© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
Unique Conductance, Gating, and Selective Permeability Properties of Gap Junction Channels Formed by Connexin40
From the Department of Pharmacology (D.A.B., H.-Z.W., R.D.V.), State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse, and the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Cell Biology and Physiology (E.C.B., E.M.W.), Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo.
Correspondence to Dr Dolores A. Beblo, Department of Pharmacology, SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, 750 E Adams St, Syracuse, NY 13210. E-mail beblod@vav.cs.hscsyr.edu.
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Abstract |
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Abstract Connexin40 is selectively expressed in specialized cardiac conduction (nodal and His-Purkinje) tissues and the atrium, yet the channel properties formed by this gap junction protein have not been investigated. The conductance, gating, and selective permeability of rat connexin40 (Cx40) gap junction channels between pairs of Cx40-transfected mouse neuroblastoma (N2A) cells in culture were studied by using dual whole-cell voltage-clamp techniques. The macroscopic steady state junctional conductance gating was dependent on transjunctional voltage with a Boltzmann half-inactivation voltage of ±50 mV, a residual voltage-insensitive normalized junctional conductance of 35% of maximum, and a gating charge valence of 3. In the presence of 120 mmol/L potassium glutamate, the slope conductance of single rat Cx40 gap junction channels measured 158±2 pS (n=4). Lower conductance states equal to 21% to 48% of the main open-state conductance were also occasionally observed in two of the four cell pairs. Multichannel open probabilities were found to be heterogeneous. Ion substitution and dye transfer experiments were performed to determine the relative chloride/potassium conductance and dye permeability of anionic fluorescein derivatives in rat Cx40 channels. The rat Cx40 channel had a maximum conductance of 180±18 pS (n=3) in 120 mmol/L KCl and a detectable chloride permeability of 0.29 relative to potassium, indicating some selectivity for cations over anions. Cx40 gap junctions were permeable to 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (diCl-F) and also to the more polar 6-carboxyfluorescein dye; however, diCl-F dye transfer was not observed to increase with increasing junctional conductance.
Key Words: channel conductance ratio • intercellular communication • permeability • 6-carboxyfluorescein • 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein
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Introduction |
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TopAbstractIntroductionMaterials and MethodsResultsDiscussionReferences |
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Gap junction channels provide a low-resistance pathway for ion flow between cells by forming an aqueous pore permeable to hydrophilic molecules up to 1 kD in mass or 10 to 14 Å in diameter.1 2 3 Multiple protein subunits called connexins form the oligomeric channel assemblies. Connexins are a family of at least 16 structurally related proteins that contain highly conserved sequences corresponding to four putative transmembrane and two extracellular regions and also contain unique, predicted cytoplasmic loop and carboxyl terminal domains.4 The diversity of connexins expressed by various tissues suggests that the cell-specific distribution of physiologically distinct gap junctions may contribute to the tissue-specific regulation of intercellular communication. Gap junction channels formed by specific cloned connexins have unique biophysical properties and gating characteristics that correlate with the properties of the channels in cells from which those sequences were derived.5 6
The number, size, and spatial distribution of gap junctions are important determinants of passive electrophysiological properties and contribute to the velocity and anisotropy of conduction in different regions of normal and diseased myocardium.7 8 It is likely that differential patterns of expression of multiple connexins (including Cx40, Cx43, and Cx45) within the heart also contribute to differing regional conductive properties.9 For example, the fivefold increase in longitudinal conduction velocity in Purkinje fibers relative to the ventricle likely results from the relatively linear tissue arrangement of myocytes and their connections, higher sodium conductance, and tissue-specific patterns of connexin expression. Immunofluorescence and quantitative in situ hybridization studies have demonstrated that although both ventricular myocytes and Purkinje fibers contain Cx43, expression of Cx40 is increased threefold to fivefold in the Purkinje fibers relative to the ventricle.10 Various studies have demonstrated that although Cx40 is relatively scarce in the ventricle, it is found in the atrium, sinus and atrioventricular nodes, His-Purkinje system, and endothelium and in noncardiac organs, including lung, kidney, uterus, and ovary.7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Thus, a determination of the properties of Cx40 channels may have implications for understanding intercellular communication in multiple systems.
