© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
Differential Expression of Voltage-Gated K+ Channel Subunits in Adult Rat Heart
Relation to Functional K+ Channels?
From the Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology (D.M.B., J.P.M., J.M.N.), Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo, and the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (J.S.T.), State University of New York at Stonybrook.
Correspondence to Dr Jeanne M. Nerbonne, Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Box 8103, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Ave, St Louis, MO 63110. E-mail jnerbonn@pharmdec.wustl.edu.
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Abstract Polyclonal antibodies against each of the K+ channel subunits (Kv1.2, Kv1.4, Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv4.2) shown previously to be expressed in adult rat heart at the mRNA level were used to examine the distributions of these K+ channel subunits in adult rat atrial and ventricular membranes. Immunohistochemistry on isolated adult rat ventricular myocytes revealed strong labeling with the anti-Kv4.2 and anti-Kv1.2 antibodies. Although somewhat weaker (than with anti-Kv1.2 or anti-Kv4.2), positive staining was also observed with the anti-Kv1.5 and anti-Kv2.1 antibodies. Ventricular myocytes exposed to the anti-Kv1.4 antibody, in contrast, did not appear significantly different from background. Qualitatively similar results were obtained on isolated adult rat atrial myocytes. Western blots of atrial and ventricular membrane proteins confirmed the presence of Kv1.2, Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv4.2 and revealed differences in the relative abundances of these subunits in the two membrane preparations. Kv4.2, for example, is more abundant in ventricular than in atrial membranes, whereas Kv1.2 and Kv2.1 are higher in atrial membranes; Kv1.5 levels are comparable in the two preparations. In contrast to these results, nothing was detected in Western blots of atrial or ventricular membrane proteins with the anti-Kv1.4 antibody at concentrations that revealed intense labeling of a 97-kD protein in adult rat brain membranes. A very faint band was detected at 97 kD in the atrial and ventricular preparations when the anti-Kv1.4 antibody was used at a 5- to 10-fold higher concentration. The simplest interpretation of these results is that Kv1.4 is not an abundant protein in adult rat atrial or ventricular myocytes. Therefore, it seems unlikely that Kv1.4 plays an important role in the formation of functional depolarization-activated K+ channels in these cells. The relation(s) between the (other four) K+ channel subunits and the depolarization-activated K+ channels identified electrophysiologically in adult rat atrial and ventricular myocytes is discussed in the present study.
Key Words: depolarization-activated K+ channels • Shaker • Shab • Shal • cardiac myocytes
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Introduction |
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In myocardial tissues, a variety of K+ currents with differing kinetic and voltage-dependent properties have been described.1 2 3 Similar to findings in other cells, electrophysiological studies of heart cells have revealed that K+ channels are the most numerous and diverse channels present.1 2 3 This heterogeneity has a physiological significance in the myocardium, in that different types of K+ channels function in the control of resting membrane potentials, action potential waveforms, refractoriness, and automaticity.1 Differences in K+ channels also contribute to variations in the specific electrical properties of cells in different species or from different regions of the heart in the same species.3 4 5 In addition, these channels provide multiple potential targets for the actions of endogenous neurotransmitters, neurohormones, and intracellular second messengers and a variety of exogenous drugs known to modulate cardiac function.3 6
Depolarization-activated outward K+ currents contribute importantly in determining the height and the duration of the plateau phase of the action potential in cardiac cells. In the mammalian myocardium, various types of depolarization-activated outward K+ currents have been distinguished on the basis of differences in time- and voltage-dependent properties and pharmacological sensitivities.1 2 3 7 In previous studies completed on rat cardiac myocytes, for example, we have demonstrated the presence of multiple functionally distinct types of Ca2+-independent depolarization-activated K+ currents.4 8 9 In isolated adult rat ventricular myocytes, Ito and IK, with properties similar to those described in other cells, were distinguished.8 In atrial cells, three components of the total depolarization-activated outward K+ currents (termed IKf, IKs, and Iss) with properties distinct from those of both Ito and IK in ventricular cells have been identified.9 Recently, Van Wagoner and Lamorgese10 have reported that Iss is selectively attenuated by phenylephrine, suggesting that Iss reflects the activation of a novel outward current rather than incomplete inactivation of IKf and IKs.9 Therefore, the data accumulated to date4 8 9 10 suggest the expression of at least five functionally distinct types of Ca2+-independent depolarization-activated K+ currents in the adult rat heart.
