Altered Ca 2+ concentration, permeability and buffering in the myofibre Ca 2+ store of a mouse model of malignant hyperthermia: Ca2+management in Y522S cells

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is linked to mutations in the type 1 ryanodine receptor, RyR1, the Ca2+ channel of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal muscle. The Y522S MH mutation was studied for its complex presentation, which includes structurally and functionally altered cell ‘cores’. Imaging cytosolic and intra-SR [Ca2+] in muscle cells of heterozygous YS mice we determined Ca2+ release flux activated by clamp depolarization, permeability (P) of the SR membrane (ratio of flux and [Ca2+] gradient) and SR Ca2+ buffering power (B). In YS cells resting [Ca2+]SR was 45% of the value in normal littermates (WT). P was more than doubled, so that initial flux was normal. Measuring [Ca2+]SR(t) revealed dynamic changes in B(t). The alterations were similar to those caused by cytosolic BAPTA, which promotes release by hampering Ca2+-dependent inactivation (CDI). The [Ca2+] transients showed abnormal ‘breaks’, decaying phases after an initial rise, traced to a collapse in flux and P. Similar breaks occurred in WT myofibres with calsequestrin reduced by siRNA; calsequestrin content, however, was normal in YS muscle. Thus, the Y522S mutation causes greater openness of the RyR1, lowers resting [Ca2+]SR and alters SR Ca2+ buffering in a way that copies the functional instability observed upon reduction of calsequestrin content. The similarities with the effects of BAPTA suggest that the mutation, occurring near the cytosolic vestibule of the channel, reduces CDI as one of its primary effects. The unstable SR buffering, mimicked by silencing of calsequestrin, may help precipitate the loss of Ca2+ control that defines a fulminant MH event

Measurement of RyR permeability reveals a role of calsequestrin in termination of SR Ca2+ release in skeletal muscle

The mechanisms that terminate Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum are not fully understood. D4cpv-Casq1 (Sztretye et al. 2011. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.201010591) was used in mouse skeletal muscle cells under voltage clamp to measure free Ca2+ concentration inside the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), [Ca2+]SR, simultaneously with that in the cytosol, [Ca2+]c, during the response to long-lasting depolarization of the plasma membrane. The ratio of Ca2+ release flux (derived from [Ca2+]c(t)) over the gradient that drives it (essentially equal to [Ca2+]SR) provided directly, for the first time, a dynamic measure of the permeability to Ca2+ of the releasing SR membrane. During maximal depolarization, flux rapidly rises to a peak and then decays. Before 0.5 s, [Ca2+]SR stabilized at ∼35% of its resting level; depletion was therefore incomplete. By 0.4 s of depolarization, the measured permeability decayed to ∼10% of maximum, indicating ryanodine receptor channel closure. Inactivation of the t tubule voltage sensor was immeasurably small by this time and thus not a significant factor in channel closure. In cells of mice null for Casq1, permeability did not decrease in the same way, indicating that calsequestrin (Casq) is essential in the mechanism of channel closure and termination of Ca2+ release. The absence of this mechanism explains why the total amount of calcium releasable by depolarization is not greatly reduced in Casq-null muscle (Royer et al. 2010. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.201010454). When the fast buffer BAPTA was introduced in the cytosol, release flux became more intense, and the SR emptied earlier. The consequent reduction in permeability accelerated as well, reaching comparable decay at earlier times but comparable levels of depletion. This observation indicates that [Ca2+]SR, sensed by Casq and transmitted to the channels presumably via connecting proteins, is determinant to cause the closure that terminates Ca2+ release

Paradoxical buffering of calcium by calsequestrin demonstrated for the calcium store of skeletal muscle

