Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been linked to intracellular accumulation of misfolded proteins and dysregulation of intracellular Ca2+. In the current work, we determined the contribution of specific Ca2+ pathways to an alteration in Ca2+ homeostasis in primary cortical neurons from an adult triple transgenic (3xTg‐AD) mouse model of AD that exhibits intraneuronal accumulation of β‐amyloid proteins. Resting free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), as measured with Ca2+‐selective microelectrodes, was greatly elevated in neurons from 3xTg‐AD and APPSWE mouse strains when compared with their respective non‐transgenic neurons, while there was no alteration in the resting membrane potential. In the absence of the extracellular Ca2+, the [Ca2+]i returned to near normal levels in 3xTg‐AD neurons, demonstrating that extracellular Ca2+contributed to elevated [Ca2+]i. Application of nifedipine, or a non‐L‐type channel blocker, SKF‐96365, partially reduced [Ca2+]i. Blocking the ryanodine receptors, with ryanodine or FLA‐365 had no effect, suggesting that these channels do not contribute to the elevated [Ca2+]i. Conversely, inhibition of inositol trisphosphate receptors with xestospongin C produced a partial reduction in [Ca2+]i. These results demonstrate that an elevation in resting [Ca2+]i, contributed by aberrant Ca2+entry and release pathways, should be considered a major component of the abnormal Ca2+ homeostasis associated with AD.

DP4 is a 36-residue synthetic peptide that corresponds to the Leu2442-Pro2477 region of RyR1 that contains the reported malignant hyperthermia (MH) mutation site. It has been proposed that DP4 disrupts the normal interdomain interactions that stabilize the closed state of the Ca2+ release channel (Yamamoto, T., R. El-Hayek, and N. Ikemoto. 2000. J. Biol. Chem. 275:11618–11625). We have investigated the effects of DP4 on local SR Ca2+ release events (Ca2+ sparks) in saponin-permeabilized frog skeletal muscle fibers using laser scanning confocal microscopy (line-scan mode, 2 ms/line), as well as the effects of DP4 on frog SR vesicles and frog single RyR Ca2+ release channels reconstituted in planar lipid bilayers. DP4 caused a significant increase in Ca2+ spark frequency in muscle fibers. However, the mean values of the amplitude, rise time, spatial half width, and temporal half duration of the Ca2+ sparks, as well as the distribution of these parameters, remained essentially unchanged in the presence of DP4. Thus, DP4 increased the opening rate, but not the open time of the RyR Ca2+ release channel(s) generating the sparks. DP4 also increased [3H]ryanodine binding to SR vesicles isolated from frog and mammalian skeletal muscle, and increased the open probability of frog RyR Ca2+ release channels reconstituted in bilayers, without changing the amplitude of the current through those channels. However, unlike in Ca2+ spark experiments, DP4 produced a pronounced increase in the open time of channels in bilayers. The same peptide with an Arg17 to Cys17 replacement (DP4mut), which corresponds to the Arg2458-to-Cys2458 mutation in MH, did not produce a significant effect on RyR activation in muscle fibers, bilayers, or SR vesicles. Mg2+ dependence experiments conducted with permeabilized muscle fibers indicate that DP4 preferentially binds to partially Mg2+-free RyR(s), thus promoting channel opening and production of Ca2+ sparks.

We have investigated the effects of imperatoxin A (IpTx(a)) on local calcium release events in permeabilized frog skeletal muscle fibers, using laser scanning confocal microscopy in linescan mode. IpTx(a) induced the appearance of Ca(2+) release events from the sarcoplasmic reticulum that are approximately 2 s and have a smaller amplitude (31 +/- 2%) than the "Ca(2+) sparks" normally seen in the absence of toxin. The frequency of occurrence of long-duration imperatoxin-induced Ca(2+) release events increased in proportion to IpTx(a) concentrations ranging from 10 nM to 50 nM. The mean duration of imperatoxin-induced events in muscle fibers was independent of toxin concentration and agreed closely with the channel open time in experiments on isolated frog ryanodine receptors (RyRs) reconstituted in planar lipid bilayer, where IpTx(a) induced opening of single Ca(2+) release channels to prolonged subconductance states. These results suggest involvement of a single molecule of IpTx(a) in the activation of a single Ca(2+) release channel to produce a long-duration event. Assuming the ratio of full conductance to subconductance to be the same in the fibers as in bilayer, the amplitude of a spark relative to the long event indicates involvement of at most four RyR Ca(2+) release channels in the production of short-duration Ca(2+) sparks.

Inclusion body myositis (IBM), the most common muscle disorder in the elderly, is partly characterized by dysregulation of β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) expression and abnormal, intracellular accumulation of full-length βAPP and β-amyloid epitopes. The present study examined the effects of β-amyloid accumulation on force generation and Ca2+ release in skeletal muscle from transgenic mice harboring human βAPP and assessed the consequence of Aβ1-42 modulation of the ryanodine receptor Ca2+ release channels (RyRs). β-Amyloid laden muscle produced less peak force and exhibited Ca2+ transients with smaller amplitude. To determine whether modification of RyRs by β-amyloid underlie the effects observed in muscle, in vitro Ca2+ release assays and RyR reconstituted in planar lipid bilayer experiments were conducted in the presence of Aβ1-42. Application of Aβ1-42 to RyRs in bilayers resulted in an increased channel open probability and changes in gating kinetics, while addition of Aβ1-42 to the rabbit SR vesicles resulted in RyR-mediated Ca2+ release. These data may relate altered βAPP metabolism in IBM to reductions in RyR-mediated Ca2+ release and muscle contractility.