Interestingly, molecular cloning of rat cardiac K+ channels has revealed considerably more diversity than expected on the basis of electrophysiological studies, if it is assumed that functional K+ channels are homomultimeric. To date, six different K+ channel cDNAs have been cloned from rat heart: four of these belong to the Shaker (Kv1) subfamily, one to the Shab (Kv2) subfamily, and one to the Shal (Kv4) subfamily.11 12 13 When in vitro synthesized mRNA from each of these cDNAs is injected into Xenopus oocytes, depolarization-activated K+ channels are expressed; these channels display properties similar but not identical to the channels present in atrial and ventricular myocytes. For example, expression of either Kv1.411 or Kv4.214 reveals transient K+ currents similar to Ito in ventricular myocytes.8 The detailed time- and voltage-dependent properties of Ito and expressed Kv1.4 or Kv4.2, however, are different. Similarly, although expression of Kv1.212 reveals a rapidly activating current similar to the currents in atrial myocytes, the atrial K+ currents do inactivate,9 whereas expressed Kv1.2 channels do not.12 Perhaps even more interesting is that quantitative RNase protection assays reveal that five K+ channel mRNAs are expressed at appreciable levels in both atrial and ventricular tissues.15 As discussed above, the electrophysiological evidence indicates the presence of five functionally distinct K+ channel types.4 8 9 10 The RNase protection data, however, also indicate that there are tissue-specific differences in expression.15 Total Shaker subfamily (Kv1.2, Kv1.4, and Kv1.5) mRNA, for example, is higher in atria than in ventricle, whereas Kv4.2 message levels are higher in ventricle.15 As a beginning step in defining the molecular composition of the functional K+ channels, we have used K+ channel subunit–specific antibodies to determine the distributions of these subunits in adult rat heart. The results reveal differential distributions of these K+ channel subunits and provide insights into the molecular correlates of the different types of K+ channels identified electrophysiologically in adult rat atrial and ventricular myocytes.
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Materials and Methods |
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Cell Culture
QT-6 cells16 were cultured in medium 199 (Earle's medium) supplemented with 5% fetal calf serum, 10% tryptose phosphate broth, antibiotics (penicillin/gentamicin), 0.15% mycostatin, and 1% dimethyl sulfoxide. Atrial and ventricular myocytes were obtained by enzymatic (0.1% to 0.2% collagenase, Worthington type II) and mechanical dissociation of adult Long Evans rat hearts, as previously described.4 8 9 Isolated cells were plated on laminin-coated coverslips and maintained in serum-free medium 199. Adult heart cells and QT-6 cells were maintained in a 95% air/5% CO2 incubator at 37°C; all media and additives were obtained from GIBCO.
Polyclonal Antibodies Against K+ Channel
Subunits
Polyclonal antisera against Kv1.5 were generated by immunizing
rabbits with the recombinant fusion protein pGEX-K41C, which contained
61 amino acids corresponding to residues 542 to 602 in the C terminus
of Kv1.5.17 Polyclonal antisera against Kv2.1 were
obtained after immunization of rabbits with the fusion protein pGEX-KC,
which contained 17 amino acids corresponding to residues 853 to 857 in
the C terminus of Kv2.1.18 The anti-Kv1.5 and anti-Kv2.1
antibodies were affinity-purified by binding and eluting from
nitrocellulose membranes to which the pGEX-K41C or pGEX-KC fusion
peptides had been previously adsorbed.17 18
Affinity-purified anti-peptide antibodies generated against unique
sequences in Kv1.2,19 20 Kv1.4, and Kv4.221
were obtained from Drs Morgan Sheng and Lily Jan (University of
California, San Francisco).
Expression of K+ Channel Subunits in QT-6
Cells
Kv1.2 in pGemZf(+) was obtained from Dr Ernest Peralta (Harvard
University). After sequencing to confirm the presence of a critical
EcoRI at the 5' end, Kv1.2 was subcloned into the polylinker
of pBK-CMV at the EcoRI and Xba I sites. The
insertion of the Kv1.2 was confirmed by diagnostic
restriction digests, and the junctions between the pBK vector and Kv1.2
were verified by sequencing. The Kv1.4 and Kv1.5 cDNAs in pGem7 were
obtained from Dr Michael Tamkun (Vanderbilt University). Because no
convenient restriction enzyme sites were available for subcloning
Kv1.4, the sequence was amplified by PCR before subcloning into the
pBK-CMV polylinker. PCR primers were designed to bracket the 5' and 3'
ends of the Kv1.4 sequence. The 5' primer contained a Sal I
site, and the 3' primer contained a BamHI site. In addition
to the BamHI site, the 3' primer was designed to introduce a
silent mutation in the DNA sequence encoding the last two amino acids.
This alteration still codes for the natural amino acids at these
positions; however, two bases of the DNA sequence were changed such
that an Aat II restriction site was introduced. The fragment
obtained by PCR was digested with Sal I and BamHI
and subcloned into the pBK-CMV vector. Subcloning of Kv1.4 was
confirmed by diagnostic restriction digests. Because
amplification by PCR can introduce errors, the entire 1.96-Kb Kv1.4
fragment was sequenced. A single base change at position 478 was found:
a thymidine rather than a cytosine was present, although
this change does not alter the amino acid sequence, because both GAC
and GAT code for Asp. The Kv1.5 coding sequence was subcloned into the
polylinker of pBK-CMV at the Sac I and HindIII
sites. Proper insertion of Kv1.5 was confirmed by
diagnostic restriction digests and by sequencing the 5' and
3' junctions between Kv1.5 and the vector.