Contractile activation in striated muscles requires a Ca2+ reservoir of large capacity inside the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), presumably the protein calsequestrin. The buffering power of calsequestrin in vitro has a paradoxical dependence on [Ca2+] that should be valuable for function. Here, we demonstrate that this dependence is present in living cells. Ca2+ signals elicited by membrane depolarization under voltage clamp were compared in single skeletal fibers of wild-type (WT) and double (d) Casq-null mice, which lack both calsequestrin isoforms. In nulls, Ca2+ release started normally, but the store depleted much more rapidly than in the WT. This deficit was reflected in the evolution of SR evacuability, E, which is directly proportional to SR Ca2+ permeability and inversely to its Ca2+ buffering power, B. In WT mice E starts low and increases progressively as the SR is depleted. In dCasq-nulls, E started high and decreased upon Ca2+ depletion. An elevated E in nulls is consistent with the decrease in B expected upon deletion of calsequestrin. The different value and time course of E in cells without calsequestrin indicate that the normal evolution of E reflects loss of B upon SR Ca2+ depletion. Decrement of B upon SR depletion was supported further. When SR calcium was reduced by exposure to low extracellular [Ca2+], release kinetics in the WT became similar to that in the dCasq-null. E became much higher, similar to that of null cells. These results indicate that calsequestrin not only stores Ca2+, but also varies its affinity in ways that progressively increase the ability of the store to deliver Ca2+ as it becomes depleted, a novel feedback mechanism of potentially valuable functional implications. The study revealed a surprisingly modest loss of Ca2+ storage capacity in null cells, which may reflect concurrent changes, rather than detract from the physiological importance of calsequestrin

D4cpv-calsequestrin: a sensitive ratiometric biosensor accurately targeted to the calcium store of skeletal muscle

Current fluorescent monitors of free [Ca2+] in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal muscle cells are of limited quantitative value. They provide either a nonratio signal that is difficult to calibrate and is not specific or, in the case of Forster resonant energy transfer (FRET) biosensors, a signal of small dynamic range, which may be degraded further by imperfect targeting and interference from endogenous ligands of calsequestrin. We describe a novel tool that uses the cameleon D4cpv, which has a greater dynamic range and lower susceptibility to endogenous ligands than earlier cameleons. D4cpv was targeted to the SR by fusion with the cDNA of calsequestrin 1 or a variant that binds less Ca2+. “D4cpv-Casq1,” expressed in adult mouse at concentrations up to 22 µmole/liter of muscle cell, displayed the accurate targeting of calsequestrin and stayed inside cells after permeabilization of surface and t system membranes, which confirmed its strict targeting. FRET ratio changes of D4cpv-Casq1 were calibrated inside cells, with an effective KD of 222 µM and a dynamic range [(Rmax − Rmin)/Rmin] of 2.5, which are improvements over comparable sensors. Both the maximal ratio, Rmax, and its resting value were slightly lower in areas of high expression, a variation that was inversely correlated to distance from the sites of protein synthesis. The average [Ca2+]SR in 74 viable cells at rest was 416 µM. The distribution of individual ratio values was Gaussian, but that of the calculated [Ca2+]SR was skewed, with a tail of very large values, up to 6 mM. Model calculations reproduce this skewness as the consequence of quantifiably small variations in biosensor performance. Local variability, a perceived weakness of biosensors, thus becomes quantifiable. It is demonstrably small in D4cpv. D4cpv-Casq1 therefore provides substantial improvements in sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility over existing monitors of SR free Ca2+ concentration

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

EUREC⁴A

The science guiding the EUREC⁴A campaign and its measurements is presented. EUREC⁴A comprised roughly 5 weeks of measurements in the downstream winter trades of the North Atlantic – eastward and southeastward of Barbados. Through its ability to characterize processes operating across a wide range of scales, EUREC⁴A marked a turning point in our ability to observationally study factors influencing clouds in the trades, how they will respond to warming, and their link to other components of the earth system, such as upper-ocean processes or the life cycle of particulate matter. This characterization was made possible by thousands (2500) of sondes distributed to measure circulations on meso- (200 km) and larger (500 km) scales, roughly 400 h of flight time by four heavily instrumented research aircraft; four global-class research vessels; an advanced ground-based cloud observatory; scores of autonomous observing platforms operating in the upper ocean (nearly 10 000 profiles), lower atmosphere (continuous profiling), and along the air–sea interface; a network of water stable isotopologue measurements; targeted tasking of satellite remote sensing; and modeling with a new generation of weather and climate models. In addition to providing an outline of the novel measurements and their composition into a unified and coordinated campaign, the six distinct scientific facets that EUREC⁴A explored – from North Brazil Current rings to turbulence-induced clustering of cloud droplets and its influence on warm-rain formation – are presented along with an overview of EUREC⁴A's outreach activities, environmental impact, and guidelines for scientific practice. Track data for all platforms are standardized and accessible at https://doi.org/10.25326/165 (Stevens, 2021), and a film documenting the campaign is provided as a video supplement

