Hydrogen sulfide increases calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel activity of rat pituitary tumor cells

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is the third gasotransmitter found to be produced endogenously in living cells to exert physiological functions. Large conductance (maxi) calcium-activated potassium channels (BK), which play an important role in the regulation of electrical activity in many cells, are targe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pflügers Archiv 2010-02, Vol.459 (3), p.389-397
Main Authors: Sitdikova, Guzel F., Weiger, Thomas M., Hermann, Anton
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - pharmacology
Animals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cell Biology
Cell Line
Dithiothreitol - pharmacology
Female
Human Physiology
Humans
Hydrogen Sulfide - pharmacology
Ion Channel Gating - drug effects
Ion Channels
Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels - metabolism
Male
Molecular Medicine
Neurosciences
Oxidation-Reduction
Patch-Clamp Techniques
Pituitary Neoplasms - metabolism
Pituitary Neoplasms - pathology
Potassium
Rats
Receptors
Receptors and Transporters
Thimerosal - pharmacology
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Summary:Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is the third gasotransmitter found to be produced endogenously in living cells to exert physiological functions. Large conductance (maxi) calcium-activated potassium channels (BK), which play an important role in the regulation of electrical activity in many cells, are targets of gasotransmitters. We examined the modulating action of H 2 S on BK channels from rat GH 3 pituitary tumor cells using patch clamp techniques. Application of sodium hydrogen sulfide as H 2 S donor to the bath solution in whole cell experiments caused an increase of calcium-activated potassium outward currents. In single channel recordings, H 2 S increased BK channel activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Hydrogen sulfide induced a reversible increase in channel open probability in a voltage-dependent, but calcium independent manner. The reducing agent, dithiothreitol, prevented the increase of open probability by H 2 S, whereas, the oxidizing agent thimerosal increased channel open probability in the presence of H 2 S. Our data show that H 2 S augments BK channel activity, and this effect can be linked to its reducing action on sulfhydryl groups of the channel protein.
ISSN:0031-6768
1432-2013
DOI:10.1007/s00424-009-0737-0