Differential effects of bepridil on functional properties of troponin C in slow and fast skeletal muscles

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Abstract
Bepridil (BPD) is a pharmacological compound able to bind to the Ca2+ sensor protein troponin C (TnC), which triggers skeletal muscle contraction upon Ca2+‐binding. BPD can thereby modulate the Ca2+‐affinity of this protein. The Ca2+‐sensitizing action of bepridil was investigated on slow and fast isoforms of TnC from skinned slow and fast skeletal muscle fibres, activated by either Ca2+ or Sr2+ ions. Bepridil did not modify the Ca2+ maximal tension of slow and fast fibres, suggesting that binding of the drug to TnC did not induce a change in the number of cross‐bridges involved in maximal tension. Sr2+ ions induced lower maximal tension than Ca2+ ions. However, in fast fibres, these lower Sr2+ maximal tensions could be reinforced by bepridil, suggesting an effect of bepridil on the function of site I of fast TnC. Under submaximal tension, bepridil induced an increase in Ca2+ affinity of TnC in both slow and fast fibres. However, slow fibres were more drug reactive than fast fibres, and the increase in tension appeared to be modulated by the Ca2+ concentration. Thus, bepridil exerted a differential effect on slow and fast fibres. Moreover, the results suggest that bepridil was more effective when activation conditions were unfavourable. British Journal of Pharmacology (1999) 128, 767–773; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0702820