Abnormal intestinal regulation of calbindin-D9K and calmodulin by dietary calcium in genetic hypertension

Using isolated duodenal cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive controls, Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), we previously showed that cellular calcium flux was decreased in SHR and that increasing dietary calcium (from 1 to 2%) eliminated strain differences in Ca2+ fluxes. The present study was carried out to investigate the role of calbindin-D9K and calmodulin in the flux difference and dietary calcium effects. Calbindin-D9K and calmodulin were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis in duodenal protein extracts of SHR and WKY (12–14 and 24–26 wk old) fed either a 1 or 2% calcium diet and measured by a ligand blotting (45Ca) technique. Young SHR had a significantly lower calbindin-D9K (P less than 0.001) than did WKY on either diet. Calmodulin was significantly lower in young SHR than in WKY (P less than 0.002). There was no strain difference in calmodulin in older rats fed the normal calcium diet. Calbindin-D9K was significantly decreased by the high-calcium diet in both strains at both ages. There was a significant correlation between duodenal calbindin-D9K and plasma levels of calcitriol (r = +0.80, P less than 0.001) in WKY but not in SHR. Calmodulin was significantly decreased by dietary calcium in mature WKY (4.8 +/- 0.2 vs. 3.7 +/- 0.4 micrograms/mg cell protein, P less than 0.03), demonstrating a potential regulation by dietary calcium of this protein. Finally, there was a significant correlation between calbindin-D9K and calmodulin (r = 0.59, P less than 0.001) in WKY but not in SHR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)