Most cells express more than one connexin, making it difficult to determine unique connexin channel properties. To study the function of a single connexin type, connexins have been exogenously expressed or transfected into communication-deficient cell lines. As in our previous investigations of connexin-specific gap junctions,5 17 18 19 we expressed Cx40 channels in mouse neuroblastoma (N2A) cells. These studies have indicated that gap junctions formed from different connexins have distinct conductance states and Vj sensitivities and, most recently, unique ionic and dye permeabilities. In the present investigation, we have combined double whole-cell patch recording20 21 22 with equimolar ion substitution and dye transfer experiments18 19 to determine the conductance, gating, and permeability properties of Cx40 channels. We demonstrate at both the macroscopic and single-channel levels that Cx40 gap junctions close with increasing Vj but with different sensitivities from other cardiac gap junctions. Interchanging between 120 mmol/L KG and KCl internal pipette solutions allowed us to investigate the ion selectivity of Cx40 channels. Cx40 was found to exhibit a 4:1 selectivity for cations over anions. Dye transfer experiments revealed that Cx40 gap junctions are only slightly permeable to diCl-F and 6-CF dyes.
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Materials and Methods |
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TopAbstractIntroductionMaterials and MethodsResultsDiscussionReferences |
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Cell Culture and Transfection
Mouse N2A cells were cultured as described previously.5 17 Genomic DNA containing the coding sequence of rat Cx40 was cloned into the EcoRI site of the eukaryotic expression vector pSFFV-neo. N2A cells were transfected with 20 µg of linearized plasmid. Colonies were selected in 0.5 mg/mL G418 (GIBCO/BRL), and Cx40 expression was verified by blotting of total RNA prepared from selected clones.5 17
Electrophysiological Recordings
and Solutions
Connexin-transfected N2A cell cultures were plated at low
density (2'105 cells per 35-mm dish) for 12 to 24 hours,
washed with HEPES-buffered saline (mmol/L: NaCl 142, KCl 1.3,
MgSO4 0.8, NaH2PO4 0.9,
CaCl2 1.8, dextrose 5.5, and HEPES 10, pH 7.2), and
examined on the stage of an inverted phase-contrast light
microscope (Olympus IMT-2). Cx40-induced coupling in the transfected
N2A cells was studied by dual whole-cell recording
procedures as described previously.22 Patch electrodes had
resistances of 2 to 5 M
when filled with one of five (IPS 1, IPS KG,
IPS KCl, KG/6-CF, and KG/diCl-F) internal pipette solutions. The
compositions of the internal pipette solutions are listed in Table 1
. All experiments were performed at room temperature
(20°C to 22°C). The osmolarity of all bath and internal pipette
solutions was measured by the freezing-point method (model 3W2
osmometer, Advanced Instruments Inc).
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To generate net macroscopic Ijs, Vj pulses were
elicited by stepping the holding potential of the prejunctional cell
(V1) from a common holding potential
(V1=V2=0 mV, where V2 is the
holding potential of the postjunctional cell) to a new value
(V'1) for a minimum of 6 seconds. Each 6-second
Vj pulse was separated by a 5-second recovery interval.
When single-channel activity was observed, Vj pulse
durations were increased to 120 seconds. Vj equals
V'1-V2 when the input resistances of cells 1
and 2 are 100-fold higher (eg, 2 G) than the resistances of the
respective whole-cell patch electrodes (eg, 20 M).
Ij signals appear as simultaneous events of
equal amplitude and opposite polarity, and the true Ij
equals -
I2(1+Rel2/Rin2),
where I2 is the difference in holding current of cell 2,
Rel2 is the patch-electrode series resistance, and
Rin2 is the cellular input resistance. When
Rin2 and the junctional resistance (Rj) are >2
G and are 100-fold higher than the resistance of the
recording electrode
(Rel2/Rin2, <0.01),
-Ij is 
I2 (<2% error), and the
I2 signal is used to measure the junctional channel
current amplitudes. Junctional conductance (gj) or
Rj was determined from the expression
gj=1/Rj=Ij/Vj,
provided that the above conditions are met. All current and voltage
recordings were stored on VCR tape using a four-channel
digitizing unit (DR-484 Neuro-corder, Neuro Data Instruments Corp)
and a VCR tape recorder (JVC HR-D600U) for off-line
analysis.
