Suppression of Stim1 reduced intracellular calcium concentration and attenuated hypoxia/reoxygenation induced apoptosis in H9C2 cells

Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1)-mediated store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) contributes to intracellular Ca(2+) accumulation. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of STIM1 and its downstream molecules Orai1/TRPC1 in the context of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) and the effect of STIM1 inhibition on Ca(2+) accumulation and apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Methods: Expression of STIM1/Orai1/TRPC1 was determined by RT-PCR and Western blot in mice subjected to MIRI and H9C2 cardiomyocytes subjected to H/R. To knock-down STIM1, H9C2 cardiomyocytes was transfected with Stealth SiRNA. Apoptosis was analyzed by both flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Intracellular Ca(2+) concentration was detected by laser scanning confocal microscopy using Fluo-3/AM probe. Furthermore, the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) was assessed by coloading with calcein AM and CoCl(2), while ROS generation was evaluated using the dye DCFH-DA in H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Results: Expression of STIM1/Orai1/TRPC1 significantly increased in transcript and translation level after MIRI in vivo and H/R in vitro. In H9C2 cardiomyocytes subjected to H/R, intracellular Ca(2+) accumulation significantly increased compared with control group, along with enhanced mPTP opening and elevated ROS generation. However, suppression of STIM1 by SiRNA significantly decreased apoptosis and intracellular Ca(2+) accumulation induced by H/R in H9C2 cardiomyocytes, accompanied by attenuated mPTP opening and decreased ROS generation. In addition, suppression of STIM1 increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, decreased Orai1/TRPC1, and cleaved caspase-3 expression. Conclusion: Suppression of STIM1 reduced intracellular calcium level and attenuated hypoxia/reoxygenation induced apoptosis in H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Our findings provide a new perspective in understanding STIM1-mediated calcium overload in the setting of MIRI.