Adenylyl cyclase Rv1625c of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a progenitor of mammalian adenylyl cyclases.

The gene Rv1625c from Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes a membrane-anchored adenylyl cyclase corresponding to exactly one-half of a mammalian adenylyl cyclase. An engineered, soluble form of Rv1625c was expressed in Escherichia coli. It formed a homodimeric cyclase with two catalytic centers. Amino acid mutations predicted to affect catalysis resulted in inactive monomers. A single catalytic center with wild-type activity could be reconstituted from mutated monomers in stringent analogy to the mammalian heterodimeric cyclase structure. The proposed existence of supramolecular adenylyl cyclase complexes was established by reconstitution from peptide-linked, mutation-inactivated homodimers resulting in pseudo-trimeric and -tetrameric complexes. The mycobacterial holoenzyme was expressed successfully in E.coli and mammalian HEK293 cells, i.e. its membrane targeting sequence was compatible with the bacterial and eukaryotic machinery for processing and membrane insertion. The membrane-anchored mycobacterial cyclase expressed in E.coli was purified to homogeneity as a first step toward the complete structural elucidation of this important protein. As the closest progenitor of the mammalian adenylyl cyclase family to date, the mycobacterial cyclase probably was spread by horizontal gene transfer.

Paramecium genome survey: a pilot project.

A consortium of laboratories undertook a pilot sequencing project to gain insight into the genome of Paramecium. Plasmid-end sequencing of DNA fragments from the somatic nucleus together with similarity searches identified 722 potential protein-coding genes. High gene density and uniform small intron size make random sequencing of somatic chromosomes a cost-effective strategy for gene discovery in this organism.

Opioids and cardioprotection.

Opioid peptides and exogenous opioids such as morphine are known to exert important cardiovascular effects. However, until recently, it was not appreciated that activation of specific receptors results in a potent cardioprotective effect to reduce infarct size in experimental animals and to reduce cell death in isolated cardiomyocytes. In intact rat and rabbit hearts, nonselective opioid receptor antagonists such as naloxone and a selective delta1-opioid receptor antagonist, 7-benzylidenenaltrexone, have been shown to inhibit the cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning, a phenomenon in which brief periods of ischemia protect the heart against a more prolonged period of ischemia. Selective delta(1) specific agonists such as 2-methyl-4a-alpha-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2,3,4,4a,5,12,12a-alpha-octahydroquinolino[2,3,3-g]isoquinoline have been shown to exert potent cardioprotective effects in intact animals and cardiac myocytes via activation of Gi/o proteins, protein kinase C, and ultimately, the mitochondrial KATP channel. These protective effects occur immediately following drug administration, and reappear 24-48 hr post treatment. Although further studies are needed to more clearly define the mechanisms by which opioids exert their cardioprotective effects, the data accumulated and summarized in this review suggest that this class of drugs may not only be useful in alleviating the pain associated with a myocardial infarction, but may also be simultaneously reducing the size of the ultimate infarct. Since many of these drugs are already clinically available, a long period of drug development may not be necessary before the use of these drugs reaches the patient with signs of myocardial ischemia.

An isoform-specific interaction of the membrane anchors affects mammalian adenylyl cyclase type V activity.

The nine membrane-bound mammalian adenylyl cyclases (ACs) contain two highly diverged membrane anchors, M1 and M2, with six transmembrane spans each and two conserved cytosolic domains which coalesce into a pseudoheterodimeric catalytic unit. Previously, the catalytic segments, bacterially expressed as soluble proteins, were characterized extensively whereas the function of the membrane domains remained unexplored. Using the catalytic C1 and C2 domains of AC type V we employed the membrane anchors from type V and VII ACs for construction of enzymes with duplicated, inverted, fully swapped and chimeric membrane anchors. Further, in the M1 membrane domain individual transmembrane spans were removed or exchanged between type V and VII ACs. The constructs were expressed in HEK293 cells, the expression levels and membrane localization was assessed by Western blotting. Cell-free basal, forskolin-, GTP gamma S-and G(s alpha)/GTP gamma S-stimulated AC activities were determined. The results demonstrate that enzymatic activities were only maintained when the M1 and M2 membrane domains were derived from either AC V or VII. Constructs with chimeric membrane domains, i.e. M1 from type V and M2 from type VII AC or vice versa, were essentially inactive although the expression levels and membrane localization appeared to be normal. The data indicate a functionally important interaction of the membrane domains of ACs in that they seem to interact in a pair-like, isoform delimited manner. This interaction directly impinges on the formation of the catalytic interface. We propose that protein-protein interactions of the AC membrane domains may constitute another, yet unexplored level of AC regulation.

