Depression of voltage-activated Ca(2+) release in skeletal muscle by activation of a voltage-sensing phosphatase

Phosphoinositides act as signaling molecules in numerous cellular transduction processes, and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P(2)) regulates the function of several types of plasma membrane ion channels. We investigated the potential role of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) in Ca(2+) homeostasis and excitation–contraction (E-C) coupling of mouse muscle fibers using in vivo expression of the voltage-sensing phosphatases (VSPs) Ciona intestinalis VSP (Ci-VSP) or Danio rerio VSP (Dr-VSP). Confocal images of enhanced green fluorescent protein–tagged Dr-VSP revealed a banded pattern consistent with VSP localization within the transverse tubule membrane. Rhod-2 Ca(2+) transients generated by 0.5-s-long voltage-clamp depolarizing pulses sufficient to elicit Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) but below the range at which VSPs are activated were unaffected by the presence of the VSPs. However, in Ci-VSP–expressing fibers challenged by 5-s-long depolarizing pulses, the Ca(2+) level late in the pulse (3 s after initiation) was significantly lower at 120 mV than at 20 mV. Furthermore, Ci-VSP–expressing fibers showed a reversible depression of Ca(2+) release during trains, with the peak Ca(2+) transient being reduced by ∼30% after the application of 10 200-ms-long pulses to 100 mV. A similar depression was observed in Dr-VSP–expressing fibers. Cav1.1 Ca(2+) channel–mediated current was unaffected by Ci-VSP activation. In fibers expressing Ci-VSP and a pleckstrin homology domain fused with monomeric red fluorescent protein (PLCδ(1)PH-mRFP), depolarizing pulses elicited transient changes in mRFP fluorescence consistent with release of transverse tubule–bound PLCδ(1)PH domain into the cytosol; the voltage sensitivity of these changes was consistent with that of Ci-VSP activation, and recovery occurred with a time constant in the 10-s range. Our results indicate that the PtdIns(4,5)P(2) level is tightly maintained in the transverse tubule membrane of the muscle fibers, and that VSP-induced depletion of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) impairs voltage-activated Ca(2+) release from the SR. Because Ca(2+) release is thought to be independent from InsP(3) signaling, the effect likely results from an interaction between PtdIns(4,5)P(2) and a protein partner of the E-C coupling machinery.