Immunohistochemistry
To evaluate the cross-reactivity of antibodies against the
Shaker subfamily K+ channel subunits (Kv1.2,
Kv1.4, and Kv1.5), QT-6 cells were plated on glass coverslips and
transiently transfected with the Kv1.2, Kv1.4, or Kv1.5 cDNAs by using
the calcium phosphate precipitation method.22 Transfection
efficiencies were 25% to 30%. Approximately 72 hours after
transfection, cells were fixed in 2% formaldehyde and 0.2%
glutaraldehyde for 10 minutes on ice. After washing
with PBS (pH 7.4), cells were incubated in blocking buffer (5% normal
goat serum, 0.2% Triton X-100, and 0.1% NaN3 in PBS) for
1 hour at room temperature to block nonspecific sites and to
permeabilize membranes. Cells expressing each one of
the K+ channel subunits were then incubated separately with
antibodies against Kv1.2, Kv1.4, and Kv1.5. After washing (three times)
with PBS, cells were exposed to biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG
(Vector Laboratories) for 1 hour at room temperature and again washed
(three times) with PBS. This step was followed by a 1-hour exposure to
the Vector ABC reagent (avidin coupled to biotinylated alkaline
phosphatase H) at room temperature. After washing (three times) with
PBS, positive antibody binding was visualized by exposing the cultures
to the alkaline phosphatase substrate BCIP/NBT (Bio-Rad). The
appearance of the reaction product was monitored under bright-field
illumination, and reactions were quenched by the addition of PBS. Cells
were dehydrated in ethanol, cleared in xylene, and mounted with
Krystalon.
A protocol similar to that described above was used for immunohistochemistry on isolated adult rat atrial and ventricular myocytes, except that in this case cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS overnight at 4°C. Although, in general, the alkaline phosphatase method was also used, in some experiments, the Vector ABC reagent kit using avidin coupled to biotinylated horse radish peroxidase was substituted, and tetramethylbenzidine was used as the horseradish peroxidase substrate. The appearance of reaction product was also monitored under bright-field illumination, and the reaction was quenched by the addition of PBS. For generating fluorescence images of antibody-labeled cells, a Cy3-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG (Chemicon) was used.
Membrane Preparations
Adult Long Evans rat brain and heart membranes were prepared by
using modified versions of protocols described previously by others.
For the preparation of rat brain membranes, the protocols of Sheng et
al19 and Hartshorne and Catterall23 were
adapted. Brains were isolated at room temperature and frozen at
-70°C until used; in a typical preparation, two brains were used.
All procedures were performed at 4°C, and all solutions contained a
battery of protease inhibitors (1 mmol/L iodoacetamide, 1
mmol/L 1,10-phenanthroline, 0.5 mmol/L pefebloc, and 1 µg/mL
pepstatin) to minimize proteolysis. By use of a glass
homogenizer, the tissue was homogenized in
a buffer containing 0.32 mol/L sucrose and 5 mmol/L Tris (pH 7.4).
Nuclei and debris were pelleted by centrifugation at
1000g for 10 minutes. The supernatant was then
centrifuged at 100 000g for 1 hour; the resulting
pellet was resuspended in 20 mmol/L Tris and 1 mmol/L EDTA and
centrifuged at 40 000g for 20 minutes. The pellet
from this spin was solubilized on ice for 1 hour in 20 mmol/L HEPES, 1
mmol/L EDTA, 10% glycerol, 120 mmol/L KCl, and 2% Triton X-100 at pH
7.4. Insoluble material was pelleted by centrifugation
at 78 000g for 2.5 hours. The protein content of the
resulting solubilized membranes was determined with a Bio-Rad protein
assay kit. Solubilized membranes were aliquoted and stored frozen at
-20°C until used.
Adult Long Evans rats were anesthetized with 5% halothane/95% O2 anesthesia, and the chest cavity was opened. Atrial appendages were removed, rinsed in PBS at 4°C to remove excess blood, and immediately frozen at -70°C. The heart was then transected below the major vessels; the lower half from the apex, including both the left and right ventricles, was removed, rinsed in PBS at 4°C, and frozen at -70°C. After repeated attempts to use the rat brain membrane protocol described above to prepare cardiac membranes proved unsuccessful, a modified version of the protocols described by Hosey and colleagues24 25 in studies of cardiac muscarinic receptors was used. All procedures were performed at 4°C, and all solutions contained the following protease inhibitors: 1 mmol/L iodoacetamide, 1 mmol/L 1,10-phenanthroline, 2 µg/mL aprotinin, 1 mmol/L benzamidine, 1 µg/mL pepstatin, and 0.5 mmol/L pefebloc. Tissues were minced, diluted in 10 vol of TE at pH 7.4, and homogenized with a Brinkman Polytron. Nuclei and debris were pelleted by centrifugation at 1000g for 10 minutes. This procedure was repeated, and the supernatants from both low-speed spins were pooled and centrifuged at 40 000g for 10 minutes. The pellet was resuspended in TE containing 0.6 mol/L KI and incubated on ice for 10 minutes. After centrifuging at 40 000g for 10 minutes, the resulting pellet was resuspended in TE and centrifuged again at 40 000g. To ensure that the KI was removed, this step was repeated. The final pellet was solubilized in TE and 2% Triton X-100 on ice for 1 hour. Insoluble material was centrifuged at 13 000g for 10 minutes. This protocol was also used to prepare membranes from isolated ventricular myocytes. The protein content of all of the solubilized membrane preparations was determined by using a Bio-Rad protein assay kit. Solubilized membranes were aliquoted and stored frozen at -20°C until used.
