Distinction between steady-state inactivation and voltage-dependent facilitation in L-type Ca2+ channel alpha1c and alpha1c/beta subunits.

The L-type Ca2+ channel has a unique kinetic property known as voltage-dependent facilitation. Many researchers have repeatedly investigated the mechanism in response to the voltage-dependent facilitation since the first observation by Fenwick et al. in 1982. Electrophysiological evaluations of voltage-dependent facilitation, however, remain inconsistent, partially because of its unclear definition. Some scientists understand it as a current augmentation by a conditioning prepulse prior to the test pulse, and others understand it as a result of the U-shape steady-state inactivation curve. We therefore investigated to identify the distinction between the voltage-dependent facilitation and the steady-state inactivation, by use of Ba2+ as the charge in order to avoid the other inactivation mechanism or the Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation upon this analysis. Conventional whole-cell mode patch clamp technique was applied to chinese hamster fibroblast (CHW) cells that express the alpha1c subunit alone or the alpha1c subunit with the beta subunit (alpha1c/beta) derived from rabbit heart to investigate the voltage-dependent facilitation depending on the composition of the subunits. Coexpression of the beta subunit augmented alpha1 subunit channel current and shifted current-voltage relation towards hyperpolarized direction. In the experiment using conventional double pulse protocol to investigate steady-state inactivation, alpha1c subunit channel current and alpha1c/beta subunit channel current were not fully inactivated. Subtraction of the steady-state inactivation component from whole recovered current enabled us to identify the voltage-dependent facilitation component of the L-type Ca2+ channel. The voltage-dependent facilitation of the alpha1 subunit current and the alpha1c/beta subunit current were identical in kinetics, and could be generated at 0 mV or depolarized potentials partially overlapped with the potential range for the steady-state inactivation of the current. These results suggest that the voltage-dependent facilitation of the L-type Ca2+ channel could be formed by the alpha1c subunit without interaction with the beta subunit, and that the range for the voltage-dependent facilitation and the steady-state inactivation overlap each other at 0 mV or more depolarized potentials up to approximately + 100 mV.

An essential role of Cav1.2 L-type calcium channel for urinary bladder function.

Mice deficient in the smooth muscle Cav1.2 calcium channel (SMACKO, smooth muscle alpha1c-subunit calcium channel knockout) have a severely reduced micturition and an increased bladder mass. L-type calcium current, protein, and spontaneous contractile activity were absent in the bladder of SMACKO mice. K+ and carbachol (CCh)-induced contractions were reduced to 10-fold in detrusor muscles from SMACKO mice. The dihydropyridine isradipine inhibited K+- and CCh-induced contractions of muscles from CTR but had no effect in muscles from SMACKO mice. CCh-induced contraction was blocked by removing extracellular Ca2+ but was unaffected by the PLC inhibitor U73122 or depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores by thapsigargin. In muscles from CTR and SMACKO mice, CCh-induced contraction was partially inhibited by the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y27632. These results show that the Cav1.2 Ca2+ channel is essential for normal bladder function. The Rho-kinase and Ca2+-release pathways cannot compensate the lack of the L-type Ca2+ channel.

The gating and conductance properties of Cav3.2 low-voltage-activated T-type calcium channels.

Calcium channels are essential for excitation-contraction coupling and pacemaker potentials in cardiac muscle cells. Whereas L-type Ca(2+) channels have been extensively studied, T-type channels have been poorly characterized in cardiac myocytes. We describe here the functional properties of recombinant Ca(V)3.2 T-type Ca(2+) channels expressed in mammalian cell lines. The T-type Ca(2+) current showed a rapid activation and an inactivation phase in response to depolarization, and it displayed a window current over the voltage range from -60 to -40 mV in 1 to 10 mM external Ca(2+). Barium (Ba(2+)) and strontium (Sr(2+)) permeate the channel with similar activation kinetics. On the other hand, monovalent cations, Li(+) and Na(+), permeate the T-type Ca(2+) channel more easily than the L-type Ca(2+) channel. The permeability order of the Ca(V)3.2 T-type Ca(2+) channel among monovalent and divalent cations was determined as Ba(2+)>Mn(2+)>Ca(2+)>Sr(2+)>Li(+1)>Na(+) with the permeability order of 1.39:1.25:1.00:0.95:0.55:0.29. The ionic conductance sequence for cations relative to calcium was Sr(2+)>Ba(2+)>Ca(2+)>Li(+1)>Mn(2+)>Na(+) with the conductance ratio of 1.39:1.21:1.00:0.40:0.23:0.11. The permeation profile of manganese (Mn(2+)) is complex. Mn(2+) permeates the Ca(2+) channel with a permeability similar to Ca(2+) or Ba(2+), but with a much smaller current density, resulting in a much smaller conductance. The properties relating to progression and recovery from inactivation in the Ca(V)3.2 channel are substantially identical with either Ca(2+) or Ba(2+) as the charge carrier.