Inhibition of protein phosphatases by Michael adducts of ascorbic acid analogues with alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds.

By investigating the stereospecific Michael reaction of derivatives of ascorbic acid with acrolein we obtained a novel class of protein Ser/Thr phosphatase inhibitors. The inhibitory effect of the Michael adducts was examined using the canonical protein phosphatases type 1, 2A and 2B. Of the isozymes examined the type 1 isoform was strongly inhibited.

The alpha1/2 helical backbone of the prodomains defines the intrinsic inhibitory specificity in the cathepsin L-like cysteine protease subfamily.

Proregions of papain-like cysteine proteases are potent and often highly selective inhibitors of their parental enzymes. The molecular basis of their selectivity is poorly understood. For two closely related members of the cathepsin L-like subfamily we established strong selectivity differences. The propeptide of cathepsin S was observed to inhibit cathepsin L with a K(i) of 0.08 nM, yet cathepsin L propeptide inhibited cathepsin S only poorly. To identify the respective structural correlates we engineered chimeric propeptides and compared their inhibitory specificity with the wild-types. Specificity resided in the N-terminal part, strongly suggesting that the backbone of the prodomain was the underlying structure.

A guanylyl cyclase from Paramecium with 22 transmembrane spans. Expression of the catalytic domains and formation of chimeras with the catalytic domains of mammalian adenylyl cyclases.

Paramecium has a 280-kDa guanylyl cyclase. The N terminus resembles a P-type ATPase, and the C terminus is a guanylyl cyclase with the membrane topology of canonical mammalian adenylyl cyclases, yet with the cytosolic loops, C1 and C2, inverted compared with the mammalian order. We expressed in Escherichia coli the cytoplasmic domains of the protozoan guanylyl cyclase, independently and linked by a peptide, as soluble proteins. The His(6)-tagged proteins were enriched by affinity chromatography and analyzed by immunoblotting. Guanylyl cyclase activity was reconstituted upon mixing of the recombinant C1a- and C2-positioned domains and in a linked C1a-C2 construct. Adenylyl cyclase activity was minimal. The nucleotide substrate specificity was switched from GTP to ATP upon mutation of the substrate defining amino acids Glu(1681) and Ser(1748) in the C1-positioned domain to the adenylyl cyclase specific amino acids Lys and Asp. Using the C2 domains of mammalian adenylyl cyclases type II or IX and the C2-positioned domain from the Paramecium guanylyl cyclase we reconstituted a soluble, all C2 adenylyl cyclase. All enzymes containing protozoan domains were not affected by Galpha(s)/GTP or forskolin, and P site inhibitors were only slightly effective.

Fibroblast growth factor-2 mediates pressure-induced hypertrophic response.

In vitro, fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) has been implicated in cardiomyocyte growth and reexpression of fetal contractile genes, both markers of hypertrophy. However, its in vivo role in cardiac hypertrophy during pressure overload is not well characterized. Mice with or without FGF2 (Fgf2(+/+) and Fgf2(-/-), respectively) were subjected to transverse aortic coarctation (AC). Left ventricular (LV) mass and wall thickness were assessed by echocardiography preoperatively and once a week postoperatively for 10 weeks. In vivo LV function during dobutamine stimulation, cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area, and recapitulation of fetal cardiac genes were also measured. AC Fgf2(-/-) mice develop significantly less hypertrophy (4-24% increase) compared with AC Fgf2(+/+) mice (41-52% increase). Cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area is significantly reduced in AC Fgf2(-/-) mice. Noncoarcted (NC) and AC Fgf2(-/-) mice have similar beta-adrenergic responses, but those of AC Fgf2(+/+) mice are blunted. A lack of mitotic growth in both AC Fgf2(+/+) and Fgf2(-/-) hearts indicates a hypertrophic response of cardiomyocytes. Consequently, FGF2 plays a major role in cardiac hypertrophy. Comparison of alpha- and beta-cardiac myosin heavy chain mRNA and protein levels in NC and AC Fgf2(+/+) and Fgf2(-/-) mice indicates that myosin heavy chain composition depends on hemodynamic stress rather than on FGF2 or hypertrophy, and that isoform switching is transcriptionally, not posttranscriptionally, regulated.