Western Blots
Aliquots of solubilized QT-6, brain, ventricular,
and atrial membranes were fractionated by SDS-PAGE and subjected to
Western blotting for identification of K+ channel subunits.
Briefly, membrane proteins (85 µg) were fractionated on 10%
SDS-polyacrylamide gels and transferred to Polyscreen PVDF
membranes (DuPont). PVDF membranes strips were incubated in 0.2%
I-Block (Tropix) in PBS containing 0.1% Tween 20 for 1 hour at room
temperature. Membranes strips were then incubated overnight at 4°C in
primary antibody solutions prepared in PBS containing 5% normal goat
serum, 0.2% Triton X-100, and 0.1% NaN3. After washing
(twice), the strips were incubated for 1.5 hours at room temperature in
alkaline phosphatase–conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG (Tropix) diluted
1:10 000 in blocking solution. Strips were washed (three times) in
I-Block and twice in assay buffer (0.1 mol/L DEA and 1 mmol/L
MgCl2, Tropix). Bound antibodies were detected by
using the CPSD (Tropix) chemiluminescent alkaline phosphatase
substrate.
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Polyclonal Antibodies Against Kv1.2, Kv1.4, Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv4.2
Antibodies against Kv1.2, Kv1.4, and Kv1.5 were tested for specificity and for potential cross-reactivity with the other Shaker family members by immunohistochemistry and Western analysis on QT-6 cells transfected with DNA constructs encoding the Kv1.2, Kv1.4, or Kv1.5 proteins. To evaluate antibody cross-reactivity, cells expressing one subunit were incubated separately with primary antibodies against each of the three subunits. For example, cells expressing the Kv1.2 protein were incubated with primary antibodies to Kv1.2, Kv1.4, or Kv1.5. As illustrated in Fig 1
, the anti-Kv1.2 antibody specifically stains
Kv1.2-transfected cells (Fig 1A) but not Kv1.4-transfected (Fig 1B) or
Kv1.5-transfected (Fig 1C) cells. The anti-Kv1.4 (Fig 1D through 1F)
and the anti-Kv1.5 (Fig 1G through 1I) antibodies also display subunit
specificity. As would be expected, similar experiments completed when
using the anti-Kv1.x antibodies on Kv4.2-transfected cells and the
anti-Kv4.2 antibody on Kv1.x-transfected cells revealed no
cross-reactivity across K+ channel subfamilies (data not
shown).
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In parallel experiments, proteins from QT-6 cells expressing Kv1.2, Kv1.4, or Kv1.5 were extracted and fractionated directly on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Proteins were transferred from the gels to PVDF membranes and blotted with the various K+ channel subunit-specific antibodies. For example, the anti-Kv1.4 antibody was used to blot membranes containing proteins from the Kv1.2-expressing cells, the Kv1.4-expressing cells, the Kv1.5-expressing cells, and nontransfected QT-6 cells. These experiments revealed that the anti-Kv1.4 antibody specifically recognizes a 97-kD protein that is present in Kv1.4-transfected cells but not in untransfected QT-6 cells or in Kv1.2- or Kv1.5-transfected cells. Similar specificity was seen with the anti-Kv1.2 and anti-Kv1.5 antibodies. The anti-Kv1.2 antibody recognizes a protein of 75 kD in Kv1.2-transfected cells that is not present in either Kv1.4- or Kv1.5-transfected cells; the anti-Kv1.5 antibody labels a single band at 74 kD only in Kv1.5-transfected QT-6 cells (data not shown).
Immunohistochemical Identification of K+ Channel
Subunits in Myocytes
Previous work has shown that the messages for Kv1.2, Kv1.4, Kv1.5,
Kv2.1, and Kv4.2 are present in the adult rat ventricles and
atria.13 15 To determine if these subunits could also be
detected at the protein level, two types of experiments were performed.
In the first sequence of experiments, isolated myocytes were fixed and
probed for the presence of K+ channel subunits
immunohistochemically. In addition, adult rat atrial and
ventricular membranes were isolated, and membrane proteins
were separated on SDS gels and immunoblotted with the polyclonal
antibodies against each of the subunits. The results of a typical
immunohistochemical experiment on isolated adult rat
ventricular myocytes are presented in Fig 2. As is evident, several of the K+ channel
subunit–specific antibodies label isolated adult rat
ventricular myocytes. The label is particularly intense
with the anti-Kv4.2 (Fig 2E) and anti-Kv1.2 (Fig 2A) antibodies. With
the anti-Kv1.5 (Fig 2C) and anti-Kv2.1 (Fig 2D) antibodies, the
labeling, although somewhat less intense and more variable than
with anti-Kv4.2 or anti-Kv1.2, is significantly different from the
controls (Fig 2F). In marked contrast to these results, the anti-Kv1.4
(Fig 2B) antibody does not label isolated adult rat
ventricular myocytes; the appearance of cells exposed to
anti-Kv1.4 (Fig 2B) is not significantly different from background (Fig 2F) staining in cells that were subjected to all the steps in the
staining protocol, except that the primary antibody was omitted.
