The Golgi apparatus is a functionally distinct Ca2+ store regulated by PKA and Epac branches of the β1-adrenergic signaling pathway.

Abstract

Ca2+ release from the Golgi apparatus regulates key functions of the organelle, including vesicle trafficking. However, the signaling pathways that control this form of Ca2+ release are poorly understood and evidence of discrete Golgi Ca2+ release events is lacking. Here, we identified the Golgi apparatus as the source of prolonged Ca2+ release events that originate from the nuclear ‘poles’ of primary cardiac cells. Once initiated, Golgi Ca2+ release was unaffected by global depletion of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+, and disruption of the Golgi apparatus abolished Golgi Ca2+ release without affecting sarcoplasmic reticulum function, suggesting functional and anatomical independence of Golgi and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores. Maximal activation of β1-adrenoceptors had only a small stimulating effect on Golgi Ca2+ release. However, inhibition of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 or 4, or downregulation of PDE 3 and 4 in heart failure markedly potentiated β1-adrenergic stimulation of Golgi Ca2+ release, consistent with compartmentalization of cAMP signaling within the Golgi apparatus microenvironment. β1-adrenergic stimulation of Golgi Ca2+ release involved activation of both Epac and PKA signaling pathways and CaMKII. Interventions that stimulated Golgi Ca2+ release induced trafficking of vascular growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) from the Golgi apparatus to the surface membrane. These data establish the Golgi apparatus as a juxtanuclear focal point for Ca2+ and β1-adrenergic signaling, which functions independently from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the global Ca2+ transients that underlie the primary contractile function of the cell.