ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol., 11 August 2025

Sec. Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology

Volume 16 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1597035

The identification of adenylyl cyclase modulators as potential receptors for 6-nitrodopamine in human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and their relevance in heart inotropism

  • 1. Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

  • 2. CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, Naples, Italy

  • 3. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo, Brazil

  • 4. Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil

  • 5. Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

  • 6. Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

  • 7. Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (ICB-USP), São Paulo, Brazil

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Abstract

6-Nitrodopamine (6-ND) has potent positive chronotropic and inotropic effects. At a very low dose, i.e., 10 fM, it causes potentiation of the positive chronotropic effects induced by catecholamines in the rat atria, indicating a distinct mechanism of action. Cyclase-associated proteins (CAP-1 and CAP-2) are potential receptors for 6-ND in human cardiomyocytes. Since cyclic 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) plays a fundamental role in the positive inotropic effects of classical catecholamines, it was further investigated whether 6-ND potentiates the positive inotropic effects induced by classical catecholamines in the rat isolated perfused heart. Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes were harvested and lysed, and following appropriate separation procedures, membrane proteins were incubated with 6-ND-derivatized agarose, centrifuged, and the proteins retained in the agarose eluted with 6-ND (1 mM). The proteins isolated from the chemical pulldown assay were fractionated by SDS-PAGE, the bands were cut and hydrolyzed in situ with trypsin, and then separated and sequenced. A total of 817 proteins were generated, and following screening using UniProt “Retrieve/ID Mapping” function and Gene Ontology cellular component category, 124 proteins were identified as membrane proteins. These experiments identified three proteins that modulate adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity (CAP-1, CAP-2, and STIM1), which are compatible with the pharmacological findings reported for 6-ND in the rat heart. As expected, 6-ND strongly potentiates the inotropic effect induced by noradrenaline in Langendorff’s preparation. In conclusion, 6-ND-induced potentiation of catecholamine-induced chronotropic and inotropic effects is due to the modulation of adenylyl cyclase activity, probably via direct interactions with CAP-1 and CAP-2.

1 Introduction

6-Nitrodopamine (6-ND) is a novel endogenous catecholamine that exerts potent and long-lasting positive chronotropic and inotropic responses in the isolated rat heart (Britto-Júnior et al., 2022; 2023a; Zatz and De Nucci, 2024). In rat isolated right atria, 6-ND at a concentration as low as 10 fM markedly potentiates the positive chronotropic effects induced by the classical catecholamines dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023b). Interestingly, the low concentration (100 nM) of selective β1-adrenoceptor antagonists atenolol, betaxolol, and metoprolol significantly reduced both basal atrial rates and 6-ND-induced positive chronotropism (Britto-Júnior et al., 2022). This result implies that these drugs act as 6-ND receptor antagonists (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023b). More recently, 4-nitropropanolol (Sparaco et al., 2022) has been identified as a more selective 6-ND receptor antagonist in the rat isolated right atrium (Oliveira et al., 2024b); however, the receptor of 6-ND is yet to be identified.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (Di Baldassarre et al., 2018) reproduce the molecular mechanisms involved in heart disorders such as long QT syndrome (Keller et al., 2005), catecholamine polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (Itzhaki et al., 2012), and Brugada syndrome (Davis et al., 2012), thus offering a suitable translational model for investigating the expression of 6-ND receptors. Therefore, we employed hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to explore the potential targets for 6-ND, using a chemical pulldown approach, in which 6-ND was immobilized on agarose beads and incubated with cardiomyocyte membrane extracts. The purified proteins were then fractionated by SDS-PAGE; the bands were cut and hydrolyzed with trypsin, and the peptide mixtures were separated through UPLC and analyzed using mass spectrometry. Protein identification was carried out using the MaxQuant search-engine to query the UniProt Homo Sapiens database. In the competitive assay, 4-nitropropranolol, here referred to as a selective 6-ND antagonist, was added to the protein extract, and the proteins retained on the beads were subtracted from that obtained in the absence of 4-nitropropranolol. Three proteins that modulate the adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity were identified. Because cyclic 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) plays a fundamental role in the positive inotropic effects of classical catecholamines (Guellich et al., 2014), we demonstrated the synergistic effects of 6-ND with noradrenaline on the positive inotropic response by using the Langendorff isolated heart perfusion model.

2 Materials and methods

2.1 Chemical pulldown assay and protein separation

Actively beating hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPS-DF19-9-7T, WiCell Research Institute, Madison, Unites States) were harvested and lysed with a specific membrane protein enrichment protocol. Cardiomyocytes were treated using a Mem-PER™ Plus Membrane Protein Extraction kit (ThermoFisher Scientific, Waltham, Massachusetts, United States), according to the manufacturer’s protocol to enrich the protein membrane protein extract. In brief, 50 × 106 cardiomyocytes were added to 7.5 mL of permeabilization buffer, vortexed, and incubated for 10 min at 4°C with constant mixing. The supernatant, comprising cytosolic proteins, was collected by centrifuging for 15 min at 21,000 g. Solubilization buffer (5 mL) was added to the pellet, vortexed, and incubated for 30 min at 4°C with constant mixing. The supernatant, comprising the membrane proteins, was collected by centrifugation for 15 min at 21,000 g. The quantification of the extracted proteins was performed using the Pierce 660 nm assay (ThermoFisher Scientific, Waltham, Massachusetts, United States). The efficiency of the fractionation procedure was analyzed by Western blot assays, monitoring specific markers for each cell compartment (GAPDH for cytosol and caveolin-1 for membrane) with specific antibodies (Figure 1).

FIGURE 1

Gel electrophoresis image showing two lanes labeled PD and PC with molecular weight markers on the left ranging from 15 to 250 kilodaltons. Multiple bands are visible in each lane, indicating protein separation.

SDS-PAGE of proteins eluted from the chemical pulldown (lane PD) and from the pre-clearing (lane PC). The molecular weight markers are also reported.

2.2 Chemical pulldown assay

For the pre-clearing step, 1.5 mg of the membrane extract was incubated (2 h) with 200 μL of naked PureCube Carboxy Agarose beads (Cube Biotech, Monheim, Germany) at 4°C to adsorb the protein background. The beads were centrifuged at 240 g for 2 min, and the supernatant was collected and then incubated with 200 μL of the resin derivatized with 6-ND overnight at 4°C. The naked agarose was washed with membrane extract buffer provided by the Mem-PER™ kit, and the proteins retained on the naked agarose were eluted with a solution of 1 mM of 6-ND. The eluted proteins were fractionated by SDS-PAGE. The gel was stained with GelCode™ Blue Safe Protein Stain (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, United States) and destained with Milli-Q water (PC lane in Figure 2).

FIGURE 2

Western blot image with two panels showing protein expression in cytosol and membrane fractions. The top panel indicates α-GAPDH with strong bands at 37 kDa, while the bottom panel shows α-Caveolin-1 with faint bands around 20-25 kDa.

Western blot assays for the verification of the fractionated lysis. The presence of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and caveolin-1 was monitored as markers of cytosolic and membrane fraction, respectively.

The supernatant was incubated overnight with the 6-ND-derivatized agarose and then centrifuged, and the pellet was washed with membrane extract buffer provided by the Mem-PER™ kit. The proteins retained on the 6-ND-derivatized agarose were eluted with a solution of 1 mM of 6-ND (PD lane in Figure 2).

