Adenoviral mediated anti-sense CD38 attenuates TNF-α-induced changes in calcium homeostasis of human airway smooth muscle cells

CD38 is a membrane-bound protein involved in the synthesis and degradation of cyclic-ADP-ribose (cADPR). cADPR mobilizes calcium from intracellular stores in airway smooth muscle cells. To determine the role of CD38/cADPR signaling in calcium regulation in human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells, we downregulated CD38 expression using a recombinant replication-defective adenovirus with anti-sense human CD38 (Ad-asCD38). CD38 expression was determined by RT-PCR and real-time quantitative PCR, and ADP-ribosyl cyclase (cyclase) activity was determined by competitive binding assay. In HASM cells infected with Ad-asCD38, TNF-α-induced, augmented-CD38 expression and cyclase activity were significantly lower than in TNF-α-treated cells. The net intracellular calcium responses to 10 nmol/L bradykinin were measured in HASM cells by fluorescence imaging. In cells infected with Ad-asCD38 in the presence of TNF-α, the net intracellular Ca²⁺ responses were significantly lower than in cells treated with TNF-α in the presence of the control vector (p < 0.001). These results provide evidence for the feasibility of using adenoviral vectors for gene transfer to down regulate gene expression, and confirm the role of CD38 in calcium homeostatis in ASM cells.