Guanylyl cyclases with the topology of mammalian adenylyl cyclases and an N-terminal P-type ATPase-like domain in Paramecium, Tetrahymena and Plasmodium.

We cloned a guanylyl cyclase of 280 kDa from the ciliate Paramecium which has an N-terminus similar to that of a P-type ATPase and a C-terminus with a topology identical to mammalian adenylyl cyclases. Respective signature sequence motifs are conserved in both domains. The cytosolic catalytic C1a and C2a segments of the cyclase are inverted. Genes coding for topologically identical proteins with substantial sequence similarities have been cloned from Tetrahymena and were detected in sequences from Plasmodium deposited by the Malaria Genome Project. After 99 point mutations to convert the Paramecium TAA/TAG-Gln triplets to CAA/CAG, together with partial gene synthesis, the gene from Paramecium was heterologously expressed. In Sf9 cells, the holoenzyme is proteolytically processed into the two domains. Immunocytochemistry demonstrates expression of the protein in Paramecium and localizes it to cell surface membranes. The data provide a novel structural link between class III adenylyl and guanylyl cyclases and imply that the protozoan guanylyl cyclases evolved from an ancestral adenylyl cyclase independently of the mammalian guanylyl cyclase isoforms. Further, signal transmission in Ciliophora (Paramecium, Tetrahymena) and in the most important endoparasitic phylum Apicomplexa (Plasmodium) is, quite unexpectedly, closely related.

Expression pattern of adenylyl cyclase isoforms in the inner ear of the rat by RT-PCR and immunochemical localization of calcineurin in the organ of Corti.

Most studies concerning adenylyl cyclases in the inner ear were carried out before the advent of molecular biology. In a PCR approach using cDNAs of six inner ear tissues (stria vascularis, endolymphatic sac, organ of Corti, vestibulum, cochlear and vestibular nerve) we found tissue specific expression of adenylyl cyclase isoforms. Adenylyl cyclases types 2 and 4 are predominant in the fluid controlling tissues, i.e. in the stria vascularis and endolymphatic sac. In the organ of Corti and vestibulum the Ca2+-modulated isoforms types 1, 6 and 9 were expressed. The regulation of adenylyl cyclase 9, which is the major isoform expressed in the organ of Corti, proceeds via the Ca2+-activated protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin, PPP3). PCR with specific primers for calcineurin demonstrated its abundant expression in the organ of Corti. Using a monoclonal antibody we localized calcineurin immunochemically to the cochlear nerve, the nerve fibers and the inner hair cells. In the cochlear and vestibular nerves a characteristic neuronal expression pattern of adenylyl cyclase isoforms was observed, i.e. adenylyl cyclases types 2, 3 and 8. The functional consequences of the adenylyl cyclase expression pattern in the inner ear are discussed in conjunction with its unique sensory performance.

Expression pattern of aquaporin water channels in the inner ear of the rat. The molecular basis for a water regulation system in the endolymphatic sac.

