Transport of Ca2+ from Sarcoplasmic Reticulum to Mitochondria in Rat Ventricular Myocytes

Studies with electron microscopy have shown that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) andmitochondria locate close to each other in cardiac muscle cells. We investigated the hypothesis thatthis proximity results in a transient exposure of mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (CaUP) to highconcentrations of Ca2+ following Ca2+ release from the SR and thus an influx of Ca2+into mitochondria. Single ventricular myocytes of rat were skinned by exposing them to aphysiological solution containing saponin (0.2 mg/ml). Cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c)and mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]m) were measured with fura-2 and rhod2,respectively. Application of caffeine (10 mM) induced a concomitant increase in[Ca2+]c and [Ca2+]m.Ruthenium red, at concentrations that block CaUP but not SR release, diminished thecaffeine-induced increase in [Ca2+]m but not[Ca2+]c. In the presence of 1 mM BAPTA, a Ca2+ chelator,the caffeine-induced increase in [Ca2+]m was reduced substantially less than [Ca2+]c. Moreover,inhibition of SR Ca2+ pump with two different concentrations of thapsigargin caused anincrease in [Ca2+]m, which was related to the rate of [Ca2+]c increase. Finally, electronmicroscopy showed that sites of junctions between SR and T tubules from which Ca2+ is released,or Ca2+ release units, CRUs, are preferentially located in close proximity to mitochondria.The distance between individual SR Ca2+ release channels (feet or ryanodine receptors) isvery short, ranging between approximately 37 and 270 nm. These results are consistent withthe idea that there is a preferential coupling of Ca2+ transport from SR to mitochondria incardiac muscle cells, because of their structural proximity.