Most glucose is processed in muscle, for energy or glycogen stores. Malignant Hyperthermia Susceptibility (MHS) exemplifies muscle conditions that increase [Ca2+]cytosol. 42% of MHS patients have hyperglycemia. We show that phosphorylated glycogen phosphorylase (GPa), glycogen synthase (GSa) – respectively activated and inactivated by phosphorylation – and their Ca2+-dependent kinase (PhK), are elevated in microsomal extracts from MHS patients’ muscle. Glycogen and glucose transporter GLUT4 are decreased. [Ca2+]cytosol, increased to MHS levels, promoted GP phosphorylation. Imaging at ~100 nm resolution located GPa at sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) junctional cisternae, and apo-GP at Z disk. MHS muscle therefore has a wide-ranging alteration in glucose metabolism: high [Ca2+]cytosol activates PhK, which inhibits GS, activates GP and moves it toward the SR, favoring glycogenolysis. The alterations probably cause these patients’ hyperglycemia. For basic studies, MHS emerges as a variable stressor, which forces glucose pathways from the normal to the diseased range, thereby exposing novel metabolic links.

No abstract

The auxiliary β4subunit of the cardiac Cav1.2 channel plays a poorly understood role in gene transcription. Here, we characterized the regulatory effects of the β4subunit in H9c2 rat cardiac cells on the abundances ofIfnbmRNA [which encodes interferon-β (IFN-β)] and of the IFN-β–related genesDdx58,Ifitm3,Irf7,Stat2,Ifih1, andMx1, as well as on the abundances of the antiviral proteins DDX58, IRF7, STAT2, and IFITM3. Knocking down the β4subunit in H9c2 cells reduced the expression of IFN-β–stimulated genes. In response to inhibition of the kinase JAK1, the abundances of β4subunit mRNA and protein were decreased. β4subunit abundance was increased, and it translocated to the nucleus, in cells treated with IFN-β, infected with dengue virus (DENV), or transfected with poly(I:C), a synthetic analog of double-stranded RNA. Cells that surrounded the virus-infected cells showed translocation of β4subunit proteins to nuclei in response to spreading infection. We showed that the β4subunit interacted with the transcriptional regulator IRF7 and that the activity of anIrf7promoter–driven reporter was increased in cells overexpressing the β4subunit. Last, overexpressing β4in undifferentiated and differentiated H9c2 cells reduced DENV infection and decreased the abundance of the viral proteins NS1, NS3, and E-protein. DENV infection and poly(I:C) also increased the concentration of intracellular Ca2+in these cells. These findings suggest that the β4subunit plays a role in promoting the expression of IFN-related genes, thereby reducing viral infection.

No abstract

Integrator 1 (BIN1), in the clustering of Ca v 1.2 channels in ventricular myocytes. Both of these proteins are known to directly interact with Ca v 1.2 channels. AKAP150 is important for local membrane targeting of PKA, PKCa and calcineurin, while Bin1 has established roles in cardiac t-tubule folding and in the trafficking and localization of Ca v 1.2 channels to t-tubules. Using GSD superresolution imaging, we found that clustering of Ca v 1.2 channels in these cells is unaltered by genetic ablation of AKAP79/150 such that the area of Ca V 1.2 clusters was similar in WT (2379 5 43 nm) and AKAP150 -/myocytes (2379 5 43 nm). However, heterozygous deletion of Bin1 significantly reduced Ca v 1.2 channel cluster size. The area of Ca V 1.2 channel clusters was approximately 42% smaller in BIN1 þ/-(1379 5 43 nm) than in WT (2349 5 76 nm 2 ) ventricular myocytes (p< 0.0001). This data suggests that Bin1 is a key regulator of Ca v 1.2 channel clustering in heart.