Interestingly, positive antibody labeling (Fig 2A, 2C, 2D, and 2E)
appears to be highly concentrated in the plasma membranes of isolated
myocytes, consistent with the participation of the antigens
(K+ channel subunits) recognized by these antibodies in the
formation of functional depolarization-activated K+
channels (see below).
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Qualitatively similar results were obtained in isolated adult rat
atrial myocytes (Fig 3). Labeling of atrial cells was
most intense with the anti-Kv1.2 (Fig 3A) and anti-Kv4.2 (Fig 3I)
antibodies. Although somewhat weaker, the anti-Kv1.5 antibody also
consistently labeled atrial cells (Fig 3E). Also similar to the
results obtained in ventricular cells, the appearance of
atrial cells exposed to the anti-Kv1.4 antibody (Fig 3C) is not
significantly different from background. However, in contrast to
ventricular cells (Figs 2D
and 3H), the Kv2.1 antibody
gives only very weak labeling of atrial cells (Fig 3G).
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As noted above, the labeling patterns seen with anti-Kv1.2, anti-Kv1.5,
anti-Kv2.1, and anti-Kv4.2 (Figs 2 and 3) suggested that the antigens
(K+ channel subunits) recognized by these antibodies are
highly concentrated in the plasma membranes of adult rat atrial and
ventricular myocytes. To explore this point further, laser
scanning confocal images of isolated myocytes labeled with
K+ channel subunit–specific antibodies were obtained. In
these experiments, a Cy3-conjugated goat-anti-rabbit IgG secondary
antibody was used. As illustrated in Fig 4, anti-Kv4.2
labeling is highly concentrated in the plasma membranes of isolated
adult rat ventricular myocytes. Similar results were
obtained with the anti-Kv1.2, anti-Kv1.5, and anti-Kv2.1 antibodies.
Interestingly, the labeling intensity appears to be highest in the
intercalated disk regions of the cells (Fig 4, arrows).
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Western Blots of Rat Ventricular and Atrial
Membrane Proteins
Western blots were conducted on rat atrial and
ventricular membrane proteins after fractionation on
SDS-polyacrylamide gels and transfer to PVDF membranes (see
"Materials and Methods"). Typical results obtained by use of the
antibodies against the Shaker subfamily subunits Kv1.2,
Kv1.4, and Kv1.5 are presented in Fig 5. The
anti-Kv1.2 antibody recognizes a single band at 75 kD in both atrial
and ventricular membranes (Fig 5A), although the signal is
clearly stronger in atrial than in ventricular membranes.
The molecular mass (75 kD) of this band is similar to that of the
protein identified by anti-Kv1.2 in Kv1.2-transfected QT-6 cells (see
above). A band at approximately the same molecular mass is also seen in
brain membranes (Fig 5A), although as reported
previously,19 20 the band identified by anti-Kv1.2 in
brain appears "fuzzy," extending over the molecular mass range of
75 to 85 kD. This observation suggests that there are multiple isoforms
of Kv1.2 in the brain. If this interpretation is correct, the
difference between the appearances of the bands in
atrial/ventricular and brain membranes may suggest that
multiple isoforms of Kv1.2 do not exist in the adult rat heart. In
experiments completed on both brain and heart membrane proteins,
however, the labeling of the 75-kD (in atria/ventricles) and the 75- to
85-kD (in brain) bands are specifically blocked (Fig 5A) when the
antibody is preincubated with the peptide against which the antibody
was generated.19
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A single protein band at 75 kD is recognized by the anti-Kv1.5
antibody in rat ventricular membranes, whereas two bands,
at 75 kD and 60 kD, are identified with this antibody in atrial
membranes (Fig 5B). A 76-kD band was reportedly recognized by
anti-Kv1.5 in immunoblots of GH3 cell
proteins.17 Similar to the findings in the
hippocampus,26 however, anti-Kv1.5 recognizes a much
smaller protein (60 kD) in brain membranes (Fig 5B). Both the 60- and
75-kD bands identified in immunoblots of heart membranes (and the 60-kD
band in brain membranes) were eliminated (Fig 5B) when the antibody was
preincubated with the fusion protein against which the antibody was
generated.16 Taken together, these results suggest that
there may be multiple isoforms of Kv1.5 and also that these isoforms
are differentially distributed in adult rat heart and brain (see
"Discussion"). Alternatively, because the predicted molecular
mass of the Kv1.5 protein is >60 kD,13 it is certainly
also possible that the 60-kD band in adult rat brain and atria reflects
breakdown of the intact 75-kD Kv1.5 protein (see
"Discussion").
Interestingly, and in contrast to the findings with anti-Kv1.2 and
anti-Kv1.5 antibodies described above, nothing was detected on Western
blots of adult rat atrial and ventricular membrane proteins
with the anti-Kv1.4 antibody (Fig 5C). However, in parallel experiments
on rat brain membrane proteins, a prominent band was detected at 97 kD;
this band was eliminated (Fig 5C) when anti-Kv1.4 was preincubated with
the N-terminal peptide against which the antibody was
generated.19 20 When the anti-Kv1.4 antibody was used at
5- to 10-fold higher concentrations, Western blots of both atrial and
ventricular membrane proteins revealed a very faint band at
97 kD in both samples (data not shown). Although faint, the 97-kD band
in adult rat atria and ventricles in these experiments seems certain to
reflect (very low) expression of Kv1.4, because the molecular mass of
the protein is the same as that identified in brain (Fig 5C; see also
References 19 and 2119 21 ). In addition, the 97-kD bands were eliminated
when the antibody was preincubated with the peptide against which it
was generated.19 20 The simplest interpretation of these
results is that Kv1.4 is expressed at barely detectable levels in adult
rat atria and ventricles (see "Discussion").