The instantaneous macroscopic Ij was determined from the
average of the first 2 milliseconds of recorded
I2, and the macroscopic steady state
Ij was determined from the average of the last second of
the 6-second pulse. Because instantaneous Ij remains linear
with Vj, gss was normalized to
ginst of each pulse and plotted as a function of
Vj. If the linear fit of the instantaneous
Ij-Vj curve for each experiment did not
intersect 0 mV, indicative of an offset potential, the offset
(0.89±0.77 mV, mean±SEM) was subtracted from Vj before
calculating the conductance. Gj
(gss/ginst) was fit assuming a
two-state Boltzmann distribution of the following form:
 | (1) |
is the experimentally
derived steady state Gj value.
Channel Current Analysis
For clarity, junctional channel currents were displayed as
paired whole-cell currents, and all-points current amplitude
histograms were compiled from the last 110 seconds of the 2-minute
I2 tracing for each experiment. The first 10 seconds of
each 2-minute Vj pulse was omitted to exclude nonstationary
data. When recording single gap junction channel currents from
a cell pair with gj of <0.5 nS, all of the above
conditions are met, and Ij is -I2. All
analog signals were low pass–filtered (eight-pole Bessel,
LPF-30, WPI, Inc) at 100 Hz or 1 kHz and digitized at 2 kHz and 10 kHz,
respectively, by using a DT2801A A/D board (Data Translation, Inc)
installed in an IBM PC/AT clone (Everex 386SX/20). The dead time of the
recording instrumentation was 1.8 milliseconds.
The gaussian distributions present in the all-points current amplitude histograms were fitted with a pdf18 25 assuming i independent channels, where i is one less than the total number of peaks observed. Each channel was assigned a Pi value.26 In certain instances, the amplitude histograms cannot be accurately described by using expressions for independent channels because of the existence of intermediate conductance states or cooperative gating behavior.25 Alternative expressions assuming the existence of long-lived channel substates have been derived elsewhere.27
The respective increases in channel conductance were determined by
using the GHK current equation with the permeability terms set equal to
D for each of the monovalent ions. Since D is directly proportional to
the aqueous mobility of each ion at a given temperature, the predicted
conductance ratios of the internal pipette solutions reflect changes in
the osmolarity and aqueous mobilities of the constituent ions.
Dion values are as follows (10-5
cm2/s): K+ 1.96, Na+ 1.33,
Cs+ 2.06, TEA+ 0.87, Cl- 2.03, and
glutamate- (estimated) 0.70. An effective
anion-to-cation permeability ratio was determined by scaling an
anionic permeability coefficient in the GHK equation until the
theoretical results matched the experimental IPS KCl–to–IPS KG
unitary channel conductance ratio.28 Reducing the
glutamate permeability (eg, to zero) increases the predicted IPS
KCl–to–IPS KG conductance ratio to 1.72 from 1.38 and effectively
reduces the anion-to-cation selectivity ratio by an additional
50% from the experimentally reported values.
Dye Transfer Assays
6-CF (376 D, Molecular Probes) was dissolved in 120 mmol/L
potassium citrate (pH 9.0) to yield a final stock concentration of 20
mmol/L and titrated to pH 7.0. Stock 6-CF solution was stored in the
dark at -20°C. For dual whole-cell recording experiments
using 6-CF, an aliquot of the 20 mmol/L stock solution was diluted to a
final concentration of 2 mmol/L with IPS KG. Only one patch electrode
of the pair was filled with 2 mmol/L KG/6-CF, and gj
measurements were obtained by following normal procedures. After a
10-minute Ij recording period, the presence or
absence of dye transfer was observed under epifluorescent
illumination. Phase-contrast and fluorescent micrograph
images were recorded by using an automatic exposure Olympus 35-mm
camera body attached to the microscope's camera port. The same
procedures were followed for diCl-F (401 D, Eastman Kodak Co).
