nucleoside transporter; diabetes ADENOSINE MODULATES CELLULAR functions via G protein-coupled receptors to protect cells and organs and is released in response to cell injury and stress. For instance, adenosine levels in blood and interstitial fluid increase during hypoxia and ischemia. Increased extracellular adenosine causes vasodilation by acting through A 2 adenosine receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) (5, 31) and, thus, increases blood flow and oxygenation. Adenosine inhibits platelet aggregation (33), decreases heart rate (14), and antagonizes the stimulatory effects of catecholamines (37). Because of these important functions of adenosine as a negative-feedback modulator of cell and organ energy demand and consumption and as a celland organ-protective agent, it is known as a "retaliatory metabolite" (25). Recent reports also showed that adenosine released during preconditioning by short periods of ischemia followed by reperfusion induces cardioprotection to a subsequent sustained ischemia (17). This effect is mediated in part by activation of A 1 and A 3 adenosine receptors in cardiomyocytes and involves PKC and mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K ϩ channels (24).Nucleoside transporters fine-tune the local concentrations of adenosine in the vicinity of adenosine receptors. Two major classes of nucleoside transporters in mammalian cells have been characterized by Na ϩ dependence (16). The equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) are facilitated-diffusion systems and are Na ϩ independent. They are further subdivided into two types on the basis of their sensitivities to inhibition by nitrobenzylmercaptopurine riboside (NBMPR) (4, 43). ENT-1 is potently inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of NBMPR, but ENT-2 is resistant to NBMPR up to 1 M. ENT-1 and ENT-2 are broadly selective, accepting purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, but ENT-2 also transports nucleobases such as hypoxanthine (6,26,46). In contrast, the concentrative nucleoside transporters (CNTs) are Na ϩ dependent. CNT-1 is pyrimidine selective (36), CNT-2 is purine selective (42), and CNT-3 is broadly selective (35,41).Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Because adenosine inhibits growth of vascular SMCs (10,11,12,13) and nucleoside transporters are involved in adenosine homeostasis, in the present study, we characterized the nucleoside transport systems in cultured human aortic SMCs (HASMCs). We also determined the effect on adenosine transport of long-term exposure of cells to 25 mM D-glucose, a condition that mimics hyperglycemia of diabetes.
MATERIALS AND METHODSCulture of HASMCs. HASMCs were obtained from American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA) and cultured in DMEM (containing 5 mM D-glucose) supplemented with 10% (vol/vol) fetal bovine serum, 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 g/ml streptomycin at 37°C in 95% air-5% CO 2. All experiments were carried out with cells from passages 6 to 14. At 48 h before uptake study and mRNA and protein isolation, cells were incubated in serum-free DMEM. To study t...