Iloprost activates ca-activated k channels of single vascular smooth muscle cells, role of camp-dependent protein kinase. Schubert, Rudolf, Vladimir N. Serebryakov, Heidrun Engel, and Hans -Heinrich Hopp. University of Rostock, Institute of Physiology, PSF 100888, D-18055 Rostock, Germany, Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Cardiology Research Center, Academy of Medical Sciences, 3rd Cherepkovskaya Street 15A, 121552 Moscow, Russia
APStracts 3:0146C, 1996.
Using the patch-clamp technique the effect of iloprost on the activity of calcium-activated (KCa) potassium channels of freshly isolated rat tail artery smooth muscle cells was investigated. In the whole-cell configuration the outward current, determined largely by KCa channels, was enhanced 1.73+/-0.11-fold by 5x10-7 M iloprost, 1.80+/ -0.12-fold by 10-4 M Sp-5,6-DCl-cBIMPS, a specific activator of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and 2.78+/-0.95-fold by 10 U/ml of the catalytic subunit of PKA together with 10-4_ M MgATP, whereas the heat-inactivated catalytic subunit of PKA together with MgATP was without effect. 5x10-7 M iloprost increased this current 1.70+/-0.27 -fold after pretreatment of the cells with 10-6 M okadaic acid, a specific phosphatase inhibitor, but did not alter this current after pretreatment of the cells with 2x10-4 Rp-8-CPT-cAMPS, a specific PKA inhibitor. In the cell-attached configuration the activity of KCa channels was enhanced 2.48+/-0.44-fold by 5x10-7 M iloprost and 2.09+/-0.07-fold by 10-4 M Sp-5,6-DCl-cBIMPS. 5x10-7 M iloprost did not alter the intracellular calcium concentration in these cells measured using INDO-1. In the inside-out configuration the activity of KCa channels was increased 87.12+/-45.04-fold by 10 U/ml of the catalytic subunit of PKA together with 10-4_ M MgATP, whereas no effect was observed after application of the catalytic subunit of PKA together with its regulatory subunit and MgATP. MgATP, cAMP or the catalytic subunit of PKA alone also did not change KCa channel activity. Thus, these results show, that iloprost is able to activate KCa channels of freshly isolated rat tail artery smooth muscle cells and suggest that this effect is mediated by a PKA-induced phosphorylation of the channel.

Received 24 July 1995; accepted in final form 28 March 1996.
APS Manuscript Number C452-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Cell Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 8 May 96