Evidence of involvement of GIRK1/GIRK4 in long-term desensitization of cardiac muscarinic K+channels

The cardiac M2 muscarinic receptor/G protein/K+ channel system was studied in neonatal rat atrial cells cultured with and without 10 μM carbachol (CCh) for 24 h. Channel activity in CCh-pretreated cells was substantially reduced as a result of long-term desensitization regardless of whether the channel was activated by ACh in cell-attached patches or GTP in inside-out patches. Channel activity in CCh-pretreated cells was also low when the receptor was bypassed and the G protein and channel were directly activated by [γ-S]GTP or both the receptor and G protein were bypassed and the channel was directly activated by trypsin. Finally, in CCh-pretreated cells, the whole cell K+ current was low when the channel was activated via the independent adenosine receptor. This suggests that the channel is involved in long-term desensitization. However, in CCh-pretreated cells, although the receptor was internalized, there was no internalization of the channel. We suggest that the function of the muscarinic K+ channel declines in long-term desensitization of the cardiac M2 muscarinic receptor/G protein/K+ channel system.

Effects of relaxin on rat atrial myocytes. II. Increased calcium influx derived from action potential prolongation

Relaxin produces positive inotropic and chronotropic effects in rat hearts. The effect of relaxin on the action potential duration (APD) of single quiescent rat atrial cells was investigated with a whole cell patch clamp. Relaxin induced a significant, dose-dependent prolongation of the APD. This effect was maximal at 200 ng/ml (nominal concentration of 33.6 nM), which caused, on average, a 57% increase in the time taken to reach 90% repolarization. The effect of relaxin was blocked by the protein kinase A inhibitor 5-24 amide, indicating that its effect is mediated by an adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent mechanism. The increased APD induced by relaxin caused an enhanced entrance of calcium, with the charge carried through voltage-activated calcium channels increased by approximately 25%. This increase was not due to a direct modulation of calcium currents (20); rather, it was a consequence of the longer period of cellular depolarization. Our findings that relaxin increased the APD and therefore increased the calcium influx in atrial myocytes could explain the positive inotropic effects induced by relaxin in atrial preparations.

Thapsigargin, a new inotropic agent, antagonizes action of endothelin-1 in rat atrial cells

In isolated newborn rat atrial cells, thapsigargin induced a slow rise in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) (half-maximum effective concentration = 1 microM) that was independent of the presence of external Ca2+. A 5-min treatment of atrial cells with 5 mM caffeine reduced but did not abolish the action of thapsigargin on [Ca2+]i. A first treatment of atrial cells with 10 microM thapsigargin reduced the action of ionomycin on [Ca2+]i. It also antagonized in a noncompetitive manner the Ca(2+)-mobilizing action of 100 nM endothelin-1 (ET-1). The half-maximum concentration for the inhibition by thapsigargin of ET-1 action was 0.2 microM. Thapsigargin had no action on the basal or ET-1 (100 nM)-stimulated production of inositol phosphates. These results suggest that thapsigargin discharges an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive and caffeine-insensitive intracellular Ca2+ pool distinct from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In isolated rat left atria, paced at 1 Hz, thapsigargin (10 microM) produced a transient 48% increase in contractility. It did not alter the contractile responses to 1 microM isoproterenol or to 5 mM caffeine. It had no action on postrest potentiation. Thapsigargin (10 microM) almost completely suppressed the positive inotropic action of 100 nM ET-1. It had no action on the transient negative inotropic response to ET-1. These results suggest that most of the positive inotropic effect of ET-1 is linked to its capacity to mobilize an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ pool distinct from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.