Blockers of the delayed-rectifier potassium current in pancreatic beta-cells enhance glucose-dependent insulin secretion.

Delayed-rectifier K+ currents (I(DR)) in pancreatic beta-cells are thought to contribute to action potential repolarization and thereby modulate insulin secretion. The voltage-gated K+ channel, K(V)2.1, is expressed in beta-cells, and the biophysical characteristics of heterologously expressed channels are similar to those of I(DR) in rodent beta-cells. A novel peptidyl inhibitor of K(V)2.1/K(V)2.2 channels, guangxitoxin (GxTX)-1 (half-maximal concentration approximately 1 nmol/l), has been purified, characterized, and used to probe the contribution of these channels to beta-cell physiology. In mouse beta-cells, GxTX-1 inhibits 90% of I(DR) and, as for K(V)2.1, shifts the voltage dependence of channel activation to more depolarized potentials, a characteristic of gating-modifier peptides. GxTX-1 broadens the beta-cell action potential, enhances glucose-stimulated intracellular calcium oscillations, and enhances insulin secretion from mouse pancreatic islets in a glucose-dependent manner. These data point to a mechanism for specific enhancement of glucose-dependent insulin secretion by applying blockers of the beta-cell I(DR), which may provide advantages over currently used therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Identification of a new class of inhibitors of the voltage-gated potassium channel, Kv1.3, with immunosuppressant properties.

The voltage-gated potassium channel, K(v)1.3, is a novel target for development of immunosuppressants. Using a functional (86)Rb(+) efflux assay, a new class of high-affinity K(v)1.3 inhibitors has been identified. The initial active in this series, 4-phenyl-4-[3-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-2-azaprop-1-yl]cyclohexanone (PAC), which is representative of a disubstituted cyclohexyl (DSC) template, displays a K(i) of ca. 300 nM and a Hill coefficient near 2 in the flux assay and in voltage clamp recordings of K(v)1.3 channels in human T-lymphocytes. PAC displays excellent specificity as it only blocks members of the K(v)1 family of potassium channels but does not affect many other types of ion channels, receptors, or enzyme systems. Block of K(v)1.3 by DSC analogues occurs with a well-defined structure-activity relationship. Substitution at the C-1 ketone of PAC generates trans (down) and cis (up) isomer pairs. Whereas many DSC derivatives do not display selectivity in their interaction with different K(v)1.x channels, trans DSC derivatives distinguish between K(v)1.x channels based on their rates of C-type inactivation. DSC analogues reversibly inhibit the Ca(2+)-dependent pathway of T cell activation in in vitro assays. Together, these data suggest that DSC derivatives represent a new class of immunosuppressant agents and that specific interactions of trans DSC analogues with channel conformations related to C-type inactivation may permit development of selective K(v)1.3 channel inhibitors useful for the safe treatment of autoimmune diseases.