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Results |
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Induction of Electrical Coupling by Cx40 Expression
The communication-deficient N2A cell line was stably transfected with rat Cx40 genomic DNA, and clones testing positive for Cx40 expression were examined for functional coupling by using the double whole-cell recording technique. Electrical communication was evident in 73% of the Cx40 pairs examined while using IPS 1, IPS KG, and IPS KCl (Table 1
, n=49). When IPS 1 was used,
gj averaged 2.26±1.57 nS (mean±SD, n=28, Fig 1). Cell pairs using IPS KG or IPS KCl that did not
result in single-channel recordings (gj,
>0.5 nS) were not subjected to further analysis.
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Voltage-Dependent Gating of gj
The Vj dependence of rat Cx40 gj was
investigated by stepping V1 from 0 to ±100 mV in 10-mV
increments while holding V2 constant at 0 mV.
Representative Ijs are presented in
Fig 2A. Instantaneous Ij increased linearly
with Vj in either direction. Ij underwent a
time-dependent decay when Vj exceeded ±50 mV. The
instantaneous and steady state Ij values are plotted as
functions of Vj in Fig 2B, clearly illustrating the voltage
dependence of Ij. The instantaneous
Ij-Vj relation for the data shown in Fig 2B
approximates a straight line with a slope of 3.5 nS over the entire
voltage range. The steady state Ij-Vj relation
has a linear slope of 3.9 nS over the range of ±30 mV but levels off
above ±70 mV.
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If the linear fit of the instantaneous Ij-Vj
curve for each experiment did not intersect 0 mV, the resulting offset
potential (0.89±0.77 mV, mean±SEM, n=10) was subtracted from
Vj before calculating ginst and
gss. gss was normalized to the
ginst value of each pulse and plotted as a function of
Vj. The results are illustrated in Fig 3.
Each point represents the normalized conductance,
Gj, at each Vj. The solid line
represents the best fit of the data assuming a two-state
Boltzmann distribution. For this graph, Gmax=1.0 and
G are the experimentally derived steady state
Gj values. For the curve shown in Fig 3, the Boltzmann
parameters (Table 2) were
Gmin=0.33, n=3.2, and V0=-54 mV for negative
Vj values and Gmin=0.28, n=2.8, and
V0=+47 mV for positive Vj values.
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Single-Channel Conductance and Ionic Selectivity
Since the gj of Cx40-transfected N2A cell pairs is the
product of the number of open channels and their 
j
values, we continued our study with an investigation of the
j and gating properties of the Cx40 channel. Fig 4A illustrates one example of whole-cell currents
containing single Cx40 gap junction channel openings and closings in
the presence of symmetrical IPS KG solutions at a Vj of
-20 mV. Four seconds of a full 2-minute continuous recording
are shown. The amplitude histogram in Fig 4B, compiled from the
-I2 tracing from the same experiment, has four peaks
corresponding to current levels L1 through L4 in Fig 4A. The dots
represent the detected number of occurrences (digitized points)
at each current level. The current-amplitude histogram is fitted
(solid line) with a pdf assuming n=3 independent channels, with a
single-current amplitude of -3.25 pA and a baseline
(closed-channel) variance of 0.31 pA. The open-channel variance
was 0.31 pA. However, to accurately define the amplitude of each
current peak, two different open probability values of .75 (for
P1) and .25 (for P2) were assigned to one and
two channels, respectively. The single-channel
Ij-Vj relation is shown in Fig 4C. A slope
conductance of 157 pS (r>.99), obtained by linear
regression fit of the Ij-Vj relation, was
determined in the presence of IPS KG (Table 1). Similar
Ij-Vj relations were obtained from three other
Cx40 cell pairs, and the individual slope conductances were 156, 157,
and 162 pS. The slope conductances for all IPS KG experiments averaged
158±2 pS (mean±SD, n=4).
