ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Many stressful conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, induce long-term elevations in circulating catecholamines, thereby leading to changes of the Na/K pump and thus affecting myocardial functions. However, only short-term adrenergic regulation of the Na/K pump has been reported. The present study is the first investigation of long-term adrenergic regulation of the Na/K pump and the potential mechanism. METHODS: After acutely isolated Sprague-Dawley rat myocytes were incubated with noradrenaline or isoprenaline for 24 h, Na/K pump high- (IPH) and low-affinity current (IPL), α-isoform mRNA, and α-isoform protein were examined using patch-clamp, RT-PCR, and Western blotting techniques, respectively. RESULTS: After the short-term incubation, isoprenaline reduced the IPL through a PKA-dependent pathway that involves α1-isoform translocation from the membrane to early endosomes, and noradrenaline increased the IPH through a PKC-dependent pathway that involves α2-isoform translocation from late endosomes to the membrane. After long-term incubation, isoprenaline increased the IPL, α1-isoform mRNA, and α1-isoform protein, and noradrenaline reduced the IPH, α2-isoform mRNA, and α1-isoform protein through a PKA-or PKC-dependent pathway, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that long-term adrenergic Na/K pump regulation is isoform-specific and negatively feeds back on the short-term response. Furthermore, long-term regulation involves transcription and translation of the respective α-isoform, whereas short-term regulation involves the translocation of the available α-isoform to the plasma membrane.
