Interaction of atriopeptin III and vasopressin on calcium kinetics and contraction of aortic smooth muscle cells.

Abstract

The cellular mechanism of the vasodilatory action of atriopeptin III (APIII) on vasopressin (AVP)-induced Ca2+ mobilization and cell shape change in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) was studied. APIII (10(-8) M) attenuated the increase of intracellular free Ca2+, [Ca2+]i, induced by 10(-8) M AVP (234.0 +/- 14.8 vs. 310.0 +/- 28.4 nM, P less than 0.01). Similar results were obtained in 45Ca2+ efflux experiments. APIII (10(-7) M), however, did not alter AVP-induced inositol trisphosphate (IP3) production, although the levels of inositol-1-phosphate were significantly reduced. The effect of APIII to block or attenuate AVP-induced Ca2+ mobilization was associated with an inhibition of AVP-stimulated cell shape change. The effect of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) on cell shape, however, occurred at lower ANF concentrations than the effect on the Ca2+ mobilization. APIII stimulated production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in VSMC. The effect of APIII on AVP-stimulated Ca2+ mobilization was partially mimicked by the stable nucleotide 8-bromo cGMP and was not affected by the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor, methylene blue (10(-4) M). These results suggest that APIII exerts its vasodilatory effect, in part, by interference with vasopressor-stimulated Ca2+ mobilization in vascular smooth muscle cells, perhaps by stimulating particulate guanylate cyclase and cGMP. However, an effect of ANF on the contractile mechanism at a site independent of Ca2+ release is also suggested by the present results.