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To examine the anion permeability of Cx40 channels, channel current
amplitudes were determined in separate experiments by using a modified
internal pipette solution (IPS KCl, Table 1), where an equimolar
concentration of KCl (120 mmol/L) replaced KG. Channel currents were
again recorded at different Vjs. Fig 5A
is a 3-second segment of the paired channel currents obtained during a
2-minute Vj pulse to -30 mV. Numerous transitions between
five different conductance states were observed. The current amplitude
distribution for the last 110 seconds of the 2-minute recording
is shown in Fig 5B. Four independent open channels were assumed for the
pdf fit (solid line). The channels had a current
amplitude of 4.05 pA and a baseline variance of 0.19 pA. The
open-channel variance was set to 0.19 pA. Three different open
probabilities were assigned: .11 (P1), .49
(P2), and .89 (P3 and P4). The
single-channel Ij-Vj relation is plotted in
Fig 5C. The slope conductance in the presence of IPS KCl was 172 pS
(r>.99). Single-channel Ij-Vj
relations were obtained from two additional Cx40 cell pairs, and the
individual slope conductances were 167 and 200 pS. The slope
conductances for all IPS KG experiments averaged 180±18 pS (mean±SD,
n=3).
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The GHK current equation predicts a 36% increase in Ij and
gj between IPS KG and IPS KCl if the permeabilities of all
monovalent ions are assumed to be directly proportional to the
respective aqueous mobilities of each ion (see "Materials and
Methods").28 The IPS KCl–to–IPS KG
single-channel junctional slope conductance (j)
ratio (180/158 pS) was 1.14. This 14% increase in maximum conductance
is 61% less than the expected 36% increase in j (ie,
to 215 pS in IPS KCl), assuming that the local ion concentrations near
the mouth of the Cx40 channels are equivalent to their respective
values in the internal pipette solution. The experimental Cx40 IPS
KCl–to–IPS KG conductance ratio can be approximated by lowering
the relative anion-to-cation permeability within the GHK
current equation to 0.29.
Multiple Conductance States
In two of four cell pairs using IPS KG and one of three cell pairs
using IPS KCl, the Cx40 channel was observed to transit from either the
maximum open (main) state or the ground (closed, nonconducting) state
to various nonzero conducting states (data not shown). The occurrence
of multiple conductance states was identified by the presence of an
additional peak located between the closed state and the fully
open-state peaks in the corresponding current amplitude histogram,
which could not be defined by assuming multiple independent channel
types.29 The additional conductance states were observed
infrequently, not at every applied Vj for each cell pair,
and ranged from 21% to 48% of the main state conductance. Additional
recordings are required for statistical analysis by
following previously described procedures.18
Channel Open Probability
Channel open probabilities at each Vj were obtained by
determining the channel amplitude histogram pdf for each 2-minute
Vj pulse. The single-channel gj and open
probabilities were determined for cell pairs with five or less open
channels observed. The open probabilities at each Vj for
the four cell pairs using IPS KG and the three cell pairs using IPS KCl
are listed in Table 3. Table 3 also includes the number
of events or transitions between discrete current levels at each
Vj. At some Vjs, distinct open-channel
peaks in the all-points current amplitude histogram were readily
observed for amplitude and event count determinations, but independent
channel pdf values could not be obtained (because of either substate
activity or cooperativity among multiple channels); therefore, channel
open probabilities could not be estimated. The maximum number of open
channels was not observed at each Vj. At most
Vjs, the open-channel probabilities for each channel in
a multichannel recording were not equal.
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Dye Permeability
To examine the dye permeability of Cx40 and correlate it with
electrical coupling, dual whole-cell recording experiments
were performed on Cx40 N2A cell clones with 2 mmol/L 6-CF or 2 mmol/L
diCl-F added to IPS KG in one of the patch pipettes. These anionic dyes
were selected because of their molecular weights (diCl-F,
Mr=401; 6-CF, Mr=376) and
hydrophilic character (>99% ionized at pH 7.0). diCl-F, an anion at
physiological pH, is reported to have a nexal
membrane permeability that is 4 to 20 times greater than that for 6-CF,
which has a valence of -2 at physiological
pH.30 Both diCl-F and 6-CF have little binding affinity
(<7%) for cytoplasmic proteins.30 31 The unhydrated
radius of the fluorescein derivatives are approximately
equal (9.5 Å), but the hydration radius of 6-CF would be expected to
be greater than that of diCl-F because of its greater
polarity.30
Using diCl-F, dual whole-cell recording experiments were
performed on 16 Cx40-transfected N2A cell pairs with conductances
ranging from 0.4 to 8.3 nS. As illustrated in Fig 6A, of
the 16 experiments, only one pair with a gj of 1.2 nS (6%)
exhibited diCl-F dye transfer. In one additional experiment, dye
coupling developed rapidly, and the second cell of the pair
fluoresced with an intensity equal to the dye-injected cell.