In the competitive assay, 1 mM of 4-nitropropanolol was added to the membrane protein extract collected after the 6-ND pulldown assay and then incubated with the resin derivatized with 6-ND overnight at 4°C. The supernatant was removed, and the resin was washed with membrane extraction buffer provided by the Mem-PER™ kit. The proteins retained on the resin were eluted with a solution of 1 mM of 6-ND.

To define the interactors shared between 4-nitropropanolol and 6-ND, we identified the proteins retained on the beads in the competitor assay and subtracted this list from that obtained in the absence of the competitor, as described above.

2.3 Protein separation and identification

The proteins derived from chemical pulldown were fractionated by SDS-PAGE. The gel was stained with GelCode™ Blue Safe Protein Stain (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, United States) and destained with Milli-Q water. A total of nine bands were cut and in situ-hydrolyzed by trypsin (Iaconis et al., 2017). Peptide mixtures were extracted in 0.2% HCOOH and ACN and vacuum-dried using a SpeedVac System (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Peptide mixtures from the hydrolyzed gel bands were analyzed on an Orbitrap Exploris 240 instrument equipped with a Nanospray Flex ion source and coupled with a Vanquish Neo nanoUPLC system. Samples were fractionated using a C18 capillary reverse-phase column (150 mm, 75, 2 μm 100 Å) at a flow rate of 250 nL/min. A linear gradient of eluent B (0.2% formic acid in 95% acetonitrile) in A (0.2% formic acid and 2% acetonitrile in LC-MS grade water) was used from 2% to 90% in 77 min. The MS/MS method, based on a data-dependent acquisition (DDA) mode, recorded a single full-scan spectrum in the 375–1,200 m/z range, followed by fragmentation spectra of the top 20 ions (MS/MS scan) selected according to the intensity and charge state (+2, +3, and multi-charges), with a dynamic exclusion time of 40 s. Protein identification was carried out using MaxQuant software (v.1.5.2.8), with the UniProt Homo Sapiens database, as previously described (Palinski et al., 2021). A diagram illustrating the above-described steps is presented in Figure 3.

FIGURE 3

Diagram showing two panels (A and B) illustrating protein extraction and analysis. Panel A depicts the addition of 4NP and 6-ND derivatized beads to a membrane protein extract with drug binding, elution, and LC-MS/MS analysis. Panel B shows a similar process with proteins/6-ND complexes pulldown followed by elution and LC-MS/MS. Color legend: purple for drug targets, brown for non-specific binders.

Graphical summary of the experimental strategy. Enriched membrane proteins were incubated with beads covalently coupled to 6-ND, either in the presence (A) or in the absence (B) of 4-nitropropranolol (4NP). Proteins binding to 6-ND and retained on the beads were subsequently eluted and identified through LC-MS/MS analysis. Adapted form Iacobucci et al. (2023), licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Nonspecific contaminants were also removed for comparison using the Contaminant Repository for Affinity Purification (CRAPome) 2.0 web tool (https://reprint-apms.org). Contaminants defined as proteins reported in at least 50% of similar experiments were discarded from the initial lists (Iacobucci et al., 2022).

2.4 Functional clustering analysis

Cell compartment enrichment analysis was carried out using FunRich 3.1.3 (Fonseka et al., 2021) software by querying the Gene Ontology database. The Benjamini–Hochberg adjusted p-value (FDR) and fold enrichment cutoffs were 0.001 and 3, respectively. The biological process over-representation analysis was performed using the ClueGO 2.5.7 app (Bindea et al., 2009) of the Cytoscape platform (FDR < 0.05).

2.5 Animals

Adult male Wistar rats (280–320 g) were obtained from the Central Animal House at the University of Campinas (CEMIB-UNICAMP; São Paulo, Brazil). All experimental protocols were approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Use of the UNICAMP (CEUA; Protocol No. 5746-1/2021; 5831-1/2021), following the Brazilian Guidelines for the Production, Maintenance, and Use of Animals for Teaching or Research from the National Council of Control in Animal Experimentation (CONCEA), and the ARRIVE guidelines (Percie du Sert et al., 2020). Three individuals were housed in each cage placed on ventilated shelters at a humidity of 55% ± 5% and a temperature of 24°C ± 1°C under a 12-h light–dark cycle. Animals received filtered water and standard rodent food ad libitum.

2.6 Langendorff’s isolated perfused heart preparation and measurements of heart contractile function

Heparin (1,000 IU/kg) was previously injected intraperitoneally into the animals to prevent blood clotting, and euthanasia was performed by administering isoflurane overdose, as previously described (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023a). Exsanguination was performed to confirm the euthanasia. The chest was opened, the heart was rapidly excised, the ascending aorta was cannulated, and the heart was mounted on a nonrecirculating Langendorff apparatus. The isolated heart was perfused with Krebs–Henseleit’s solution (pH 7.4, 37°C) equilibrated with a carbogen gas mixture (95% O2: 5% CO2) at a constant flow (10 mL/min), and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) was maintained between 4 and 8 mmHg during the initial equilibrium of the experiment (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023a). A water-filled latex balloon, connected to the pressure transducer (MLT1199 BP Transducer, ADInstruments, Inc., Dunedin, NZ), was inserted into the left ventricle (LV) via the mitral valve. Left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVeDP), and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded using a PowerLab System (ADInstruments, Inc., Dunedin, NZ). Only hearts that presented a basal heart rate between 250 and 300 bpm were employed in the experiments.

The hearts were allowed to equilibrate for at least 10 min, and the effects of a 1-min infusion (100 μL/min) 6-nitrodopamine (0.01, 0.1, or 1 pM final concentration) were evaluated. Each heart was subjected to only one infusion. Changes were monitored for 30 min. To investigate the synergism between 6-nitrodopamine and noradrenaline in the Langendorff’s perfused heart analysis, the following protocols were employed. One-minute (100 μL/min) infusion of 6-nitrodopamine (0.001 or 0.01 pM, final concentration) was performed, and then, a single bolus of noradrenaline (1 pmol) was administered, and the heart was monitored for 15 min. One heart was used for a single drug and infusion. Data obtained from the Landendorff preparations (heart rate, LVDP, dP/dt max, and RPP) were expressed as left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), calculated using the following formula: LVSP − LVeDP, and expressed in mmHg. The rate pressure product (RPP) was defined as the product of HR and LVDP: RPP = (HR × LVDP). The maximal rate of increase in the left ventricular pressure (+dP/dtmax) was monitored continuously using a pressure transducer connected to a PowerLab system (AD Instrument, Australia).

2.7 Statistical analysis

Data obtained from the Langendorff preparations were represented by mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). Comparison between baseline values and those obtained during drug stimulation in the same sample was performed using the paired t-test. Comparison between two groups was performed using the unpaired t-test. Comparisons among three or more groups were evaluated using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the Newman–Keuls test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

2.8 Chemicals and reagents

Noradrenaline was obtained from Cayman Chemicals (Michigan, United States). 6-Nitrodopamine was acquired from Toronto Research Chemicals (Ontario, CA). PureCube Carboxy Agarose Beads were purchased from Cube Biotech (Monheim, Germany). Trypsin, the Mem-PER™ Plus Membrane Protein Extraction Kit, Pierce 660 nm Protein Assay, GelCode™ Blue Safe Protein Stain, Orbitrap Exploris 240 (Mass Spectrometer), and Vanquish Neo nanoUPLC System were acquired from Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA, United States). 4-NO2-propranolol was synthesized as described elsewhere (Sparaco et al., 2022). Sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium chloride (KCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), potassium phosphate mono-basic (KH2PO4), and glucose were acquired from Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany).

