Endoplasmic reticulum contribution to the relaxant effect of cGMP- and cAMP-elevating agents in feline aorta

The contribution of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLB) to the relaxant effect of cGMP- and cAMP-elevating agents was studied in feline aorta. Sodium nitroprusside (NP, 100 μM) completely relaxed contracture induced by 10 μM norepinephrine. This NP-induced relaxation was partially prevented by tetraethylammonium, suggesting that a fraction of NP-induced relaxation was mediated by activation of K+ channels. In the absence and presence of tetraethylammonium, the relaxant effect of NP was associated with a significant increase in Ser16 phosphorylation of PLB immunodetected by phosphorylation site-specific antibodies. The relaxant effect of NP on aortic strips precontracted with 80 mM KCl was significantly reduced by 1 μM thapsigargin. This decrease, which represents the ER contribution to the relaxant effect of NP, reached 23 ± 9% at 100 μM NP and was closely associated with a dose-dependent increase in Ser16 phosphorylation (128 ± 49% over control at 100 μM NP). Effects of ...