AlF-4 inhibits the accumulation of Ca in the endoplasmic reticulum in intact myometrial strips, but not in the rabbit ear artery.

AlF-4, known to be a potent modulator of G-proteins, also inhibits purified "P"-type cation-transport ATPases (Missiaen et al. 1988). The aim of the present work is to find out whether AlF-4 also inhibits these ATPases in intact cells. We therefore have studied the effect of AlF-4 on the force development and on 45Ca2+ -fluxes of muscle strips from rat myometrium and rabbit ear artery. 1 mM-NaF plus 10 microM-AlCl3 induces in both tissues a tonic contraction that is completely blocked by 0.5 mM-deferoxamine. The contractile response in myometrium exceeds that of the ear artery. These contractions are independent of an activation of G-proteins but their amplitude depends on [Ca2+]o. Application of AlF-4 during the loading of the endoplasmic reticulum of myometrium with Ca2+ dramatically reduces the amount of stored Ca2+ as estimated from its release induced by 1 mM-carbachol during incubation in Ca-free solution. This effect could be due to a predominant inhibitory effect of AlF-4 on the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase of the endoplasmic reticulum. Such effect could not be established in rabbit ear artery. The increase of the fractional loss of 45Ca2+ induced by 10 microM-norepinephrine in rabbit ear artery is not inhibited by AlF-4. It is concluded that the inhibition of the endoplasmic-reticulum (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase in intact myometrial cells warns us against explaining all effects of AlF-4 on intact cells only by an activation of G-proteins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)