Annexin A4 is a novel direct regulator of adenylyl cyclase type 5

Annexin A4 (AnxA4), a Ca2+- and phospholipid-binding protein, is up-regulated in the human failing heart. In this study, we examined the impact of AnxA4 on β-adrenoceptor (β-AR)/cAMP-dependent signal transduction. Expression of murine AnxA4 in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells dose-dependently inhibited cAMP levels after direct stimulation of adenylyl cyclases (ACs) with forskolin (FSK), as determined with an exchange protein activated by cAMP–Forster resonance energy transfer (EPAC-FRET) sensor and an ELISA (control vs. +AnxA4: 1956 ± 162 vs. 1304 ± 185 fmol/µg protein; n = 8). Disruption of the anxA4 gene led to a consistent increase in intracellular cAMP levels in isolated adult mouse cardiomyocytes, with heart-directed expression of the EPAC-FRET sensor, stimulated with FSK, and as determined by ELISA, also in mouse cardiomyocytes stimulated with the β-AR agonist isoproterenol (ISO) (anxA4a+/+ vs. anxA4a−/−: 5.1 ± 0.3 vs. 6.7 ± 0.6 fmol/µg protein) or FSK (anxA4a+/+ vs. anxA4a−/−: 1891 ± 238 vs. 2...