Mammalian aquaporins constitute a family of so far 10 related water channel proteins which mediate osmotically driven water fluxes across the plasma membrane. Because regulation of the ionic composition and osmolality of inner ear fluids is of great functional significance, we investigated the expression patterns of aquaporins in five defined areas of the rat inner ear by RT-PCR. The tissues used were stria vascularis, endolymphatic sac, Reissner's membrane, vestibulum and organ of Corti. Aquaporin 1 transcripts were detected in all tissues and are probably constitutive. Aquaporin 5 was only expressed in the organ of Corti and in Reissner's membrane. We show that aquaporin 2, so far considered to be specific to the principal cells of the renal collecting duct, is expressed in the endolymphatic sac. Aquaporin 2 expression was not detected in any other inner ear region. The postnatal appearance of aquaporin 2 transcripts in the endolymphatic sac resembled that in the kidney, i.e. it increased postnatally until day 4. The full-length DNA for aquaporin 2 was cloned from cDNA of the endolymphatic sac. It had an irrelevant Ile54Thr mutation because it could be functionally expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Also exclusively in the endolymphatic sac of the inner ear, we detected transcripts for aquaporin isoforms 3 and 4 which are known to be expressed in the renal principal cells. In the kidney, aquaporin 2 regulation involves vasopressin-stimulated, cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of Ser256 of aquaporin 2 which is stored in cytosolic vesicles. These storage vesicles also contain a serpentine calcium/polycation-sensing receptor. Vesicle shuffling to the plasma membrane involves proteins such as vesicle-associated membrane protein VAMP2, syntaxin-4 and the small GTPase Rab3a. Using RT-PCR we were able to demonstrate the expression of all of these components. By analogy the data suggest that in the endolymphatic sac of the inner ear a system for cellular water permeability is in place which may share many similarities with that characterized in the principal cells of the renal collecting duct. These findings may have a number of interesting pharmacological implications which need to be addressed in future studies.

The mammalian aquaporin water channel family: A promising new drug target.

In mammalian cells water slowly passes across cell membranes driven by osmotic forces. However, the speed of this process is insufficient for sustained and rapid water fluxes required for an active regulation of water homeostasis, e.g. in the kidney or under conditions of osmotic stress. A novel class of membraneous pore proteins, aquaporins, was detected which facilitates osmotically driven passage of water and, in some instances, small uncharged solutes. So far, ten isoforms of this water channel protein family have been found in mammals alone and more than 100 are known altogether. In this review, the chemical properties of these water pore proteins are summarized such as amino acid sequence similarities and peculiarities and some prototypical structural features. The locus of the now obsolete group of mercurial diuretics is pointed out. Further, the general pattern of the tissue-specific aquaporin isoform expression is illustrated, among others in the kidney, eye, inner ear and lung. In more detail we present how particular aquaporin isoforms in the kidney are involved in the regulation of urinary osmolality. Genetic defects in aquaporin-2 are known to result in nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Further, we point out a variety of disease states which may be related to a dysregulation of water homeostasis. Aquaporin function is now reasonably accessible to biophysical measurements. This paves the way to develop and assay novel therapeutic agents. In a final section we outline which questions have to be addressed toward this end, which strategies could be followed and which disease states may benefit most obviously from such a therapeutic approach.

Importance of PKC and tyrosine kinase in single or multiple cycles of preconditioning in rat hearts.

Both tyrosine kinase (TK) and protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors have been shown individually to completely abolish the cardioprotective effects of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) in rabbits; however, blockade of both enzymes is necessary to totally abolish IPC in pigs. Recently, we have shown that TK inhibition partially attenuates the cardioprotective effect of IPC in intact rat hearts. Therefore, the present study was designed to test the hypothesis that inhibition of both TK and PKC is necessary to completely abolish IPC in the intact rat and that this effect is dependent on the intensity of the preconditioning stimulus. All animals were subjected to 30 min of coronary artery occlusion and 2 h of reperfusion. In series 1, multiple-cycle-induced IPC was produced via three 5-min occlusions interspersed with 5 min of reperfusion (3 x 5 IPC). Genistein (5 mg/kg), a TK inhibitor infused 30 min before IPC, and chelerythrine chloride (5 mg/kg), a PKC inhibitor infused 5 min before the prolonged ischemic insult, were administered alone or in combination in the absence or presence of 3 x 5 IPC. 3 x 5 IPC produced a marked reduction in infarct size as a percentage of area at risk compared with control (8.0 +/- 0.8 vs. 56.1 +/- 0.8%). The effects of 3 x 5 IPC were partially blocked by pretreatment with genistein (34.0 +/- 2.0%) or chelerythrine (26.4 +/- 2.8%) alone; however, combined administration of genistein and chelerythrine completely abolished the effects of 3 x 5 IPC (50.7 +/- 3.6%). In series 2, single-cycle IPC was elicited by one 5-min occlusion followed by 10 min of reperfusion (1 x 5 IPC). Compared with control, 1 x 5 IPC also significantly reduced infarct size (15.4 +/- 3.0%). Genistein or chelerythrine administered alone completely abolished 1 x 5 IPC-induced cardioprotection. These results suggest that the efficacy of TK and PKC inhibition to block IPC depends on the intensity of the preconditioning stimulus and that these kinases may work through parallel pathways.