In parallel experiments, Western blots of rat atrial and
ventricular membrane proteins revealed that expression of
Kv2.1 and Kv4.2 was readily detected (Fig 6A). The
anti-Kv2.1 antibody, for example, specifically labels a single protein
band at 130 kD in both atrial and ventricular membranes
(Fig 6A), although the intensity of the labeled band does appear to be
higher in the atrial than in the ventricular membranes (see
"Discussion"). Also of interest is the fact that a single band at
130 kD is recognized by anti-Kv2.1 in heart membranes (Fig 6A), whereas
multiple bands (116 to 130 kD) are identified by this antibody in rat
brain (Fig 6A; see also Reference 2727 ), suggesting that different
isoforms of Kv2.1 are expressed in adult rat brain but not in adult rat
heart (see "Discussion").
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The anti-Kv4.2 antibody specifically labels a single band at 74 kD in
adult rat heart membranes (Fig 6B), although this protein is more
abundant in ventricular than in atrial membranes. The
molecular mass of the protein identified by the anti-Kv4.2 antibody in
brain membranes is the same as that in the heart, and in all cases,
labeling is eliminated when the antibody is preincubated with the
peptide against which the antibody was generated (Fig 6B).
The experiments described above demonstrate the presence of Kv1.2,
Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv4.2 in membranes prepared from adult rat atria and
ventricles. However, it could clearly be argued that the results
obtained may not reflect the distributions of these K+
channel subunits in cardiac myocytes because of the presence of other
cell types, such as smooth muscle and endothelial
cells, in the tissue that was harvested, homogenized, and
used for the preparation of membranes. Therefore, in separate
experiments adult rat ventricular myocytes were
isolated,4 8 9 membranes were prepared, and membrane
proteins were fractionated on SDS gels and transferred to PVDF
membranes. Western blots with the anti-Kv1.2, anti-Kv1.4, anti-Kv1.5,
anti-Kv2.1, and anti-Kv4.2 antibodies revealed results (Fig 7) that were indistinguishable from those obtained in
proteins extracted from whole ventricles (Figs 5 and 6). Specifically,
intense labeling was seen with the anti-Kv4.2 (lane 7D) and the
anti-Kv1.2 (lane 7A) antibodies; somewhat weaker, although clearly
positive, labeling was observed with the anti-Kv1.5 (lane 7B) and
anti-Kv2.1 (lane 7C) antibodies. The results obtained with the
anti-Kv1.4 antibody were very similar to those obtained in Western
blots of membrane proteins isolated from whole adult rat atria and
ventricles (Fig 5C). Specifically, no labeling was detected in Western
blots of adult rat ventricular myocyte membrane proteins
with the anti-Kv1.4 antibody diluted at 1:500, although a very faint
band at 97 kD was detected with anti-Kv1.4 at a 10-fold higher
concentration (data not shown).
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Differential Expression of K+ Channel Subunits in Atrial and Ventricular Membranes
The results of the present study demonstrate that four of the five K+ channel subunits shown to be expressed at the mRNA level in the adult rat heart13 15 are also readily detected at the protein level; these are Kv1.2, Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv4.2. The remaining K+ channel subunit, Kv1.4, although cloned from a rat heart cDNA library13 and clearly evident in Northern blots13 and in RNase protection assays,15 was undetectable in isolated myocytes immunohistochemically and barely detectable in immunoblots of adult rat ventricular or atrial membrane proteins. It seems unlikely that the weak/absent signals with the anti-Kv1.4 antibody on cardiac cells/membranes reflect the experimental conditions used, because all of the other antibodies gave unambiguous results. In addition, the anti-Kv1.4 antibody works well in Western blots of rat brain membrane proteins (Fig 7
) and in immunohistochemical experiments in QT-6 cells
transfected with Kv1.4 (Fig 1B). Finally, it is important to emphasize
that enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays revealed that the anti-Kv1.4
antibody is substantially more sensitive than either the anti-Kv1.2 or
the anti-Kv4.2 antibody, both of which strongly labeled myocyte
membrane proteins in immunohistochemical experiments and in Western
blots. Therefore, the absence of signals in the heart samples cannot be
explained by problems with the antibody. Given this situation, we are
forced to conclude that Kv1.4 is not an abundant protein in adult rat
atrial or ventricular myocytes and, further, that this
subunit likely does not play an important role in the formation of
functional depolarization-activated K+ channels in these
cells (see below).