The gj of this cell pair was 5.25 nS, and Vj-
and time-dependent decay of Ij was not evident. These
properties are consistent with the low incidence (15% to 20%
among pairs)18 of cytoplasmic bridges between cells, and
this pair was excluded in the final analysis of Cx40-mediated
dye transfer.
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The same procedures were repeated with 2 mmol/L 6-CF added to IPS KG of
cell 1 in each of 10 experiments. gj ranged from 0.4 to
12.6 nS, and all three (30%) of the pairs with conductances of >7 nS
exhibited dye transfer as shown in Fig 6B. The other seven pairs were
negative for dye transfer (gj, <7 nS).
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Discussion |
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TopAbstractIntroductionMaterials and MethodsResultsDiscussionReferences |
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The results of the present study demonstrate that rat Cx40 forms a functional gap junction channel with Vj-dependent gating, channel conductance, and selective ionic and dye permeability properties distinct from other reported cardiovascular connexins. Typically, the functional expression of each newly identified connexin is accompanied by a Boltzmann curve describing the Vj dependence of steady state gj as originally described for Vj-dependent gap junctions between amphibian blastomeres.23 24 This two-state Boltzmann model provides a fingerprint for the equilibrium properties of the different Vj-dependent connexins. When mouse Cx40 was expressed in oocytes, a V0 of 35 mV, Gmin of 0.19, and slope factor of 0.32 (gating charge valence, 8) were observed.12 Our average values for rat Cx40 (V0, 50 mV; Gmin, 0.30; and slope factor, 0.12 [gating charge valence, 3]) are indicative of less Vj-sensitive gating than the murine isoform of Cx40. These variations may be attributed to differences in the two expression systems, as reported for Cx32 (Moreno et al, 1994). Mouse and rat Cx40 amino acid sequences are 92% identical, and their disparate Vj sensitivities may reflect primary sequence variations. The greatest similarity Cx40 shares with any of the other known connexins is
70% identity with chick
Cx42.11 12 The rat Cx40 Boltzmann parameters
compare well with those reported for chick Cx42 (V0,
41 mV; slope factor, 0.108; and Gmin,
0.38).5 The Vj dependence of rat Cx40 also
differs substantially from that of chick Cx45 (V0,
39 mV; slope factor, 0.055; and Gmin, 0.09) and
chick Cx43 (V0, ±77 mV; slope factor, 0.064; and
Gmin, 0.53).5
If j and the number of channels in the membrane remain
constant, then Vj-dependent changes in conductance must be
manifested as changes in channel gating properties. To date, gap
junction channel gating has been modeled by using a simple
two-state (all-or-none) gating
scheme23 24 32 33 despite recent evidence to the contrary
(ie, the existence of multiple or voltage-sensitive subconductance
states).15 19 27 Under the two-state gating scheme,
rapid reductions in gj are likely to result from a
reduction in the number of open channels. The Vj-dependent
behavior of several gap junction channels has been attributed to
Vj-dependent modulation of channel open
probability.34 35 The heterogeneity of
multichannel open probabilities precludes us from making any direct
comparisons between macroscopic (Fig 3) and unitary (Table 3)
probability distributions. The factors producing these multiple open
probabilities (possibly the gradual loss of Vj sensitivity
as channel number increases within a gap junction
plaque34 36 ) remain to be determined.
