Amiloride-sensitive Na+ channels in fetal type II pneumocytes are regulated by G proteins

1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (1) ◽  
pp. L1-L8 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. G. MacGregor ◽  
R. E. Olver ◽  
P. J. Kemp

We have used the patch-clamp technique to record single channels in excised membrane patches from type II pneumocytes freshly isolated from fetal guinea pig lung by elastase digestion and differential filtration. The 10/56 patches exhibited spontaneous channel activity with a mean open-state probability (NPo) of 0.5 +/- 0.1. In symmetrical Na(+)-rich solutions, the channels had a unitary conductance of 11.1 +/- 0.5 pS and showed current reversal at approximately 0 mV. Superfusing the inner membrane leaflet of the patch with a K(+)-rich solution resulted in single-channel current activity with a conductance of 5.6 +/- 0.2 pS being resolved. Current reversed at +22.1 +/- 1.9 mV, which is compatible with a PNa+/PK+ of 1.8 +/- 0.1. The addition of 0.1 mM guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) to the cytoplasmic face of the patch elicited channel activity in 12/31 previously quiescent patches, whereas, in spontaneously active patches, channel NPo was increased. Amiloride, in the concentration range 0.4-4 microM, reduced the frequency of observed spontaneous (or activatable) channel activity, reduced NPo, and induced flickery channel behavior. No activity was seen in the presence of 10 microM amiloride in the pipette. This is the first direct observation of a G protein regulated Na(+)-conductive pathway in alveolar epithelium, and it may represent one route by which the alveolar epithelium of the fetus can regulate the Na(+)-driven fluid reabsorption necessary for the adaptation of the newborn lung to air breathing at birth.

1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (4) ◽  
pp. L323-L329 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Kemp ◽  
G. G. MacGregor ◽  
R. E. Olver

Using the patch-clamp technique, we have recorded single channels in cell-attached and inside-out excised patches from the plasma membrane of type II alveolar epithelial cells freshly isolated from fetal guinea pig lung by elastase digestion and differential filtration. In cell-free patches the channels were highly selective for Cl- (PCl:Pcat = 9:1), had a large unitary conductance (375 pS +/- 23 pS), and current reversal of 0 mV in either symmetrical Na(+)-rich solutions or when the inner membrane leaflet was bathed in a K(+)-rich solution. The large-conductance Cl- channel exhibited little or no voltage inactivation at positive potentials, remained open for a significant amount of time at potentials negative to -40 mV, and was blocked at all potentials by 0.1 mM 4-acetamido-4-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid. Channel activity was independent of intracellular calcium concentration. Bath addition of the nonmetabolizable analogue of GTP, GTP gamma S (0.1 mM), caused a voltage-dependent inhibition of channel activity [open probability (Po) plot was shifted by at least +25 mV]. Smaller channels (25 +/- 3 pS) were recorded in the cell-attached configuration with a current-voltage (I-V) relationship which was compatible with a Cl- conductance. On excision, the patches previously containing small-conductance channels exhibited only large-conductance Cl- channel behavior. These large-conductance, G protein-regulatable Cl- channels may provide a route for alveolar cell Cl- exit and as such may be an integral part of the mechanism responsible for secretion of fetal lung fluid.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (2) ◽  
pp. C389-C401 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chepilko ◽  
H. Zhou ◽  
H. Sackin ◽  
L. G. Palmer

The renal K+ channel (ROMK2) was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the patch-clamp technique was used to assess its conducting and gating properties. In cell-attached patches with 110 mM K+ in the bath and pipette, the reversal potential was near zero and the inward conductance (36 pS) was larger than the outward conductance (17 pS). In excised inside-out patches the channels showed rectification in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+ on the cytoplasmic side but not in Mg(2+)-free solution. Inward currents were also observed when K+ was replaced in the pipette by Rb+, NH4+, or thallium (Tl+). The reversal potentials under these conditions yielded a selectivity sequence of Tl+ > K+ > Rb+ > NH4+. On the other hand, the slope conductances for inward current gave a selectivity sequence of K+ = NH4+ > Tl+ > Rb+. The differences in the two sequences can be explained by the presence of cation binding sites within the channel, which interact with Rb+ and Tl+ more strongly and with NH4+ less strongly than with K+. Two other ions, Ba2+ and Cs+, blocked the channel from the outside. The effect of Ba2+ (1 mM) was to reduce the open probability of the channels, whereas Cs+ (10 mM) reduced the apparent single-channel current. The effects of both blockers are enhanced by membrane hyperpolarization. The kinetics of the channel were also studied in cell-attached patches. With K+ in the pipette the distribution of open times could be described by a single exponential (tau 0 = 25 ms), whereas two exponentials (tau 1 = 1 ms, tau 2 = 30 ms) were required to describe the closed-time distribution. Hyperpolarization of the oocyte membrane decreased the open probability and tau 0, and increased tau 1, tau 2, and the number of long closures. The presence of Tl+ in the pipette significantly altered the kinetics, reducing tau 0 and eliminating the long-lived closures. These results suggest that the gating of the channel may depend on the nature of the ion in the pore.