[Cardiac function involving the T-type Ca2+ channel].

Functional involvement of the T-type calcium channel in the heart excitation at the pathophysiological conditions has been elucidated. The T-type channel is classified as the low voltage-activated channel (LVA) solely in the voltage activated calcium channel. In 1998, Perez-Reyes and coworkers cloned the first LVA alpha(1) subunit, which was named as alpha(1G) or Ca(V)3.1. In the cardiac muscle, alpha(1G) and the other clone alpha(1H) are dominantly expressed in the sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node and other signal conduction tissues. Abnormal activity of T channels has been suggested in the following cardiovascular diseases: hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac infarction. The cloning of the T-type calcium channel allows us to understand the function of the channel in detail and options for therapeutics in the T-type channel-related diseases.

Calmodulin kinase II is involved in voltage-dependent facilitation of the L-type Cav1.2 calcium channel: Identification of the phosphorylation sites.

Calcium-dependent facilitation of L-type calcium channels has been reported to depend on the function of calmodulin kinase II. In contrast, the mechanism for voltage-dependent facilitation is not clear. In HEK 293 cells expressing Ca(v)1.2, Ca(v)beta2a, and calmodulin kinase II, the calcium current measured at +30 mV was facilitated up to 1.5-fold by a 200-ms-long prepulse to +160 mV. This voltage-dependent facilitation was prevented by the calmodulin kinase II inhibitors KN93 and the autocamtide-2-related peptide. In cells expressing the Ca(v)1.2 mutation I1649E, a residue critical for the binding of Ca2+-bound calmodulin, facilitation was also abolished. Calmodulin kinase II was coimmunoprecipitated with the Ca(v)1.2 channel from murine heart and HEK 293 cells expressing Ca(v)1.2 and calmodulinkinase II. The precipitated Ca(v)1.2 channel was phosphorylated in the presence of calmodulin and Ca2+. Fifteen putative calmodulin kinase II phosphorylation sites were identified mostly in the carboxyl-terminal tail of Ca(v)1.2. Neither truncation at amino acid 1728 nor changing the II-III loop serines 808 and 888 to alanines affected facilitation of the calcium current. In contrast, facilitation was decreased by the single mutations S1512A and S1570A and abolished by the double mutation S1512A/S1570A. These serines flank the carboxyl-terminal EF-hand motif. Immunoprecipitation of calmodulin kinase II with the Ca(v)1.2 channel was not affected by the mutation S1512A/S1570A. The phosphorylation of the Ca(v)1.2 protein was strongly decreased in the S1512A/S1570A double mutant. These results suggest that voltage-dependent facilitation of the Ca(v)1.2 channel depends on the phosphorylation of Ser1512/Ser1570 by calmodulin kinase II.

Actions of mibefradil, efonidipine and nifedipine block of recombinant T- and L-type Ca channels with distinct inhibitory mechanisms.

We compared detailed efficacy of efonidipine and nifedipine, dihydropyridine analogues, and mibefradil using recombinant T- and L-type Ca2+ channels expressed separately in mammalian cells. All these Ca2+ channel antagonists blocked T-type Ca2+ channel currents (I(Ca(T))) with distinct blocking manners: I(Ca(T)) was blocked mainly by a tonic manner by nifedipine, by a use-dependent manner by mibefradil, and by a combination of both manners by efonidipine. IC50s of these Ca2+ channel antagonists to I(Ca(T)) and L-type Ca2+ channel current (I(Ca(L))) were 1.2 micromol/l and 0.14 nmol/l for nifedipine; 0.87 and 1.4 micromol/l for mibefradil, and 0.35 micromol/l and 1.8 nmol/l for efonidipine, respectively. Efonidipine, a dihydropyridine analogue, showed high affinity to T-type Ca2+ channel.

Voltage-dependent and frequency-independent inhibition of recombinant Cav3.2 T-type Ca2+ channel by bepridil.

Effects of bepridil on the low voltage-activated T-type Ca2+ channel (CaV3.2) current stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells were examined using patch-clamp techniques. Bepridil potently inhibited ICa,T with a markedly voltage-dependent manner; the IC50 of bepridil was 0.4 micromol/l at the holding potential of -70 mV, which was 26 times as potent as that at -100 mV (10.6 micromol/l). Steady-state inactivation curve (8.4 +/- 1.7 mV) and conductance curve (5.9 +/- 1.9 mV) were shifted to the hyperpolarized potential by 10 micromol/l bepridil. Bepridil exerted the tonic blocking action but not the use-dependent block. Bepridil had no effect on the recovery from inactivation of T-type Ca2+ channels. Thus, high efficacy of bepridil for terminating atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter may be considered to be attributed, at least in a part, to the T-type Ca2+ channel-blocking actions.