3 Results

3.1 Identification of 6-ND targets in cardiomyocytes

The proteins identified from the pre-clearing (PC lane) were discarded from the protein list obtained in the chemical pulldown (PD lane). The remaining proteins were filtered against the proteins listed in the Contaminant Repository for Affinity Purification (CRAPome) 2.0 (Mellacheruvu et al., 2013). At the end of this procedure, 869 potential 6-ND direct and indirect interactors were obtained (Supplementary Table S1). Another pulldown experiment was performed in the presence of an excess of 4-nitro-propranolol, the 6-ND antagonist. Eighty-two proteins were retained on the beads and represent the specific interactors of 6-ND (Table 1), and 52 have already been identified in the pulldown with 6-ND. By subtracting these 52 proteins from the 869 potential 6-ND direct and indirect interactors, a list of 817 proteins was obtained (Supplementary Table S2), which represent the interactors shared between 6-ND and 4-nitropropranolol experiments.

TABLE 1

Uniprot IDProtein nameGene nameSequence coverage [%]Razor + unique peptidesUnique peptides
P35914Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase, mitochondrialHMGCL10.244
Q96DB5Regulator of microtubule dynamics protein 1RMDN110.844
Q9H3N1Thioredoxin-related transmembrane protein 1TMX112.144
P07858Cathepsin BCTSB12.455
P48047ATP synthase subunit O, mitochondrialATP5PO1544
Q166982,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase, mitochondrialDECR115.844
Q8NBJ7Inactive C-alpha-formylglycine-generating enzyme 2SUMF216.344
Q9BPW8Protein NipSnap homolog 1NIPSNAP116.554
P51572B-cell receptor-associated protein 31BCAP3117.544
Q9BVK6Transmembrane emp24 domain-containing protein 9TMED919.154
O15400Syntaxin-7STX719.944
O95571Persulfide dioxygenase ETHE1, mitochondrialETHE120.944
Q96CN7Isochorismatase domain-containing protein 1ISOC121.144
P09429High-mobility group protein B1HMGB121.444
P09012U1 small-nuclear ribonucleoprotein ASNRPA22.343
P6225814-3-3 protein epsilonYWHAE23.144
P61019Ras-related protein R2ARAB2A23.142
P30041Peroxiredoxin-6PRDX623.244
P61106Ras-related protein R14RAB1423.355
Q9NXA8NAD-dependent protein deacylase sirtuin-5, mitochondrialSIRT523.966
P20340Ras-related protein R6ARAB6A2466
Q9NP72Ras-related protein R18RAB1824.344
P62826GTP-binding nuclear protein RanRAN24.555
Q7Z4W1L-xylulose reductaseDCXR24.644
O95292Vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B/CVAPB24.754
O15173Membrane-associated progesterone receptor component 2PGRMC226.555
Q86V81THO complex subunit 4ALYREF26.844
P0DPI2Glutamine amidotransferase-like class 1 domain-containing protein 3A, mitochondrialGATD3A27.266
Q9H9Z2Protein lin-28 homolog ALIN28A27.844
P27144Adenylate kinase 4, mitochondrialAK428.744
P30086Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1BP128.944
P51148Ras-related protein R5CRAB5C29.254
P61586Transforming protein RhoARHOA29.576
Q15691Microtubule-associated protein RP/EB family member 1MAPRE130.655
Q9UIJ7GTP:AMP phosphotransferase AK3, mitochondrialAK333.577
P6310414-3-3 protein zeta/deltaYWHAZ35.587
P09211Glutathione S-transferase PGSTP136.255
O00264Membrane-associated progesterone receptor component 1PGRMC136.987
O75947ATP synthase subunit d, mitochondrialATP5PD37.966
P4678240S ribosomal protein S5RPS541.788
Q99497Protein/nucleic acid deglycase DJ-1PARK743.944
Q997143-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase type-2HSD17B1047.977
P63244Receptor of activated protein C kinase 1RACK154.91515
O15382Branched-chain-amino-acid aminotransferase, mitochondrialBCAT212.244
P23526AdenylhomocysteinaseAHCY12.755
Q8NBX0Saccharopine dehydrogenase-like oxidoreductaseSCCPDH13.144
P09486SPARCSPARC13.244
P24752Acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase, mitochondrialACAT114.344
Q7L592Protein arginine methyltransferase NDUFAF7, mitochondrialNDUFAF714.744
Q13510Acid ceramidaseASAH114.755
P8265028S ribosomal protein S22, mitochondrialMRPS2214.744
P50148Guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(q) subunit alphaGNAQ15.344
P78310Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptorCXADR15.355
P17612cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit alphaPRKACA15.744
P17174Aspartate aminotransferase, cytoplasmicGOT116.744
Q15738Sterol-4-alpha-carboxylate 3-dehydrogenase, decarboxylatingNSDHL17.244
Q12907Vesicular integral-membrane protein VIP36LMAN217.466
O43464Serine protease HTRA2, mitochondrialHTRA218.355
Q9BWD1Acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase, cytosolicACAT219.444
Q9Y371Endophilin-B1SH3GLB119.555
Q9H2U2Inorganic pyrophosphatase 2, mitochondrialPPA220.155
Q9Y2S7Polymerase delta-interacting protein 2POLDIP220.455
Q6NVY13-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase, mitochondrialHIBCH2266
P52907F-actin-capping protein subunit alpha-1CAPZA12243
Q9Y3F4Serine–threonine kinase receptor-associated proteinSTRAP22.644
A8MXV4Nucleoside diphosphate-linked moiety X motif 19NUDT1923.255
Q4G0N4NAD kinase 2, mitochondrialNADK223.566
Q9BTV4Transmembrane protein 43TMEM4323.555
P16422Epithelial cell adhesion moleculeEPCAM23.677
Q9BXW7Haloacid dehalogenase-like hydrolase domain-containing 5HDHD524.177
O75521Enoyl-CoA delta isomerase 2, mitochondrialECI224.955
P16219Short-chain-specific acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, mitochondrialACADS25.577
O43148mRNA cap guanine-N7 methyltransferaseRNMT25.888
O94905Erlin-2ERLIN226.888
P00387NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase 3CYB5R327.655
P45954Short-/branched-chain-specific acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, mitochondrialACADSB29.988
P50453Serpin B9SERPINB930.699
P62140Serine/threonine–protein phosphatase PP1-beta catalytic subunitPPP1CB36.4122
O00330Pyruvate dehydrogenase protein X component, mitochondrialPDHX1355
Q9ULV4Coronin-1CCORO1C13.566
Q9NZW5MAGUK p55 subfamily member 6MPP616.788
P04040CatalaseCAT21.188

List of proteins retained on the beads following the chemical pulldown experiment performed using an excess of 4-nitro-propranolol.

3.2 Functional enrichment analysis of 6-ND targets

To define cell components enriched in the targets of 6-ND within cardiomyocytes, an over-representation analysis was performed on the 817 proteins in common with the competitor. The identified proteins were functionally analyzed using the FunRich 3.1.3 search engine, in order to interrogate the Gene Ontology database for subcellular localizations. The terms were considered significant when the FDR was <0.001 and the fold enrichment was higher than 3. The results are reported in the histogram in Figure 4.