1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (2) ◽  
pp. L113-L122 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Young ◽  
E. K. Fram ◽  
C. L. Spain ◽  
E. W. Larson

At a late stage of fetal development, the mammalian alveolar epithelium undergoes an abrupt differentiation as a part of the preparation of the lung for the postnatal demands of gas exchange. Some of the most striking changes occur in the type II pneumocytes as they lose their glycogen and start to produce the lamellated inclusion granules that contain pulmonary surfactant. Premature birth before adequate type II cell maturation results in the neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, which is frequently fatal. We have used serial ultrathin sectioning, electron microscopy, and three-dimensional reconstructions to study the ultrastructural features of maturation of rat type II cells from a single rat each at age gestational day 20 through adult stages. We found evidence over this time span for compartmentation of several secretory granule precursors within type II cells. Changes in the polarization of lamellar bodies were observed over the time period studied. We also found marked gestational changes in the number and morphology of type II cell cytoplasmic processes that perforate the basement membrane. Type II cell mitochondria changed in shape during postnatal development from single, spherical to complex, branched structures. Volume composition obtained from serial sections of a small number of type II cells agreed closely with published morphometric data, indicating that throughout the animal's lifespan, type II cells are a homogenous population.


2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen K. Roberts

ABSTRACT In contrast to animal and plant cells, very little is known of ion channel function in fungal physiology. The life cycle of most fungi depends on the “filamentous” polarized growth of hyphal cells; however, no ion channels have been cloned from filamentous fungi and comparatively few preliminary recordings of ion channel activity have been made. In an attempt to gain an insight into the role of ion channels in fungal hyphal physiology, a homolog of the yeast K+ channel (ScTOK1) was cloned from the filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa. The patch clamp technique was used to investigate the biophysical properties of the N. crassa K+ channel (NcTOKA) after heterologous expression of NcTOKA in yeast. NcTOKA mediated mainly time-dependent outward whole-cell currents, and the reversal potential of these currents indicated that it conducted K+ efflux. NcTOKA channel gating was sensitive to extracellular K+ such that channel activation was dependent on the reversal potential for K+. However, expression of NcTOKA was able to overcome the K+ auxotrophy of a yeast mutant missing the K+ uptake transporters TRK1 and TRK2, suggesting that NcTOKA also mediated K+ influx. Consistent with this, close inspection of NcTOKA-mediated currents revealed small inward K+ currents at potentials negative of EK. NcTOKA single-channel activity was characterized by rapid flickering between the open and closed states with a unitary conductance of 16 pS. NcTOKA was effectively blocked by extracellular Ca2+, verapamil, quinine, and TEA+ but was insensitive to Cs+, 4-aminopyridine, and glibenclamide. The physiological significance of NcTOKA is discussed in the context of its biophysical properties.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (4) ◽  
pp. L475-L484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucky Jain ◽  
Xi-Juan Chen ◽  
Lou Ann Brown ◽  
Douglas C. Eaton

