Role of tyrosine kinase activity in alpha-adrenergic inhibition of the beta-adrenergically regulated L-type Ca(2+) current in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes.

1. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that tyrosine kinase activity contributes to alpha(1)-adrenergic inhibition of beta-adrenergic responses in cardiac myocytes. We addressed this question by studying the pharmacological regulation of the L-type Ca(2+) current in acutely isolated adult guinea-pig ventricular myocytes using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. 2. The selective alpha(1)-adrenergic receptor agonist methoxamine had no effect on the basal L-type Ca(2+) current. Methoxamine also had no effect on cAMP-dependent stimulation of the Ca(2+) current mediated by H(2) histamine receptor activation. However, methoxamine did inhibit cAMP-dependent stimulation of the Ca(2+) current mediated by beta-adrenergic receptor activation. The ability of methoxamine to inhibit beta-adrenergic regulation of the Ca(2+) current was significantly antagonized by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and lavendustin A. 3. The inhibitory effect of methoxamine was also mimicked by the phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor pervanadate (PVN). PVN had no effect on basal Ca(2+) current or Ca(2+) current stimulated by histamine, but it did inhibit Ca(2+) current stimulated by beta-adrenergic receptor activation. Furthermore, the ability of PVN to inhibit beta-adrenergic stimulation of the Ca(2+) current was antagonized by lavendustin A. 4. These results are consistent with the conclusion that in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes alpha-adrenergic inhibition of beta-adrenergic responses involves a tyrosine kinase-dependent signalling pathway. The fact that methoxamine and PVN antagonized cAMP-dependent responses mediated by beta-adrenergic, but not H(2) histamine, receptor activation suggests that the inhibitory effect of alpha-adrenergic stimulation and tyrosine kinase activity is at the level of the beta-adrenergic receptor.