additionally, they are usually...
Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy reserves in...
Smooth Muscle Contraction
The onset of contraction is triggered by an increase in calcium ions within the sarcoplasm, similar to the process in striated muscle. However, smooth muscles have a relatively smaller reservoir of the sarcoplasmic...