We used the patch-clamp technique to study the effect of nitric oxide (NO) on a cation channel in rat type II pneumocytes [alveolar type II (AT II) cells]. Single-channel recordings from the apical surface of AT II cells in primary culture showed a predominant cation channel with a conductance of 20.6 ± 1.1 (SE) pS ( n = 9 cell-attached patches) and Na+-to-K+selectivity of 0.97 ± 0.07 ( n = 7 cell-attached patches). An NO donor, S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO; 100 μM), inhibited the basal cation-channel activity by 43% [open probability ( P o), control 0.28 ± 0.05 vs. GSNO 0.16 ± 0.03; P < 0.001; n = 16 cell-attached patches], with no significant change in the conductance. GSNO reduced the P o by reducing channel mean open and increasing mean closed times. GSNO inhibition was reversed by washout. The inhibitory effect of NO was confirmed by using a second donor of NO, S-nitroso- N-acetylpenicillamine (100 μM; P o, control 0.53 ± 0.05 vs. S-nitroso- N-acetylpenicillamine 0.31 ± 0.04; −42%; P < 0.05; n = 5 cell-attached patches). The GSNO effect was blocked by methylene blue (a blocker of guanylyl cyclase; 100 μM), suggesting a role for cGMP. The permeable analog of cGMP, 8-bromo-cGMP (8-BrcGMP; 1 mM), inhibited the cation channel in a manner similar to GSNO ( P o, control 0.38 ± 0.06 vs. 8-BrcGMP 0.09 ± 0.02; P < 0.05; n = 7 cell-attached patches). Pretreatment of cells with 1 μM KT-5823 (a blocker of protein kinase G) abolished the inhibitory effect of GSNO. The NO inhibition of channels was not due to changes in cell viability. Intracellular cGMP was found to be elevated in AT II cells treated with NO (control 13.4 ± 3.6 vs. GSNO 25.4 ± 4.1 fmol/ml; P < 0.05; n = 6 cell-attached patches). We conclude that NO suppresses the activity of an Na+-permeant cation channel on the apical surface of AT II cells. This action appears to be mediated by a cGMP-dependent protein kinase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4876
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Burdach ◽  
Agnieszka Siemieniuk ◽  
Waldemar Karcz

In contrast to the well-studied effect of auxin on the plasma membrane K+ channel activity, little is known about the role of this hormone in regulating the vacuolar K+ channels. Here, the patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the effect of auxin (IAA) on the fast-activating vacuolar (FV) channels. It was found that the macroscopic currents displayed instantaneous currents, which at the positive potentials were about three-fold greater compared to the one at the negative potentials. When auxin was added to the bath solution at a final concentration of 1 µM, it increased the outward currents by about 60%, but did not change the inward currents. The imposition of a ten-fold vacuole-to-cytosol KCl gradient stimulated the efflux of K+ from the vacuole into the cytosol and reduced the K+ current in the opposite direction. The addition of IAA to the bath solution with the 10/100 KCl gradient decreased the outward current and increased the inward current. Luminal auxin reduced both the outward and inward current by approximately 25% compared to the control. The single channel recordings demonstrated that cytosolic auxin changed the open probability of the FV channels at the positive voltages to a moderate extent, while it significantly increased the amplitudes of the single channel outward currents and the number of open channels. At the positive voltages, auxin did not change the unitary conductance of the single channels. We suggest that auxin regulates the activity of the fast-activating vacuolar (FV) channels, thereby causing changes of the K+ fluxes across the vacuolar membrane. This mechanism might serve to tightly adjust the volume of the vacuole during plant cell expansion.


1990 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 725-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Florio ◽  
C. D. Westbrook ◽  
M. R. Vasko ◽  
R. J. Bauer ◽  
J. L. Kenyon

1. We used the patch-clamp technique to study voltage-activated transient potassium currents in freshly dispersed and cultured chick dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells. Whole-cell and cell-attached patch currents were recorded under conditions appropriate for recording potassium currents. 2. In whole-cell experiments, 100-ms depolarizations from normal resting potentials (-50 to -70 mV) elicited sustained outward currents that inactivated over a time scale of seconds. We attribute this behavior to a component of delayed rectifier current. After conditioning hyperpolarizations to potentials negative to -80 mV, depolarizations elicited transient outward current components that inactivated with time constants in the range of 8-26 ms. We attribute this behavior to a transient outward current component. 3. Conditioning hyperpolarizations increased the rate of activation of the net outward current implying that the removal of inactivation of the transient outward current allows it to contribute to early outward current during depolarizations from negative potentials. 4. Transient current was more prominent on the day the cells were dispersed and decreased with time in culture. 5. In cell-attached patches, single channels mediating outward currents were observed that were inactive at resting potentials but were active transiently during depolarizations to potentials positive to -30 mV. The probability of channels being open increased rapidly (peaking within approximately 6 ms) and then declined with a time constant in the range of 13-30 ms. With sodium as the main extracellular cation, single-channel conductances ranged from 18 to 32 pS. With potassium as the main extracellular cation, the single-channel conductance was approximately 43 pS, and the channel current reversed near 0 mV, as expected for a potassium current. 6. We conclude that the transient potassium channels mediate the component of transient outward current seen in the whole-cell experiments. This current is a relatively small component of the net current during depolarizations from normal resting potentials, but it can contribute significant outward current early in depolarizations from hyperpolarized potentials.


1994 ◽  
Vol 302 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
E J Nelson ◽  
C C R Li ◽  
R Bangalore ◽  
T Benson ◽  
R S Kass ◽  
...  

