Microfilament and microtubule assembly is required for the propagation of inositol trisphosphate receptor-induced Ca2+ waves in bovine aortic endothelial cells.

Ca2+ is a highly versatile second messenger that plays a key role in the regulation of numerous cell processes. One-way cells ensure the specificity and reliability of Ca2+ signals is by organizing them spatially in the form of waves that propagate throughout the cell or within a specific subcellular region. In non-excitable cells, the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) is responsible for the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum. The spatial aspect of the Ca2+ signal depends on the organization of various elements of the Ca2+ signaling toolkit and varies from tissue to tissue. Ca2+ is implicated in many of endothelium functions that thus depend on the versatility of Ca2+ signaling. In the present study, we showed that the disruption of caveolae microdomains in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin was not sufficient to disorganize the propagation of Ca2+ waves when the cells were stimulated with ATP or bradykinin. However, disorganizing microfilaments with latrunculin B and microtubules with colchicine both prevented the formation of Ca2+ waves. These results suggest that the organization of the Ca2+ waves mediated by IP3R channels does not depend on the integrity of caveolae in BAEC, but that microtubule and microfilament cytoskeleton assembly is crucial.