FIGURE 4

Bar chart illustrating fold enrichment of various cellular components. The cytosol shows the highest enrichment around 45, followed by components like exosome and cytoplasm. Other components, such as the proteasome complex, display lower enrichment levels.

Cellular component analysis of all identified 6-ND targets based on the Gene Ontology database. For each enriched term, the histogram displays the fold enrichment value.

The cellular component analysis suggested a distribution of potential 6-ND targets through different cell compartments. This finding was expected since the membrane protein extract was partially contaminated also with cytosolic proteins, as suggested by the Western blot assay (Figure 1).

Therefore, in light of our interest in potential cell surface targets, the UniProt “Retrieve/ID Mapping” function (Pundir et al., 2016) was used; the total protein list was further screened according to the Gene Ontology cellular component category, and only those genes whose annotation contained the term “membrane” were considered for further analyses. From the initial list of 869 entries, only 124 (Table 2) were selected because they satisfied the previous restriction criteria.

TABLE 2

Uniprot IDProtein nameGene nameSequence coverage [%]Razor + unique peptidesUnique peptides
A0FGR8Extended synaptotagmin-2ESYT212.31010
O00186Syntaxin-binding protein 3STXBP314.41010
O14672Disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10ADAM1019.91515
O14936Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASKCASK28.32525
O15031Plexin-B2PLXNB215.62322
O43278Kunitz-type protease inhibitor 1SPINT134.81818
Q01518Adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1CAP139.61818
O43865S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase-like protein 1AHCYL120.2125
O60488Long-chain-fatty-acid--CoA ligase 4ACSL413.966
P10644cAMP-dependent protein kinase type I-alpha regulatory subunitPRKAR1A1055
O75923DysferlinDYSF12.82020
Q9UKS6Protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neuron protein 3PACSIN311.855
O75976Carboxypeptidase DCPD21.42828
O94875Sorbin and SH3 domain-containing protein 2SORBS215.21211
O94973AP-2 complex subunit alpha-2AP2A242.21919
Q15019Septin-2SEPTIN237.41111
P78310Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptorCXADR24.71010
P05067Amyloid-beta precursor proteinAPP19.51412
P05186Alkaline phosphatase, tissue-nonspecific isozymeALPL1355
P07384Calpain-1 catalytic subunitCAPN114.61010
P07947Tyrosine–protein kinase YesYES132.298
P07948Tyrosine–protein kinase LynLYN22.199
P08069Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptorIGF1R11.21512
P15151Poliovirus receptorPVR14.644
Q9BRK545 kDa calcium-binding proteinSDF411.655
P08582MelanotransferrinMELTF16.91111
O75955Flotillin-1FLOT110.855
Q6NZI2Caveolae-associated protein 1CAVIN114.455
P12830Cadherin-1CDH111.387
P12931Proto-oncogene tyrosine–protein kinase SrcSRC34.11611
P14735Insulin-degrading enzymeIDE11.71212
P48426Phosphatidylinositol 5–phosphate 4-kinase type-2 alphaPIP4K2A1664
P17655Calpain-2 catalytic subunitCAPN211.377
P18084Integrin beta-5ITGB517.11212
P18564Integrin beta-6ITGB615.21010
Q13449Limbic system-associated membrane proteinLSAMP14.255
P26232Catenin alpha-2CTNNA235.41515
P01876Immunoglobulin heavy constant alpha 1IGHA122.474
P29323Ephrin type-B receptor 2EPHB212.698
P49841Glycogen synthase kinase-3 betaGSK3B17.464
P31327Carbamoyl–phosphate synthase [ammonia], mitochondrialCPS123.22929
Q96CX2BTB/POZ domain-containing protein KCTD12KCTD1229.51111
P35241RadixinRDX482020
P35611Alpha-adducinADD130.41918
Q9ULV4Coronin-1CCORO1C53.22524
P46940Ras GTPase-activating-like protein IQGAP1IQGAP112.42121
P31323cAMP-dependent protein kinase type II-beta regulatory subunitPRKAR2B32.399
P49757Protein numb homologNUMB14.988
Q9Y5X3Sorting nexin-5SNX511.944
P50570Dynamin-2DNM210.588
P53041Serine/threonine–protein phosphatase 5PPP5C12.666
P53618Coatomer subunit betaCOPB124.82020
P54578Ubiquitin carboxyl–terminal hydrolase 14USP1431.61414
P54753Ephrin type-B receptor 3EPHB316.21411
Q9H4A6Golgi phosphoprotein 3GOLPH316.144
P21796Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1VDAC145.61111
P27105Erythrocyte band 7 integral membrane proteinSTOM46.51111
P08174Complement decay-accelerating factorCD5510.555
P40123Adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 2CAP217.688
Q01650Large neutral amino acid transporter small subunit 1SLC7A513.677
Q01844RNA-binding protein EWSEWSR114.377
Q02487Desmocollin-2DSC211.599
Q06787Synaptic functional regulator FMR1FMR121.51312
Q08209Serine/threonine–protein phosphatase 2B catalytic subunit alpha isoformPPP3CA18.896
Q08554Desmocollin-1DSC110.599
Q12959Disks large homolog 1DLG117.31717
Q13153Serine/threonine–protein kinase PAK 1PAK125.553
Q13177Serine/threonine–protein kinase PAK 2PAK227.3115
Q13356RING-type E3 ubiquitin–protein ligase PPIL2PPIL212.355
O95210Starch-binding domain-containing protein 1STBD117.655
Q13564NEDD8-activating enzyme E1 regulatory subunitNAE115.788
Q13586Stromal interaction molecule 1STIM112.877
Q13740CD166 antigenALCAM25.91414
Q13884Beta-1-syntrophinSNTB117.188
Q14126Desmoglein-2DSG218.51515
P09104Gamma-enolaseENO223.554
Q14699RaftlinRFTN133.41515
Q14BN4Sarcolemmal membrane-associated proteinSLMAP15.51111
O75781Paralemmin-1PALM42.11614
Q15642Cdc42-interacting protein 4TRIP1033.61515
Q16625OccludinOCLN10.255
Q5T0N5Formin-binding protein 1-likeFNBP1L12.488
Q5T2T1MAGUK p55 subfamily member 7MPP711.566
Q9Y639NeuroplastinNPTN26.41111
Q86X29Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptorLSR11.766
Q8IZL8Proline-, glutamic acid-, and leucine-rich protein 1PELP116.61313
Q8N3R9MAGUK p55 subfamily member 5MPP525.81515
Q92692Nectin-2NECTIN223.81010
Q93052Lipoma-preferred partnerLPP30.61717
P98172Ephrin-B1EFNB123.755
Q96D71RalBP1-associated Eps domain-containing protein 1REPS111.888
Q96IF1LIM domain-containing protein ajubaAJUBA16.777
Q96J84Kin of IRRE-like protein 1KIRREL110.677
O43493Trans-Golgi network integral membrane protein 2TGOLN230.51313
Q99523SortilinSORT1191717
Q99829Copine-1CPNE112.888
Q96QA5Gasdermin-AGSDMA18.477
P50148Guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(q) subunit alphaGNAQ30.6107
Q9BZF1Oxysterol-binding protein-related protein 8OSBPL813.31212
Q9H223EH domain-containing protein 4EHD416.676
P07858Cathepsin BCTSB19.866
Q9H4M9EH domain-containing protein 1EHD123.6117
P16422Epithelial cell adhesion moleculeEPCAM33.11010
Q9UBC2Epidermal growth factor receptor substrate 15-like 1EPS15L1161212
Q9UDY2Tight junction protein ZO-2TJP210.399
Q9UEY8Gamma-adducinADD312.388
Q9UH65Switch-associated protein 70SWAP7013.888
Q9UHB6LIM domain and actin-binding protein 1LIMA124.51717
Q9BRK3Matrix remodeling-associated protein 8MXRA814.588
Q9UMX0Ubiquilin-1UBQLN131.1105
Q9UNF0Protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neuron protein 2PACSIN233.71615
Q9UPT5Exocyst complex component 7EXOC715.61111
Q14254Flotillin-2FLOT223.41010
P08138Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 16NGFR11.944
P63244Receptor of activated protein C kinase 1RACK164.71818
Q9Y6I3Epsin-1EPN113.744
P35232ProhibitinPHB43.41010
P51148Ras-related protein Rab-5CRAB5C32.955
P61586Transforming protein RhoARHOA47.288
P62491Ras-related protein Rab-11ARAB11A31.576
P63000Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1RAC13877
P80723Brain acid-soluble protein 1BASP175.399
Q9P0L0Vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein AVAPA22.954
Q9Y696Chloride intracellular channel protein 4CLIC43044