Cx40 single-channel conductance (158 pS) is unique relative to
other cardiovascular connexins; it is less than that
for Cx37 (300 pS, the largest j reported for all
connexins under similar ionic conditions)18 and greater
than that for Cx45 (26 pS, the smallest j reported for
all known connexins).19 Cx40 channels could thus be
considered midrange. Chick and rat Cx43 exhibit multiple conductance
states, with the most prevalent j being 45 to 60 pS,
depending on ionic conditions.5 34 Hence, rat Cx40 has a
greater j than the predominant Cx43 state by a factor of
3. Chick Cx42 exhibits six j states in multiples of 40
pS, with the 160 pS j state being the most prevalent at
22°C.32 Although Cx40 and Cx42 possess common 160-pS
j states, there are functional differences in the number
of observed j states, and the permeability properties of
Cx42 remain to be determined. The maximum j value (158
pS) for the Cx40 channel is in close agreement with the recently
published j value (153 pS) for mouse Cx40 channels
expressed in transfected HeLa cells.37 In these same
experiments, a second j of 121 pS for the Cx40 channel
was also reported. It is not known whether these 121-pS transitions
were observed in single or multichannel recordings; therefore,
it remains to be determined whether this intermediate j
is a substate of the 153-pS channel. From our single-channel
recordings, distinct intermediate j transitions
ranging from 21% to 48% of the main state conductance were
infrequently observed; we are preliminarily attributing this to the
presence of subconductance states of the main Cx40 channel.
Unfortunately, the data are not sufficient to definitively demonstrate
that these intermediate j transitions are substates of
the main 157-pS channel, as has been demonstrated for other
channels.18 19 35 These differing observations for Cx40
from two different species may also reflect functional differences due
to primary amino acid sequence variations.
The KG/KCl ion substitution experiments (Figs 4 and 5) provide evidence
for a reduced anionic permeability of a midrange j gap
junction channel. Cx40 j is approximately three times
greater than the most prevalent Cx43 j state, yet the
anion permeability is about five times less.38
Furthermore, Cx40 anion permeability is only 50% greater than Cx45
anion permeability, even though j is fivefold
greater.19 For a diffusion-limited ionic channel
conductance, as ascribed to the simple pore model, the monovalent ion
selectivity sequence should be determined by the aqueous mobilities.
Because of the relative aqueous mobilities of all pertinent permeant
ions (K+, 1; Cs+, 1.05;
TEA+, 0.44; glutamate-, 0.36;
and Cl-, 1.04), a 36% increase in maximum
j of the Cx40 channel was expected with the substitution
of IPS KCl for IPS KG. One possible explanation for the observed 14%
increase in j is reduced relative anionic
permeabilities. A relative anion-to-cation permeability of
0.29, which reduces the relative
glutamate-/K+ and
Cl-/K+ permeabilities to 0.10 and 0.3,
respectively, could account for the lower conductance. The precise
mechanism for this modest selectivity of the Cx40 channel cannot be
determined from our results. Selectivity can result from specific
binding affinities of the pore for various ions or can be the result of
electrostatic attractive and repulsive forces acting on the electrolyte
solution to alter local ionic concentrations near the mouth of the
pore.39 A fixed ring of acidic amino acids (eg, nicotinic
acetylcholine receptor subunits40 ) in the Cx40 sequence
associated with the pore, which reciprocally increases the local cation
concentration and decreases the local anion concentration by a factor
of 1.85 while maintaining ionic strength constant near the mouth of the
pore, could account for the 14% increase in channel conductance. For a
homotypic connexin channel (all subunits are identical) in symmetrical
solutions, no Nernst potentials would develop in response to the
electrostatic field.
Mouse Cx40 was also observed by Traub et al37 to have a
low permeability to Lucifer yellow relative to Cx43, an observation
that they attributed to differences in the number of open and equally
permeable Cx43 and Cx40 channels at a common gj value.
However, their dye transfer and gj measurements of Cx40-
and Cx43-transfected HeLa cells were performed in separate experiments.