EUREC⁴A

The science guiding the EUREC⁴A campaign and its measurements is presented. EUREC⁴A comprised roughly 5 weeks of measurements in the downstream winter trades of the North Atlantic – eastward and southeastward of Barbados. Through its ability to characterize processes operating across a wide range of scales, EUREC⁴A marked a turning point in our ability to observationally study factors influencing clouds in the trades, how they will respond to warming, and their link to other components of the earth system, such as upper-ocean processes or the life cycle of particulate matter. This characterization was made possible by thousands (2500) of sondes distributed to measure circulations on meso- (200 km) and larger (500 km) scales, roughly 400 h of flight time by four heavily instrumented research aircraft; four global-class research vessels; an advanced ground-based cloud observatory; scores of autonomous observing platforms operating in the upper ocean (nearly 10 000 profiles), lower atmosphere (continuous profiling), and along the air–sea interface; a network of water stable isotopologue measurements; targeted tasking of satellite remote sensing; and modeling with a new generation of weather and climate models. In addition to providing an outline of the novel measurements and their composition into a unified and coordinated campaign, the six distinct scientific facets that EUREC⁴A explored – from North Brazil Current rings to turbulence-induced clustering of cloud droplets and its influence on warm-rain formation – are presented along with an overview of EUREC⁴A's outreach activities, environmental impact, and guidelines for scientific practice. Track data for all platforms are standardized and accessible at https://doi.org/10.25326/165 (Stevens, 2021), and a film documenting the campaign is provided as a video supplement

Mechanisms of chemiluminescent reaction between peroxynitrite and carbonyl metabolites

O peroxinitrito é um oxidante versátil, sendo responsável por oxidações uni e bieletrônicas, adições nucleofílicas, nitrações, nitrosações, hidroxilações e geração de oxigênio singlete, possuindo papéis fisiológicos e deletérios. Estudos de EPR captação de spin mostraram que compostos carbonílicos podem sofrer abstração de um elétron por peroxinitrito, seguida de consumo de oxigênio e quimiluminescência; p.ex., isobutiraldeído (IBAL), acetoacetona (AA), 3-metilacetoacetpna (MAA), etil acetoacetato (EAA), etil 2-metilacetoacetato (EMAA) e succinilacetona (SA). A emissão de luz é provavelmente devida à espécies excitadas tripletes, formadas a partir da termólise de intermediários dioxetânicos. Os perfis de pH obtidos por consumo total de oxigênio e quimiluminescência em tampão fosfato, apontam o ânion peroxinitrito como oxidante e a forma enólica dos compostos carbonílicos como substratos. A análise de produtos sugere a ocorrência de uma reação em cadeia na presença de oxigênio. Estas reações podem ter importante papel biológico, considerando-se que (i) compostos carbonílicos são ubíquos em sistemas biológicos em condições fisiológicas e patológicas, (ii) peroxinitrito está relacionado a respostas fisiológicas e patológicas, (iii) carbonilas tripletes podem ser vistas como radicais alcoxil e, dessa forma, possuir papel deletério a biomoléculas.Peroxynitrite displays an ample repertoire of chemical reactions -one- and two-electron oxidations, nucleophilic addition, nitration, nitrosation, hydroxylation, and singlet oxygen generation conferring it cell toxicity and signalling properties. Carbonyl compounds were shown by EPR spin-trapping to suffer one-electron abstraction by peroxynitrite, which is followed by oxygen consumption and chemiluminescence; e.g., isobutyraldehyde (IBAL), acetoacetone (AA), 3-methylacetoacetone (MAA), ethyl acetoacetate (EAA), ethyl 2-methylacetoacetate (EMAA) and succinylacetone (SA). Light emission probably arises from triplet species formed by the thermolysis of dioxetane intermediates. The pH profiles traced for oxygen uptake ·and chemiluminescence in phosphate buffer point to peroxynitrite anion as the oxidant and enolized carbonyls as the actual substrates. Product analysis suggests that a chain reaction occurs in the presence of oxygen. These reactions may play important biological roles considering that (i) carbonyl compounds are ubiquitous in biological systems under physiological and pathological conditions; (ii) peroxynitrite has been implicated in cell toxicity and signalling; (iii) triplet carbonyls may be viewed as alkoxyl radicals and, therefore, play a deleterious role in biomolecules