List of proteins screened according to the Gene Ontology cellular localization in membrane. The UniProt ID, the protein and gene names, the sequence coverage 9(%), and the number of identified peptides are also reported.

Surprisingly, 116 proteins among the 124 are present in the list of the competitor binding proteins (Table 3). This finding highlights an almost complete overlapping between the sets of membrane protein targets recognized by the two active drugs, suggesting their involvement in stimulation/regulation of common regulative processes.

TABLE 3

Uniprot IDProtein nameGene nameSequence coverage [%]Razor + unique peptidesUnique peptides
A0FGR8Extended synaptotagmin-2ESYT212.31010
O00186Syntaxin-binding protein 3STXBP314.41010
O14672Disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10ADAM1019.91515
O14936Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASKCASK28.32525
O15031Plexin-B2PLXNB215.62322
O43278Kunitz-type protease inhibitor 1SPINT134.81818
Q01518Adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1CAP139.61818
O43865S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase-like protein 1AHCYL120.2125
O60488Long-chain-fatty-acid--CoA ligase 4ACSL413.966
P10644cAMP-dependent protein kinase type I-alpha regulatory subunitPRKAR1A1055
O75923DysferlinDYSF12.82020
Q9UKS6Protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neuron protein 3PACSIN311.855
O75976Carboxypeptidase DCPD21.42828
O94875Sorbin and SH3 domain-containing protein 2SORBS215.21211
O94973AP-2 complex subunit alpha-2AP2A242.21919
Q15019Septin-2SEPTIN237.41111
P05067Amyloid-beta precursor proteinAPP19.51412
P05186Alkaline phosphatase, tissue-nonspecific isozymeALPL1355
P07384Calpain-1 catalytic subunitCAPN114.61010
P07947Tyrosine–protein kinase YesYES132.298
P07948Tyrosine–protein kinase LynLYN22.199
P08069Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptorIGF1R11.21512
P15151Poliovirus receptorPVR14.644
Q9BRK545-kDa calcium-binding proteinSDF411.655
P08582MelanotransferrinMELTF16.91111
O75955Flotillin-1FLOT110.855
Q6NZI2Caveolae-associated protein 1CAVIN114.455
P12830Cadherin-1CDH111.387
P12931Proto-oncogene tyrosine–protein kinase SrcSRC34.11611
P14735Insulin-degrading enzymeIDE11.71212
P48426Phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4-kinase type-2 alphaPIP4K2A1664
P17655Calpain-2 catalytic subunitCAPN211.377
P18084Integrin beta-5ITGB517.11212
P18564Integrin beta-6ITGB615.21010
Q13449Limbic system-associated membrane proteinLSAMP14.255
P26232Catenin alpha-2CTNNA235.41515
P01876Immunoglobulin heavy constant alpha 1IGHA122.474
P29323Ephrin type-B receptor 2EPHB212.698
P49841Glycogen synthase kinase-3 betaGSK3B17.464
P31327Carbamoyl–phosphate synthase (ammonia), mitochondrialCPS123.22929
Q96CX2BTB/POZ domain-containing protein KCTD12KCTD1229.51111
P35241RadixinRDX482020
P35611Alpha-adducinADD130.41918
P46940Ras GTPase-activating-like protein IQGAP1IQGAP112.42121
P31323cAMP-dependent protein kinase type II-beta regulatory subunitPRKAR2B32.399
P49757Protein numb homologNUMB14.988
Q9Y5X3Sorting nexin-5SNX511.944
P50570Dynamin-2DNM210.588
P53041Serine/threonine–protein phosphatase 5PPP5C12.666
P53618Coatomer subunit betaCOPB124.82020
P54578Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 14USP1431.61414
P54753Ephrin type-B receptor 3EPHB316.21411
Q9H4A6Golgi phosphoprotein 3GOLPH316.144
P21796Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1VDAC145.61111
P27105Erythrocyte band 7 integral membrane proteinSTOM46.51111
P08174Complement decay-accelerating factorCD5510.555
P40123Adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 2CAP217.688
Q01650Large neutral amino acid transporter small subunit 1SLC7A513.677
Q01844RNA-binding protein EWSEWSR114.377
Q02487Desmocollin-2DSC211.599
Q06787Synaptic functional regulator FMR1FMR121.51312
Q08209Serine/threonine–protein phosphatase 2B catalytic subunit alpha isoformPPP3CA18.896
Q08554Desmocollin-1DSC110.599
Q12959Disks large homolog 1DLG117.31717
Q13153Serine/threonine–protein kinase PAK 1PAK125.553
Q13177Serine/threonine–protein kinase PAK 2PAK227.3115
Q13356RING-type E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase PPIL2PPIL212.355
O95210Starch-binding domain-containing protein 1STBD117.655
Q13564NEDD8-activating enzyme E1 regulatory subunitNAE115.788
Q13586Stromal interaction molecule 1STIM112.877
Q13740CD166 antigenALCAM25.91414
Q13884Beta-1-syntrophinSNTB117.188
Q14126Desmoglein-2DSG218.51515
P09104Gamma-enolaseENO223.554
Q14699RaftlinRFTN133.41515
Q14BN4Sarcolemmal membrane-associated proteinSLMAP15.51111
O75781Paralemmin-1PALM42.11614
Q15642Cdc42-interacting protein 4TRIP1033.61515
Q16625OccludinOCLN10.255
Q5T0N5Formin-binding protein 1-likeFNBP1L12.488
Q5T2T1MAGUK p55 subfamily member 7MPP711.566
Q9Y639NeuroplastinNPTN26.41111
Q86X29Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptorLSR11.766
Q8IZL8Proline-, glutamic acid-, and leucine-rich protein 1PELP116.61313
Q8N3R9MAGUK p55 subfamily member 5PALS125.81515
Q92692Nectin-2NECTIN223.81010
Q93052Lipoma-preferred partnerLPP30.61717
P98172Ephrin-B1EFNB123.755
Q96D71RalBP1-associated Eps domain-containing protein 1REPS111.888
Q96IF1LIM domain-containing protein ajubaAJUBA16.777
Q96J84Kin of IRRE-like protein 1KIRREL110.677
O43493Trans-Golgi network integral membrane protein 2TGOLN230.51313
Q99523SortilinSORT1191717
Q99829Copine-1CPNE112.888
Q96QA5Gasdermin-AGSDMA18.477
Q9BZF1Oxysterol-binding protein-related protein 8OSBPL813.31212
Q9H223EH domain-containing protein 4EHD416.676
Q9H4M9EH domain-containing protein 1EHD123.6117
Q9UBC2Epidermal growth factor receptor substrate 15-like 1EPS15L1161212
Q9UDY2Tight junction protein ZO-2TJP210.399
Q9UEY8Gamma-adducinADD312.388
Q9UH65Switch-associated protein 70SWAP7013.888
Q9UHB6LIM domain and actin-binding protein 1LIMA124.51717
Q9BRK3Matrix remodeling-associated protein 8MXRA814.588
Q9UMX0Ubiquilin-1UBQLN131.1105
Q9UNF0Protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neuron protein 2PACSIN233.71615
Q9UPT5Exocyst complex component 7EXOC715.61111
Q14254Flotillin-2FLOT223.41010
P08138Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 16NGFR11.944
Q9Y6I3Epsin-1EPN113.744
P35232ProhibitinPHB43.41010
P62491Ras-related protein Rab-11ARAB11A31.576
P63000Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1RAC13877
P80723Brain acid-soluble protein 1BASP175.399
Q9P0L0Vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein AVAPA22.954
Q9Y696Chloride intracellular channel protein 4CLIC43044

