Phosphorylation site-specific antibodies, quantification of 32 P incorporation into phospholamban, and simultaneous measurements of mechanical activity were used in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts to provide further insights into the underlying mechanisms of phospholamban phosphorylation. Immunological detection of phospholamban phosphorylation sites showed that the isoproterenol concentration-dependent increase in phospholamban phosphorylation was due to increases in phosphorylation of both 16 and Thr 17 , respectively (3). These phosphorylations are independent of each other, and when both are operating, they appear to have an additive action (4). In the intact heart, ␤-adrenergic stimulation phosphorylates phospholamban at both sites (5), which indicates that PKA-and CaMKII-dependent pathways are also working in the functioning heart. Whether these phosphorylation mechanisms are independent of each other and additive, as described in the isolated SR membranes, remains unknown. Different attempts to phosphorylate phospholamban by CaMKII in the intact heart have systematically failed unless cAMP levels within the cell increase (6 -11). This consistent finding strongly suggests an interaction between PKA and CaMKII pathways of phospholamban phosphorylation in the intact heart. The nature of this interaction as well as the cause for the difference between the in vivo and in vitro results have never been explored.The availability of phosphorylation-site specific antibodies to phospholamban, which precisely discriminate between Ser 16 and Thr 17 phosphorylation sites (12), prompted us to reexamine the issue. Combination of this technique with the quantitative assessment of phospholamban phosphorylation by radiochemical labeling of ATP pools and simultaneous measurements of mechanical parameters allowed us to characterize the PKA and CaMKII-dependent mechanisms of phospholamban phosphorylation in the intact heart and their relative physiological roles on cardiac performance. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESHeart Perfusions-Experiments were performed in isolated hearts from male Wistar rats (250 -350 g body wt) perfused according to the Langendorff technique as described previously (8). The composition of the physiological salt solution (PSS) was (in mM): 128.3 NaCl, 4.7 KCl, 1.35 CaCl 2 , 20.2 NaHCO 3 , 0.4 NaH 2 PO 4 , 1.1 MgCl 2 , 11.1 glucose, and 0.04 Na 2 EDTA. This solution was equilibrated with 95% O 2 , 5% CO 2 to give a pH of 7.4. The mechanical activity of the heart was assessed by either sewing an isometric strain gauge arch (Micro Measurements, type MA-06 -030LB-120) to the left ventricular wall or passing into the left ventricle a latex balloon connected to a pressure transducer (Namic, perceptor DT disposable transducer). The initial length of the gauge was set by stretching the segment attached by approximately 30%. The balloon was filled with aqueous solution to achieve a left ventricular

No abstract

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA2a) is under the control of a closely associated SR protein named phospholamban (PLN). Dephosphorylated PLN inhibits the SR Ca(2+) pump, whereas phosphorylation of PLN, at either Ser(16) by PKA or Thr(17) by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), reverses this inhibition, thus increasing SERCA2a activity and the rate of Ca(2+) uptake by the SR. This would in turn lead to an increase in the velocity of relaxation, SR Ca(2+) load, and myocardial contractility. Thus, PLN is a major determinant of cardiac contractility and relaxation. Although in the intact heart, beta-adrenoceptor stimulation results in phosphorylation of PLN at both Ser(16) and Thr(17) residues, the role of Thr(17) site has long remained equivocal. In this review, we attempt to highlight the signaling cascade and the physiological relevance of the phosphorylation of this residue in the heart under both physiological and pathological situations.

To explore whether CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation events mediate reperfusion arrhythmias, Langendorff perfused hearts were submitted to global ischemia/reperfusion. Epicardial monophasic or transmembrane action potentials and contractility were recorded. In rat hearts, reperfusion significantly increased the number of premature beats (PBs) relative to pre-ischemic values. This arrhythmic pattern was associated with a significant increase in CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of Ser2814 on Ca2+-release channels (RyR2) and Thr17 on phospholamban (PLN) at the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). These phenomena could be prevented by the CaMKII-inhibitor KN-93. In transgenic mice with targeted inhibition of CaMKII at the SR membranes (SR-AIP), PBs were significantly decreased from 31 ± 6 to 5 ± 1 beats/3 min with a virtually complete disappearance of early-afterdepolarizations (EADs). In mice with genetic mutation of the CaMKII phosphorylation site on RyR2 (RyR2-S2814A), PBs decreased by 51.0 ± 14.7 %. In contrast, the number of PBs upon reperfusion did not change in transgenic mice with ablation of both PLN phosphorylation sites (PLN-DM). The experiments in SR-AIP mice, in which the CaMKII inhibitor peptide is anchored in the SR membrane but also inhibits CaMKII regulation of L-type Ca2+ channels, indicated a critical role of CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of SR proteins and/or L-type Ca2+ channels in reperfusion arrhythmias. The experiments in RyR2-S2814A further indicate that up to 60% of PBs related to CaMKII are dependent on the phosphorylation of RyR2 Ser2814 site and could be ascribed to delayed-afterdepolarizations (DADs). Moreover, phosphorylation of PLN-Thr17 and L-type Ca2+ channels might contribute to reperfusion-induced PBs, by increasing SR Ca2+ content and Ca2+ influx.