Of the four remaining K+ channel subunits found to be
present in adult rat heart, differences in their distributions were
evident in immunoblots. For example, Kv4.2 levels are higher in
ventricular than in atrial membranes, whereas Kv1.2 is more
abundant in atria. However, in contrast to the brain,19 20
there do not appear to be multiple isoforms of Kv1.2 in the adult rat
heart (Fig 5A). Kv1.5 appears to be similar in the two tissues,
although it is of interest to note that there are two bands detected by
the anti-Kv1.5 antibody in adult rat atria but not in adult rat
ventricles (Fig 5B). This may reflect the expression of two distinct
Kv1.5 isoforms in atria. Alternatively, it is possible that the 60-kD
band identified by anti-Kv1.5 in adult rat atria is a breakdown
product of the intact 75-kD Kv1.5 protein. Further experiments will
be necessary to distinguish between these possibilities. The relative
distributions of Kv1.2, Kv1.5, and Kv4.2 revealed by the protein data
presented here agree closely with the recently published RNA
data.14 For Kv2.1, however, the message data show that the
level of Kv2.1 mRNA in ventricle is twice that in atria, whereas the
Kv2.1 protein is more abundant in atria (Fig 6A).
Relation of K+ Channel Subunits to Functional
K+ Channels in Ventricular
Myocytes
A motivation for the proposed experiments was to probe the likely
gene products underlying the depolarization-activated
K+ channels previously characterized
electrophysiologically in adult rat atrial and
ventricular myocytes.4 8 9 10 As noted above,
Northern blots13 and quantitative RNase protection
assays15 have revealed the expression of Kv1.2, Kv1.4,
Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv4.2 in adult rat atria and ventricles. Of these,
Kv1.4 and Kv4.2 seemed the most likely candidates for the protein
underlying Ito in adult rat ventricular
myocytes, primarily because expression of Kv1.411 or
Kv4.214 in Xenopus oocytes reveals transient
K+ currents that are similar (although not identical) to
rat ventricular Ito.8
Alternatively, because heteromultimeric
K+ channels can and do form when in vitro–synthesized
mRNAs encoding K+ channel subunits belonging to the same
subfamily are coinjected into oocytes,28 29 30 it also seemed
possible that heteromultimeric assembly of Kv1.4
with Kv1.2 and/or Kv1.5 might underlie Ito. However, in the
present study we demonstrate that Kv1.4 is barely detectable in the
membranes of adult rat ventricular myocytes both by
immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis, suggesting that
Kv1.4 does not contribute to rat ventricular
Ito. Kv4.2, on the other hand, is abundant in
ventricular membranes, leading to the obvious suggestion
that Kv4.2 underlies Ito. This suggestion was made
previously by Dixon and McKinnon15 on the basis of their
findings that Kv4.2 message levels are higher in ventricle than atrium
and vary throughout the thickness of the ventricular wall,
as found for Ito (J.M. Nerbonne, unpublished data, 1994).
Because Kv4.1 message levels are insignificant in adult rat
ventricle,15 one can further speculate that if Kv4.2
underlies rat ventricular Ito, these
channels are homomultimeric (composed of four copies of
Kv4.2).31 However, it is certainly possible that there are
also accessory ß subunits associated with Kv4.2 in vivo and that
these contribute to determining the properties of Ito
channels. It has been demonstrated that there are accessory ß
subunits of brain voltage-gated K+ channels of the
Shaker32 and Shab18
subfamilies. Recently, two Shaker subfamily ß subunits
were cloned from rat brain,33 and coexpression experiments
revealed that the presence of a ß subunit alters the kinetic
properties of some members (eg, Kv1.1) of this subfamily. Further
experiments will be necessary to explore the possibility that there are
also ß subunits that associate with Kv4.2 (or other K+
channel subunits) in the heart.
The finding that Kv1.2 is also abundant in adult rat ventricle suggests that this subunit might also be considered a reasonable candidate for Ito. However, heterologous expression of Kv1.2 yields rapidly activating noninactivating K+ currents with properties quite different from rat ventricular Ito. By analogy to the recent findings in brain noted above,33 it could certainly be suggested that there are ß subunits that associate with homomultimeric Kv1.2 (or heteromultimeric Kv1.2-Kv1.5) channels to yield functional rat ventricular Ito channels. The strongest argument against a role for Kv1.2 in rat ventricular Ito is that expressed Kv1.2 currents are sensitive to nanomolar concentrations of K+ channel toxins, such as dendrotoxin,34 whereas dendrotoxin at concentrations up to 1 µmol/L has no effect on Ito (or IK) in adult rat ventricular myocytes (H. Xu and J.M. Nerbonne, unpublished data, 1994). Thus, we suggest that Kv4.2 most likely underlies Ito in adult rat ventricular myocytes.