List of proteins screened according to the Gene Ontology cellular localization in the membrane. The UniProt ID, the protein and gene names, the sequence coverage (%), and the number of identified peptides are also reported. The proteins identified also in the experiment with the competitor are highlighted in bold.

3.3 Functional clustering analysis

Cell compartment enrichment analysis was carried out using Funrich 3.1.3 software by querying the Gene Ontology database. The Benjamini–Hochberg-adjusted p-value (FDR) and fold enrichment cutoffs were 0.001 and 3, respectively. The biological process over-representation analysis was performed using the ClueGO 2.5.7 app of the Cytoscape platform (FDR < 0.05), and the functional clustering analysis is represented in Figure 5.

FIGURE 5

Network graph showing relationships between various biological terms such as "regulation of adenylate cyclase activity," "T cell costimulation," and "cell-cell junction organization." Nodes vary in size and color based on significance, with a legend indicating significance levels: red (p-value 0.005-0.05), dark red (p-value 0.0005-0.005), and darkest red (p-value less than 0.0005). Lines represent connections between nodes.

Pathways enrichment analysis through ClueGO based on the biological process database. Network representation of the enriched pathway in the chemical pulldown experiment. The node sizes are proportional to the FDR values.

3.4 Positive chronotropic and inotropic effects induced by 6-ND in Langendorff’s preparation

At low concentrations, 6-nitrodopamine (0.01 and 0.1 pM) had no chronotropic and/or inotropic effect. However, at a higher concentration (1 pM), 6-ND infusion significantly increased the heart rate (Figure 6A), LVDP (Figure 6B), dP/dt (max) (Figure 6C), and RPP (Figure 6D).

FIGURE 6

Four scatter plots labeled A, B, C, and D display changes from baseline for heart rate (bpm), LVDP (mmHg), dP/dt (mmHg/s), and rate-pressure product. Each plot compares three groups: NA 1 pmol, 6-ND 0.001 pM + NA 1 pmol, and 6-ND 0.01 pM + NA 1 pmol. Plots show significant differences in group a, b in plots B, C, and D as indicated. Data points are individual measurements, with mean lines visible.

Effect of 1-min infusion of 6-nitrodopamine (6-ND) in the heart rate (HR, (A)), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP, (B)), maximum rate of pressure development (dP/dtmax, (C)), and rate pressure product (RPP, (D)). aP < 0.05 compared with the lowest concentration of 6-ND (0.01 pM) in each panel; bP < 0.05 compared with the second concentration of 6-ND (0.1 pM) in each panel. NA, noradrenaline.

3.5 Interactions of 6-nitrodopamine with noradrenaline on the isolated rat heart (Langendorff’s preparation)

Bolus injection of noradrenaline (1 pmol) had no effect on the heart rate frequency (Figure 7A), LVDP (Figure 7B), dPdt (max) (Figure 7C), and RPP (Figure 7D). One-min infusion of 6-nitrodopamine (0.001 pM) alone did not alter any of these parameters either. However, infusion of 6-nitrodopamine (0.01 pM) significantly increased the heart rate frequency (Figure 7A), LVDP (Figure 7B), dP/dt (max) (Figure 7C), and RPP (Figure 7D) when noradrenaline (1 pmol) was injected at the end of the infusion (1 min).

FIGURE 7

Four scatter plots labeled A, B, C, and D show data changes from baseline for heart rate, LVDP, dP/dt max, and rate-pressure product, respectively. Each plot has three data sets corresponding to 6-ND concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 1 pM with six samples each. Significant increases are marked at 1 pM for all parameters.

Interaction of 6-nitrodopamine (6-ND) with noradrenaline (NA) on the heart rate ((A)), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP, (B)), maximum rate of pressure development (dP/dtmax, (C)), and rate pressure product (RPP, (D)). One-minute infusion (100 mL/min) of 6-ND (0.001 or 0.01 pM; right panels) was performed in the absence and presence of a single bolus of noradrenaline (1 pmol). ANOVA, followed by the Newman–Keuls post-test, was applied. aP < 0.05 compared with the NA 1 pmol in each panel; bP < 0.05 compared with the 6-ND 0.001 pM + NA 1 pmol.

4 Discussion

Mammalian hearts express β1- and β2-adrenoceptor subtypes, both of which are involved in the increases in tissue cAMP due to AC activation (Brodde, 2007). Catecholamines such as noradrenaline and adrenaline bind to G-protein–β adrenoceptors, releasing the stimulatory G-protein subunit (Gas) inside the cardiomyocyte, activating AC (Motiejunaite et al., 2021). The generated cAMP binds to protein kinase A (PKA)–R subunits, leading to PKA activation (Liu et al., 2022). Increased PKA activity increases Ca2+ levels, leading to enhanced cardiac muscle contractility. Our study using the Langendorff’s preparation clearly demonstrated that 1-min infusion of the perfused heart with a very low concentration of 6-ND (0.1 pM) markedly potentiated the positive chronotropic and inotropic responses induced by noradrenaline. Thus, these pharmacological data seem to be of great value in identifying the 6-ND receptor. Because cAMP-activated PKA is a central regulator of heart chronotropism and inotropism, it is possible that remarkable potentiation caused by 6-ND could be due to AC pathway activation.