Expression of membrane-bound and cytosolic guanylyl cyclases in the rat inner ear.

Membrane-bound guanylyl cyclases (GCs) are peptide hormone receptors whereas the cytosolic isoforms are receptors for nitric oxide. In the inner ear, the membrane-bound GCs may be involved in the regulation of fluid homeostasis and the cytosolic forms possibly play a role in signal processing and regulation of local blood flow. In this comprehensive study, we examined, qualitatively and quantitatively, the transcription pattern of all known GC isoforms in the inner ear from rat by RT-PCR. The tissues used were endolymphatic sac, stria vascularis, organ of Corti, organ of Corti outer hair cells, cochlear nerve, Reissner's membrane, vestibular dark cells, and vestibular sensory cells. We show that multiple particulate (GC-A, GC-B, GC-D, GC-E, GC-F and GC-G) and several subunits of the heterodimeric cytosolic GCs (alpha1, alpha2, beta1 and beta2) are expressed, albeit at highly different levels. GC-C was not found. GC-A and the soluble subunits alpha1 and beta1 were transcribed ubiquitously. GC-B was present in all tissues except stria vascularis, which contained GC-A and traces of GC-E and GC-G. GC-B was by far the predominant membrane-bound isoform in the organ of Corti (86%), Reissner's membrane (75%) and the vestibulum (80%). Surprisingly, GC-E, a retinal isoform, was detected in significant amounts in the cochlear nerve (8%) and in the organ of Corti (4%). Although the cytosolic GC is a heterodimer composed of an alpha and a beta subunit, the mRNA transcription of these subunits was not stoichiometric. Particularly in the vestibulum, the transcription of the beta1 subunits was at least four-fold higher than of the alpha1 subunit. The data are compatible with earlier suggestions that membrane receptor GCs may be involved in the control of inner ear electrolyte and fluid composition whereas NO-stimulated GC isoforms mainly participate in the regulation of blood flow and supporting cell physiology.

Adenylyl cyclase type 7 is the predominant isoform in the bovine retinal pigment epithelium.

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) fulfills important supporting tasks to maintain the visual functions of the sensorineural retina. One major signalling mechanism by which adjacent tissues impinge on the RPE is the adenylyl cyclase (AC)/cAMP pathway. In the RPE, cAMP seems to modulate unique functions such as the phagocytosis of discs shed from the rod outer segments, transport of vitamin A or the ion and fluid control in the subretinal space. We analyzed the AC expression pattern in the retina and the RPE and found AC type 7 to be almost the only isoform expressed in the RPE. We cloned AC type 7 from a cDNA library established with fresh bovine RPE, expressed this isoform in eukaryotic cells and characterized some of its properties.

Pretreatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors partially attenuates ischemic preconditioning in rat hearts.

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) confers cardioprotection against a prolonged ischemic insult. Tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors have been shown to attenuate IPC; however, it is unclear whether TK is involved in the initiation of and/or the maintenance of this phenomenon. Thus the hypothesis that TK acts primarily during the initiation of IPC was examined in a rat model of myocardial infarction. Hearts were subjected to 30 min of coronary artery occlusion and 2 h of reperfusion. IPC was elicited by three 5-min occlusions interspersed with 5 min of reperfusion before the prolonged occlusion period. Genistein, a nonspecific TK inhibitor, was administered before or during the final 2 min of the first or third occlusion period of IPC. Daidzein, an inactive structural analog of genistein, and lavendustin A, a more specific TK inhibitor, were also tested in this model. IPC markedly reduced infarct size expressed as a percentage of the area at risk compared with control (56.3 +/- 2.8 to 7.1 +/- 2.0%). This cardioprotection was attenuated by genistein pretreatment (5 mg/kg: 34.7 +/- 2.2%, 10 mg/kg: 33.5 +/- 5.9%). However, genistein administered during the first or third occlusion period of IPC did not significantly attenuate cardioprotection (10.3 +/- 2.9% and 6.4 +/- 2.0%). Lavendustin A (1. 0 mg/kg) pretreatment also attenuated IPC (30.1 +/- 2.2%), whereas daidzein (5 mg/kg) had no effect (7.9 +/- 2.4%). These results suggest that activation of a TK is involved in the initiation but not the maintenance of IPC in the rat myocardium.

