Evidence for an intracellular localization of the adenosine A2B receptor in rat cardiomyocytes

Protection achieved by ischemic preconditioning is dependent on A2B adenosine receptors (A2BAR) in rabbit and mouse hearts and, predictably, an A2BAR agonist protects them. But it is controversial whether cardiomyocytes themselves actually express A2BAR. The present study tested whether A2BAR could be demonstrated on rat cardiomyocytes. Isolated rat hearts experienced 30 min of ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion. The highly selective, cell-permeant A2BAR agonist BAY60-6583 (500 nM) infused at reperfusion reduced infarct size from 40.4 ± 2.0% of the risk zone in control hearts to 19.9 ± 2.8% indicating that A2BAR are protective in rat heart as well. Furthermore, BAY60-6583 reduced calciuminduced mitochondrial permeability transition in isolated rat cardiomyocytes. A2BAR protein could be demonstrated in isolated cardiomyocytes by western blotting. In addition, message forA2BAR was found in individual cardiomyocytes using quantitative RT-PCR. Surprisingly, immunofluorescence microscopy did not show A2BAR on the cardiomyocyte’s sarcolemma but rather at intracellular sites. Co-staining with MitoTracker Red in isolated cardiomyocytes revealed A2BAR are localized to mitochondria. Western blot analysis of a mitochondrial fraction from either rat heart biopsies or isolated cardiomyocytes revealed a strong A2BAR band. Thus, the present study demonstrates that activation of A2BAR is strongly cardioprotective in rat heart and suppresses transition pores in isolated cardiomyocytes, and A2BAR are expressed in individual cardiomyocytes. However, surprisingly, A2BAR are present in or near mitochondria rather than on the sarcolemma as are other adenosine receptors. Because A2BAR signaling is thought to result in inhibition of mitochondrial transition pores, this convenient location may be important