The 116 proteins were identified as potential receptors for this novel endogenous catecholamine by using a chemical proteomics approach based on the affinity purification procedure coupled to mass spectrometry for protein identification. The experiments were performed to purify and identify the cardiomyocyte membrane proteins, obtained from cell lysates, bound to 6-ND agarose and inhibited by the selective 6-ND antagonist 4-nitropropranolol (Sparaco et al., 2022; Oliveira et al., 2024a). The number is not surprising since the ligand concentration (in the micromolar or millimolar range) is high to facilitate protein uptake. The AP-MS-based methods present many advantages; they are not time-consuming, do not require the use of specific tools such as antibodies, and allows direct identification of proteins without any bias or prediction. However, it entails limitations since it is an in vitro method, and therefore, it can lead to identification of physically real but not physiologically meaningful interactions (Ziegler et al., 2013). Furthermore, false-positive interacting proteins can be extracted upon binding with matrix or with the linker between the beads and the molecule, which can also partially affect the binding process (Tabana et al., 2023). Nevertheless, this approach remains one of the most widely used preliminary and unbiased exploration strategies for exploring protein–ligand interactions and characterizing protein binders to small molecules in various contexts (Babak et al., 2015; Smith et al., 2023; Saltzman et al., 2024). A similar affinity purification method was used to identify dopamine targets in a human embryo kidney cell line (HEK293; Weigert Muñoz et al., 2023). A comparison of the 205 interactors identified in this study with the 869 interactors here reported revealed 30 common proteins. It is worth mentioning that CAP-1, CAP-2, and STIM-1 were absent in the dopamine interactomes.

In the rat isolated right atrium, 6-ND, as a positive chronotropic agent, is 100 times more potent than noradrenaline and adrenaline and 10,000 times more potent than dopamine (Britto-Júnior et al., 2022). As a positive inotropic agent in the rat isolated heart, 6-ND was 1,000 times more potent than noradrenaline and 10,000 times more potent than adrenaline (Britto-Júnior et al., 2022). Thus, the results of the functional pharmacological approaches are of paramount importance to identify the 6-ND receptor.

One distinct characteristic of 6-ND action in the heart, as compared to the classical catecholamines, is its remarkable ability to potentiate the positive chronotropic (Britto-Júnior et al., 2022) and inotropic (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023a) effects induced by noradrenaline, adrenaline, and dopamine and, as shown here, the positive inotropic effect induced by noradrenaline. As mentioned above, binding to transmembrane β-adrenoceptors, to stimulate cAMP-dependent PKA activation in cardiomyocytes, is considered the initial step in cardiomyocyte activation by the classical catecholamines (Liu et al., 2022). It is unlikely that 6-ND acts as a partial agonist on β-adrenoceptors since the increases in the atrial rate induced by PDE-3 inhibitors such as dipyridamole, cilostazol, and milrinone are virtually abolished by pre-incubation with 6-ND, whereas those induced by dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline are unaffected (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023a). Another finding that indicates a lack of effect on β-adrenoceptors is that the pre-incubation of the atria with the protein kinase inhibitor H-89 abolished the increases in the heart rate induced by dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline but only attenuated the increase induced by 6-ND (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023a). The absence of adrenoceptor proteins bound to the 6-ND agarose under our experimental conditions is notable. Thus, modulation of cAMP levels could be a mechanism by which 6-ND could synergize with the classical catecholamines.

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) modulate cyclic nucleotide signaling by degrading cAMP and 3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). There are 11 PDE superfamilies [PDE1–11 (Bender and Beavo, 2006)], and the heart/myocytes express mRNA for all but PDE6 (Hashimoto et al., 2018). The major PDE expressed by human cardiomyocytes is PDE1C (Bork et al., 2023), which is a dual PDE substrate, metabolizing both cAMP and cGMP. Inhibition of PDE3 and PDE4 activity increases the atrial rate (Dolce et al., 2021), and PDE1 inhibition enhances cardiomyocyte contractility through a PKA-dependent mechanism (Muller et al., 2021). Therefore, considering that 6-ND does not increase cAMP levels in human platelets (Nash et al., 2022) and of the 817 cardiomyocyte proteins that are bound to 6-ND, none were identified as cAMP- or cGMP-PDE signaling, advocating that 6-ND does not directly modulate PDE activity. It is interesting that the three membrane proteins directly involved in the modulation of AC, namely, cyclase associated protein-1 (CAP-1; Kakurina et al., 2018), CAP-2 (Pelucchi et al., 2023), and STIM-1 (El Assar et al., 2022), are bound to 6-ND agarose, with the binding selectively blocked by 4-nitropropranol, being candidates for the 6-ND receptor.

Purification of the adenylyl cyclase complex from the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Field et al., 1990) and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Kawamukai et al., 1992) identified the presence of a 70-kDA protein (CAP), whose amino-terminal domain is associated with the AC catalytic area. This protein interaction with AC allows the enzyme to respond appropriately to its regulatory proteins (Vojtek and Cooper, 1993). Homologs for CAP1 and CAP2 have been identified in Homo sapiens (Matviw et al., 1992; Yu et al., 1994) and in Rattus norvegicus (Swiston et al., 1995); however, the patterns of CAP1 and CAP2 expression varied significantly in adult rat tissues. Interestingly, mRNA levels for CAP2 were significantly higher than those for CAP1 in the rat heart (Swiston et al., 1995).

CAP-1 binds and activates adenylyl cyclase in mammalian cells (Zhang et al., 2021). In PCCL3 thyroid follicular cells, overexpression of CAP-1 caused a marked leftward shift in the forskolin dose–response curve, whereas negative modulation of CAP-1 resulted in a significant rightward shift (Zhang et al., 2021). It is interesting that although 6-ND potentiates the positive chronotropic effect of classical catecholamines, it strongly reduces the positive chronotropic (Kaumann et al., 2009) and inotropic (Christ et al., 2009) effects induced by PDE3 inhibitors, indicating a dual ability to modulate AC. Ablation of CAP2 in mice causes dilated cardiomyopathy associated with severe reduction in the heart rate (Peche et al., 2013). It is interesting that the two human CAP proteins are distinct enough to suggest that they may have different regulatory roles (Yu et al., 1994). Whether they have different ability to modulate AC in the heart is under current investigation. Direct quantification of cAMP levels following stimulation with 6-ND and classical catecholamines may yield additional insights into 6-ND signaling within cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, silencing CAP-1 and CAP-2 mRNA expressions should elucidate the modulatory functions of these proteins in the mechanism of action of 6-ND.