Thapsigargin (TG), 2,5-t-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) all inhibit the initial Ca(2+)-response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) by depleting intracellular Ca2+ pools sensitive to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). Treatment of GH3 pituitary cells for 30 min with 5 nM TG, 500 nM tBHQ or 50 nM CPA completely eliminated the TRH-induced spike in intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). Higher concentrations of TG and tBHQ, but not CPA, were also found to inhibit strongly the activity of L-type calcium channels, as measured by the increase in [Ca2+]i or 45Ca2+ influx stimulated by depolarization. TG and tBHQ blocked high-K(+)-stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake, with IC50 values of 10 and 1 microM respectively. Maximal inhibition of L-channel activity was achieved 15-30 min after drug addition. Inhibition by tBHQ was reversible, whereas inhibition by TG was not. TG and CPA did not affect spontaneous [Ca2+]i oscillations when tested at concentrations adequate to deplete the IP3-sensitive Ca2+ pool. However, 20 microM TG and 10 microM tBHQ blocked [Ca2+]i oscillations completely. The effect of drugs on calcium currents was measured directly by using the patch-clamp technique. When added to the external bath, 10 microM CPA caused a sustained increase in the calcium-channel current amplitude over 8 min, 10 microM tBHQ caused a progressive inhibition, and 10 microM TG caused an enhancement followed by a sustained block of the calcium current over 8 min. In summary, CPA depletes IP3-sensitive Ca2+ stores and does not inhibit voltage-operated calcium channels. At sufficiently low concentrations, TG depletes IP3-sensitive stores without inhibiting L-channel activity, but, for tBHQ, inhibition of calcium channels occurs at concentrations close to those needed to block agonist mobilization of intracellular Ca2+.


1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (4) ◽  
pp. H1390-H1393 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. B. Walsh ◽  
J. P. Arena ◽  
W. M. Kwok ◽  
L. Freeman ◽  
R. S. Kass

When the patch-clamp technique was used, a slowly activating, time-dependent outward current was identified in both cell-attached and excised membrane patches obtained from guinea pig ventricular myocytes. This macroscopic patch current was present in approximately 50% of patches studied and could be observed both in the presence and absence of unitary single channel activity (i.e., ATP-sensitive K+ channels). The time course of activation of the patch current resembled that of the whole cell delayed-rectifier K+ current (IK) recorded under similar ionic conditions, and the patch current and IK were activated over a similar membrane potential range. The time-dependent patch current could be eliminated when the Nernst potential for K+ equaled that of the pulse voltage. The patch current was inhibited by external addition of the tertiary ammonium compound LY 97241 (50 microM) and was augmented after internal application of the catalytic subunit of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (500 nM). Deactivating tail currents with kinetics similar to those of IK could be recorded to cell-attached and excised patches. Unitary single channel events underlying the time-dependent patch current could not be resolved despite various attempts to increase single channel conductance. Thus our results suggest that a major component of delayed rectification in guinea pig ventricular cells is due to the activity of a high-density, extremely low conductance K+ channel.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (4) ◽  
pp. C1036-C1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Fan ◽  
Y. Tokuyama ◽  
J. C. Makielski

The effect of intracellular acidification (low pHi) on open probability of the ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel was examined in insulin-secretion cells using an inside-out configuration of the patch-clamp technique. In an insulin-secreting cell line beta-TC3, KATP single-channel currents (IKATP) were readily recorded in the absence of internal ATP. ATP (50 microM and 0.5 mM) dramatically decreased the channel activity. A step decrease of intracellular pH (pHi) from 7.4 to 6.7 or 6.3 in the presence of ATP gradually increased the channel activity. In addition, low pHi in the presence of ATP could partially restore channel activity lost in a process called "rundown." Kinetic analysis revealed a change in channel gating at low pHi with ATP. The bursting durations of IKATP at pHi 6.3 in the presence of ATP were significantly longer than those at pHi 7.4 in the absence of ATP. These results suggest that the increased channel activity at low pHi might have resulted from a mechanism involving an alteration of channel conformation. We also observed an inhibitory effect of low pHi on channel activity. However, the inhibitory effect was much more apparent at pHi 5.7 and was only partially reversible. The activation effect of low pHi on IKATP in the presence of ATP was also observed in acutely isolated rat islet cells and in another insulin-secretion cell line RINm5F, although the effect was weaker and was variable among experiments. We conclude that, as in frog skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle, an increase in channel activity at low pHi is one of the mechanisms underlying proton modulation of IKATP in insulin-secreting cells.


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