Terikalant, an inward-rectifier potassium channel blocker, does not abolish the cardioprotection induced by ischemic preconditioning in the rat.

Recent results have shown that the sulfonylurea receptor couples to several types of inward-rectifier potassium (KIR) channels, which suggests that sensitivity to blockade of a pathophysiological phenomenon such as ischemic preconditioning (PC) by glibenclamide may not be the result of this compound selectively blocking the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel. Therefore, to address this possibility, a role for myocardial KIR v KATP channels in ischemic PC was evaluated in the rat. To test this hypothesis, anesthetized, open-chest, male Wistar rats were assigned to one of seven experimental protocols. Animals assigned to group I (control) received 30 min of occlusion and 2 h of reperfusion. Ischemic PC was produced by 3x5-min occlusion and 2-h reperfusion periods (group II). Terikalant (TK), an inward-rectifier potassium channel blocker, was used to test the role of other K+ channels, most notably the KIR, in the cardioprotective effect of ischemic PC in the rat. TK was given at a dose of 3 mg/kg, i.v., 15 min before the prolonged occlusion and reperfusion periods (group III). In groups IV, V, and VI terikalant (1, 3 and 6 mg/kg, i.v.) was given 15 min before ischemic PC (lowTK+PC, medTK+PC and hiTK+PC, respectively). Group VII consisted of glibenclamide (0.3 mg/kg, i.v.) given 30 min prior to ischemic PC (GLY+PC). Infarct size (IS) as a percent of the area at risk (AAR) was measured using the histochemical stain, 2,3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. The average IS/AAR for the control was 49.9+/-2.1%. Ischemic PC markedly reduced infarct size (8.6+/-1. 8%; * P<0.05 v control). Terikalant (TK; 1, 3 and 6 mg/kg, i.v.) did not abolish the cardioprotective effect of ischemic PC at any dose (15.5+/-6.4, 16.4+/-5.2 and 8.8+/-1.6%, respectively; * P<0.05 v control). TK itself had no effect on infarct size. GLY completely abolished the cardioprotective effect of ischemic PC (48.2+/-6.4%). In addition, the high dose of TK significantly (P<0.05) increased the action potential duration at 50% repolarization from 48+/-3 to 64+/-4 ms and 30 microM of TK, a concentration which produced a 39% decrease in the inward-rectifier potassium channel current in isolated guinea-pig ventricular myocytes in the whole-cell patch-clamp mode did not block the increase in K ATP current produced by the KATP opener bimakalim (3 microM). These results demonstrate that although the myocardial KATP channel belongs to the K IR superfamily, the endogenous myocardial KIR channel does not mediate ischemic PC in the rat heart; however, the K ATP channel does mediate its cardioprotective effect.

Pertussis toxin abolishes the cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning in intact rat heart.

It has been previously demonstrated that Gi/o proteins are involved in ischemic preconditioning (IPC) in rabbits and dogs; however, there has been controversy as to the role of Gi/o proteins in IPC in in vivo rat infarct models. Therefore, the role of G proteins in the cardioprotective effect of IPC in a rat infarct model was reevaluated. Cardioprotection as indicated by infarct size (IS) as a percentage of the area at risk (IS/AAR) was determined by triphenyltetrazolium stain. The control group, which was subjected to 30 min of occlusion (Occ) and 2 h of reperfusion (Rep), had an IS/AAR of 46 +/- 6%. A single 5-min Occ followed by 10 min of Rep (1x PC) as well as three 5-min Occ periods interspersed with 5 min of Rep (3x PC) markedly reduced IS/AAR (6 +/- 1 and 8 +/- 1%, respectively). Pretreatment with pertussis toxin (10 microg/kg ip) for 48 h before 1x PC or 3x PC completely abolished their cardioprotective effects (46 +/- 5 and 38 +/- 4%, respectively). Pertussis toxin had no effect on IS/AAR and did not inactivate Gi/o proteins as assessed by an in vitro ADP-ribosylation assay of heart homogenates. These results demonstrate that the cardioprotective effect of IPC is mediated by a small subpopulation of Gi/o proteins in the intact rat heart.