Stromal interaction protein (STIM1) is expressed in cardiomyocytes (Liu et al., 2023) and has a single transmembrane domain (Hooper et al., 2000); it is located in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane (Soboloff et al., 2012), and it is also associated with adenylyl cyclase activation (Motiani et al., 2018). Changes in cytosolic Ca2+ levels are known to either enhance or depress cAMP production through various Ca2+-sensitive AC isoforms (Willoughby et al., 2012). Of the nine transmembrane AC isoforms described so far, AC1 and AC8 are the major Ca2+-activated isoforms, whereas AC5 and AC6 are subjected to direct inhibition by physiological Ca2+ in the cytosol. Cardiac-specific deletion of STIM1 in mice causes a reduction in the heart rate and sinus arrest, together with a potentiation of the autonomic response to cholinergic signaling (Zhang et al., 2016). Although the negative chronotropism is compatible with the lack of the 6-ND effect, there is no evidence that 6-ND potentiates cholinergic effects (Oliveira et al., 2024b). It is interesting that STIM1 can also act as a Ca2+ sensor by activating store-operated calcium channels (SOCCs) following sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ store depletion (Zhang et al., 2005). STIM1 can bind Ca2+ under resting conditions, but, after store depletion, STIM1 can interact with Orai channels to activate the store-operated Ca2+ entry (Rosenberg et al., 2021), raising the possibility that 6-ND may modulate calcium transport. Indeed, one of the identified interactors with 6-ND is dysferlin, a 238-kDa transmembrane protein with multiple Ca2+-binding domains, which mediates Ca2+-dependent membrane fusion in striated muscle cells. Dysferlin-knockout (KO) mice develop a dilated cardiomyopathy characterized by decreased left ventricular ejection fraction and reduced heart rate (Paulke et al., 2024). Although both cardiac phenotypes are compatible with a reduction in 6-ND action, our findings that potentiation by 6-ND on catecholamine action on rat perfused heart is also observed in smooth muscle (Britto-Júnior et al., 2023a) and that the expression of dysferlin is restricted to the skeletal muscle (Chernova et al., 2022) exclude dysferlin as the primary 6-ND target in the heart. Indeed, the cardiac phenotypes in dysferlin-KO mice only become evident in mice over 32 weeks of age (Paulke et al., 2024), whereas the effects reported here are observed acutely. Calpains are 6-ND interactors; they constitute a conservative family of Ca2+-dependent intracellular cysteine proteases commonly expressed in all cells (Goll et al., 2003). Two ubiquitous forms of calpains have been identified (Taneike et al., 2011), namely, m- (CAP1) and m-(CAP2), which are activated by micromolar and millimolar calcium concentrations, respectively. Calpain-1 is the primary isoform expressed in cardiomyocytes (Zhang et al., 2024) and plays a critical role in normal heart function by cleaving several target proteins (Patterson et al., 2011). Both Capn1 and Capn2 are heterodimers presenting an 80-kDa catalytic subunit and a common 28-kDa regulatory subunit (calpain 4). Although cardiac-specific deletion of calpain 4 resulted in decreased protein levels of Capn1 and Capn2, no cardiac phenotypes under baseline conditions were observed, a finding not compatible with the acute effects reported here for 6-ND.

Noradrenaline is rapidly degraded by momoamino oxidases (Manzoor and Hoda, 2020), and inhibition of these enzymes by 6-ND could cause potentiation of the inotropic effect of NA. However, 6-ND caused 20% and 30% of inhibition of MAO-A and MAO-B, respectively, at 1 mM; at 100 nM, no inhibition of either enzyme was observed (Fuguhara et al., 2025). Inhibition of catecholamine uptake by 6-ND could potentiate both the positive chronotropic and inotropic effects induced by classical catecholamines. Transporter-mediated uptake plays a major role in determining both the magnitude and duration of the catecholamine effect (Gasser, 2021). There are two types of monoamine transporters, namely, a high-affinity with low capacity to transport monoamines, such as NET (Engelhartet et al., 2020), a low-affinity with high capacity like organic cation transporters (OCT 1–3, Amphoux et al., 2006; Bacq et al., 2012), and the plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT; Torres et al., 2003; Engel et al., 2004). However, it is unlikely that 6-ND could interact with catecholamine uptake since, in our experimental settings, none of these proteins were bound to the 6-ND-derivatized agarose.

The use of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is associated with some constraints, such as limited capacity to evaluate contractility, altered maturation properties, and reduced survivability (Shead et al., 2024). Purification of the 6-ND receptor from rat neonatal ventricular myocytes may provide further indication of the importance of the cyclase-associated proteins CAP-1 and CAP-2.

5 Conclusion

6-Nitrodopamine-induced potentiation of the catecholamines’ chronotropic and inotropic effects is due to the modulation of adenylyl cyclase activity, probably via direct interactions with CAP-1 and CAP-2.

Statements

Data availability statement

The data presented in the study are deposited in the PRIDE repository, accession number PXD066711.

Ethics statement

Ethical approval was not required for the studies on humans in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements because only commercially available established cell lines were used. The animal study was approved by the Ethics Committee in Animal Use of UNICAMP. The study was conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements.

Author contributions

IC: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. VM: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. JB-J: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. ATL: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. EA: Funding acquisition, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. ASP: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. II: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. FC: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. MM: Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. SP: Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. GD: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. EC: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. ADS: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. AC: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. FeF: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. FrF: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. VS: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. BS: Investigation, Writing – review and editing. RS: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review and editing. PC: Investigation, Writing – original draft. SV: Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. GC: Conceptualization, Project administration, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. GDN: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Supervision, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing.

Funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. Financial support was received by Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) grants 2021/14414-8 (JB-J.), 2021/13593-6 (ATL), 2017/15175-1 (EA), and 2019/16805-4 (GDN) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) grant 303839/2019-8 (GDN).

Acknowledgments

Charles Nash PhD edited the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1597035/full#supplementary-material

Supplementary Figure S1

SDS-PAGE of proteins eluted from the chemical pulldown (lane PD) and from the pre-clearing (lane PC). The molecular weight markers are also reported.

Supplementary Figure S2

Western blot assays for the verification of the fractionated lysis.

Glossary

  • 6-ND

    6-Nitrodopamine

  • AC

    Adenylyl cyclase

  • CAP-1

    Cyclase-associated protein 1

  • CAP-2

    Cyclase-associated protein 2

  • STIM1

    Stromal interaction molecule 1

  • hiPSCs

    Human-induced pluripotent stem cells

  • SDS-PAGE

    Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

  • GAPDH

    Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

  • HCOOH

    Formic acid

  • ACN

    Acetonitrile

  • DDA

    Data-dependent acquisition

  • CRAPome

    Contaminant Repository for Affinity Purification

  • FDR

    False discovery rate

  • LVEDP

    Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure

  • LVDP

    Left ventricular developed pressure

  • LVSP

    Left ventricular systolic pressure

  • HR

    Heart rate

  • RPP

    Rate pressure product

  • +dP/dtmax

    Maximum rate of pressure development

  • SEM

    Standard error of the mean

  • ANOVA

    Analysis of variance

  • NaCl

    Sodium chloride

  • KCl

    Potassium chloride

  • CaCl2

    Calcium chloride

  • MgSO4

    Magnesium sulfate

  • NaHCO3

    Sodium bicarbonate

  • KH2PO4

    Potassium phosphate mono-basic

  • PC lane

    Pre-clearing lane

  • PD lane

    Pulldown lane

  • PKA

    Protein kinase A

  • PDE

    Phosphodiesterase

  • cGMP

    Cyclic guanosine monophosphate

  • UPLC

    Ultra performance liquid chromatography

  • PMAT

    Plasma membrane monoamine transporter

  • NET

    Norepinephrine transporter

  • OCT

    Organic cation transporter

  • SOCCs

    Store-operated calcium channels

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Summary

Keywords

dopamine, adrenaline, nitro-catecholamine, stromal interaction molecule 1, cyclase-associated proteins

Citation

Cipollone I, Monaco V, Britto-Júnior J, Lima AT, Antunes E, Pupo AS, Iacobucci I, Cozzolino F, Monti M, Parisi S, Divisato G, Cascone E, De Simone A, Corvino A, Fiorino F, Frecentese F, Santagada V, Severino B, Sparaco R, Cinque P, Vertuccio S, Caliendo G and De Nucci G (2025) The identification of adenylyl cyclase modulators as potential receptors for 6-nitrodopamine in human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and their relevance in heart inotropism. Front. Pharmacol. 16:1597035. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1597035

Received

20 March 2025

Accepted

14 July 2025

Published

11 August 2025

Volume

16 - 2025

Edited by

Pedro D’Orléans-Juste, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada

Reviewed by

Cesario Bianchi, University of Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil

Caroline Sunggip, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Gilberto De Nucci, ; José Britto-Júnior,

†These authors have contributed equally to this work

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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