Ca2+ influx mechanisms in caveolae vesicles of pulmonary smooth muscle plasma membrane under inhibition of α2β1 isozyme of Na+/K+-ATPase by ouabain

AimsWe sought to determine the mechanisms of an increase in Ca2+ level in caveolae vesicles in pulmonary smooth muscle plasma membrane during Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition by ouabain.Main methodsThe caveolae vesicles isolated by density gradient centrifugation were characterized by electron microscopic and immunologic studies and determined ouabain induced increase in Na+ and Ca2+ levels in the vesicles with fluorescent probes, SBFI-AM and Fura2-AM, respectively.Key findingsWe identified the α2β1 and α1β1 isozymes of Na+/K+-ATPase in caveolae vesicles, and only the α1β1 isozyme in noncaveolae fraction of the plasma membrane. The α2-isoform contributes solely to the enzyme inhibition in the caveolae vesicles at 40 nM ouabain. Methylisobutylamiloride (Na+/H+-exchange inhibitor) and tetrodotoxin (voltage-gated Na+-channel inhibitor) pretreatment prevented ouabain induced increase in Na+ and Ca2+ levels. Ouabain induced increase in Ca2+ level was markedly, but not completely, inhibited by KB-R7943 (reverse-mode Na+/Ca2+-exchange inhibitor) and verapamil (L-type Ca2+-channel inhibitor). However, pretreatment with tetrodotoxin in conjunction with KB-R7943 and verapamil blunted ouabain induced increase in Ca2+ level in the caveolae vesicles, indicating that apart from Na+/Ca+-exchanger and L-type Ca2+-channels, “slip-mode conductance” of Na+ channels could also be involved in this scenario.SignificanceInhibition of α2 isoform of Na+/K+-ATPase by ouabain plays a crucial role in modulating the Ca2+ influx regulatory components in the caveolae microdomain for marked increase in (Ca2+)i in the smooth muscle, which could be important for the manifestation of pulmonary hypertension.