Facilitation of cytosolic calcium wave propagation by local calcium uptake into the sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiac myocytes
Authors: Maxwell Joshua T. , Blatter Lothar A. 
Published: September 2012

Key points

Cytosolic calcium (Ca2+) waves result from spontaneous release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ store that occurs under Ca2+ overload conditions and can give rise to arrhythmias in the heart. The prevailing paradigm of Ca2+ wave propagation involves cytosolic Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release.

A recent challenge to this paradigm proposed the requirement for an intra‐SR ‘sensitization’ Ca2+ wave that primes release activation due to the luminal Ca2+ sensitivity of the release mechanism.

We tested this hypothesis in cardiac myocytes with direct simultaneous high‐resolution measurements of cytosolic and intra‐SR Ca2+ using fluorescence confocal microscopy.

We found that the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ at the wave front preceded release and depletion of SR Ca2+ in time, and during this latency period a transient increase of SR Ca2+ was observed at individual release sites that gave rise to a propagating intra‐SR Ca2+ sensitization wave.

The intra‐SR sensitization wave depended on the activity of the sarco‐endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA) and occurred by a mechanism where Ca2+ uptake by SERCA at the wave front facilitates propagation of cytosolic Ca2+ waves via luminal sensitization of the release mechanism, thus supporting a novel paradigm of a ‘fire‐diffuse‐uptake‐fire’ mechanism for Ca2+ wave propagation.

Abstract  The widely accepted paradigm for cytosolic Ca2+ wave propagation postulates a ‘fire‐diffuse‐fire’ mechanism where local Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release (CICR) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) via ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca2+ release channels diffuses towards and activates neighbouring release sites, resulting in a propagating Ca2+ wave. A recent challenge to this paradigm proposed the requirement for an intra‐SR ‘sensitization’ Ca2+ wave that precedes the cytosolic Ca2+ wave and primes RyRs from the luminal side to CICR. Here, we tested this hypothesis experimentally with direct simultaneous measurements of cytosolic ([Ca2+]i; rhod‐2) and intra‐SR ([Ca2+]SR; fluo‐5N) calcium signals during wave propagation in rabbit ventricular myocytes, using high resolution fluorescence confocal imaging. The increase in [Ca2+]i at the wave front preceded depletion of the SR at each point along the calcium wave front, while during this latency period a transient increase of [Ca2+]SR was observed. This transient elevation of [Ca2+]SR could be identified at individual release junctions and depended on the activity of the sarco‐endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA). Increased SERCA activity (β‐adrenergic stimulation with 1 μm isoproterenol (isoprenaline)) decreased the latency period and increased the amplitude of the transient elevation of [Ca2+]SR, whereas inhibition of SERCA (3 μm cyclopiazonic acid) had the opposite effect. In conclusion, the data provide experimental evidence that local Ca2+ uptake by SERCA into the SR facilitates the propagation of cytosolic Ca2+ waves via luminal sensitization of the RyR, and supports a novel paradigm of a ‘fire‐diffuse‐uptake‐fire’ mechanism for Ca2+ wave propagation in cardiac myocytes.