If the hypothesis that Kv4.2 underlies functional Ito channels is correct, then the obvious questions are as follows: What are the functions of the remaining three subunits, and (specifically) what underlies IK in ventricular myocytes? Heterologous expression of either Kv1.212 or Kv1.535 yields rapidly activating K+ currents that are sensitive to 4-aminopyridine and insensitive to TEA. However, IK in rat ventricular myocytes is TEA sensitive.8 Also, as noted above, expressed Kv1.2 currents are sensitive to nanomolar concentrations of K+ channel toxins,34 whereas IK in rat ventricular myocytes is insensitive to dendrotoxin. Heterologous expression of Kv2.1, on the other hand, reveals slowly activating TEA-sensitive K+ currents36 similar to IK in adult rat ventricular myocytes.8 Therefore, of the three K+ channel subunits (other than Kv4.2) expressed in adult rat ventricular myocytes, Kv2.1 seems the likely candidate for IK. If correct, then the functional roles of Kv1.2 and Kv1.5 are unclear. If it is assumed that these subunits contribute to the formation of functional channels, it seems reasonable to suggest that there may be other (ie, in addition to Ito and IK) channels in these cells. Further experiments designed to explore each of these hypotheses directly are warranted. Recently, we have found that Ito density increases severalfold during the period of postnatal development from day 5 to adult and that during the same period IK density decreases (H. Xu and J.M. Nerbonne, unpublished data, 1994). Experiments are under way to determine if the (protein) levels of the various K+ channel subunits also change during this developmental period. These studies should provide further insights into the likely subunits that contribute to functional Ito and IK channels.
Relation of K+ Channel Subunits to Functional
K+ Channels in Atrial Myocytes
Similar questions arise concerning the relation between the
K+ channel subunits expressed and the K+
channels characterized electrophysiologically in
adult rat atrial myocytes. Previous work has revealed the presence of
three kinetically distinct current components, termed
IKf, IKs, and
Iss, in these cells.9 All three
components are sensitive to 4-aminopyridine and insensitive to
TEA.9 IKf and IKs display
different rates of inactivation and rates of recovery from
inactivation; Iss is noninactivating.9
Recently, Van Wagoner and Lamborgese10 demonstrated that
only Iss is attenuated on application of
phenylephrine, suggesting that Iss reflects the
activation of a novel conductance pathway rather than incomplete
inactivation of IKf and/or IKs.9
Of the heterologously expressed cloned K+ channels,
IKf, IKs, and Iss
most closely resemble Kv1.212 and
Kv1.535 in terms of pharmacology and kinetics. Recently,
it was reported that IKs, but not IKf or
Iss, is sensitive to nanomolar concentrations of
dendrotoxin.10 This observation is intriguing and lends
further support to the suggestion that IKf,
IKs, and Iss are functionally distinct
populations of K+ channels.9 10 More important
for the present discussion, however, this result suggests that
different molecular entities likely underlie IKf,
IKs, and Iss. Of the K+
channel subunits found in adult rat atrium, only Kv1.2 forms
dendrotoxin-sensitive channels when expressed in Xenopus
oocytes.34 Therefore, it seems reasonable to suggest that
Kv1.2, either as a homomultimer or a (Kv1.2-Kv1.5)
heteromultimer, underlies IKs. The time- and
voltage-dependent properties of heterologously expressed Kv1.5
channels35 are similar to those of
Iss.9 This observation together with the
relatively low abundance of this protein in adult rat atria (Fig 5B)
suggests that Kv1.5 might contribute to adult rat atrial
Iss.
In contrast, it seems unlikely that either Kv1.2 or Kv1.5 contributes to IKf in adult rat atrial myocytes. A more likely possibility appears to be Kv4.2, because this subunit is abundant in atrial membranes and because heterologous expression of Kv4.2 reveals rapidly activating 4-aminopyridine–sensitive K+ currents.14 As discussed above, however, expressed Kv4.2 currents also inactivate rapidly, more closely resembling ventricular Ito8 than atrial IKf.9 It is possible that coexpression of ß subunits18 32 33 or posttranslational modifications37 alter the rates of inactivation of Kv4.2, thereby leading to channels with different properties in atrial (IKf) and ventricular (Ito) cells. If these various hypotheses concerning the relations between expressed subunits and functional atrial K+ channels (ie, that Kv1.2 [either alone or with Kv1.5] underlies IKs, Kv1.5 underlies Iss, and Kv4.2 underlies IKf in rat atrial myocytes) are correct, then the functional role of Kv2.1 in atrial cells is unclear. Similar to the comments above concerning our findings in ventricular cells, the simplest interpretation is that if Kv2.1 does contribute to the formation of functional channels in atrial cells, then there must be other (ie, in addition to IKf, IKs, and Iss) channels in these cells. Additional experiments aimed at exploring this possibility and further probing the molecular compositions of the functional K+ channels in atrial and ventricular myocytes will be necessary to resolve these points.
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Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
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Acknowledgments |
|---|
This study was supported by grants from the Monsanto-Searle/Washington University Biomedical Research Program, the National Institutes of Health, and the Council for Tobacco Research. Dr Trimmer is an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. We thank Terry Der for technical assistance in the preparation of isolated adult rat atrial and ventricular myocytes and Dr Haodong Xu for assistance with atrial and ventricular isolations and for many helpful comments and discussions. We also thank Drs Morgan Sheng and Lily Y. Jan for providing us with the anti-Kv1.2, anti-Kv1.4, and anti-Kv4.2 antibodies and Dr Michael Tamkun for providing the Kv1.4 and Kv1.5 cDNAs.
This paper is dedicated to the memory of John P. Merlie, who died unexpectedly on May 27, 1995.
Received November 28, 1994; accepted April 24, 1995.
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References |
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