Our combined electrical and dye-coupling experiments using 6-CF or
diCl-F have the added advantage of directly correlating dye transfer
with gj in each cell pair. The incidence of dye transfer
was low for both dyes: 6% for diCl-F and 30% for 6-CF. Transfer of
diCl-F was not directly correlated with the magnitude of
gj. A low incidence of dye transfer was previously found
with human Cx37, where the poor dye permeability was attributed to the
presence of long-lived subconductance states having only 20% of
the maximum j.18 We propose that the
relatively low dye permeability of Cx40 channels to all three anionic
dye molecules (diCl-F, 6-CF, and Lucifer yellow CH) is primarily due to
the 4:1 cation-to-anion selectivity of the 160-pS
channel. Although dye transfer studies have often been used to assay
for the presence of functional gap junctions, the present study
illustrates the necessity of considering dye permeability in the final
interpretation of dye transfer experiments. The presence or absence of
dye transfer may not indicate the full extent of functional gap
junction coupling, depending on the pore size and selectivity,
conductance state, and the number of open channels. The low incidence
of 6-CF and diCl-F dye transfer in Cx40-transfected N2A cell pairs may
be due to the presence of a negatively charged electrostatic field
associated with the channel, since both dyes are negatively charged at
physiological pH. This mechanism for relative
cation selectivity could be similar to that of the nicotinic
acetylcholine receptor, where three rings of negatively charged
residues directly associated with the pore influence the channel
conductance, cationic selectivity, and degree of
Mg2+ block.40
So what are the physiological consequences of these
Vj-dependent gating, cationic selectivity, and
gj properties of the Cx40 channel in the heart? Cx40
displays a distinct pattern of expression in cardiac tissues relative
to Cx43 and Cx45. Cx40 is present in gap junction plaques between
myocytes in the cardiac atrioventricular node,
atrioventricular bundle, and Purkinje
fibers.10 16 41 It has been suggested that the
coexpression of Cx40 and Cx43 in the atrioventricular
nodal tissues and Purkinje fibers may have an important functional role
in action potential propagation.10 15 16 Propagation of
action potentials in the direction parallel to the long myocyte axis is
much more rapid in Purkinje fibers than in ventricular
muscle by a factor of 5 to 10.10 A greater density of
higher j Cx40 gap junctions in intercalated disks of
Purkinje fiber myocytes compared with ventricular muscle
gap junctions may partially account for the longer resting space
constant and faster action potential propagation in Purkinje fibers.
However, Cx40 is also abundant in the slow-conducting nodal cardiac
tissues, which suggests that the presence of Cx40 channels alone does
not account for increased conduction velocity of a particular tissue.
Cell excitability and the arrangement of cells and their
interconnections must also be considered; Purkinje fibers also have
more sodium current and a more linear geometry, which contribute to
increased action potential propagation.
If Cx40 and Cx43 open probabilities for low Vj are
comparable, then a higher j for Cx40 implies that fewer
open channels are required to produce effective electrical coupling
between the vascular smooth muscle cells or cardiac myocytes expressing
Cx40. Although this may imply a higher safety factor for propagation, a
lower number of open channels may conversely render the tissue more
susceptible to conduction block if the Cx40 channels are gated closed.
Hence, the differential regulatory and permeability properties of
connexin-specific channels will also be relevant to the overall
tissue physiology. The regulatory properties of Cx40 channels in
response to second messengers and intracellular ions (H+
and Ca2+) remain to be examined. We previously proposed
that Vj-dependent gating may be an efficient protective
mechanism that inhibits cell-cell communication between cells with
different resting potentials (eg, cells damaged by ischemia or
depolarized cells developing spontaneous electrical
activity).31 Within seconds, the developing
transjunctional potential between depolarized cells and fully polarized
cells would be expected to induce closure of a significant proportion
of gap junction channels composed of Cx40 and to inhibit the spread of
ischemic injury (in the form of depolarizing current or
chemical factors) to neighboring cells. The reduced anionic
permeability of Cx40 channels implies that many second messengers
(cAMP, ATP, and inositol trisphosphate), which are all anionic at
physiological pH, will have reduced intercellular
permeabilities in tissues expressing Cx40 relative to those expressing
predominantly Cx43. The major role of Cx40 channels may be to
facilitate the intercellular passage of ions.
In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that Cx40 has
conductance, permeability, and gating properties that are distinct from
the other two mammalian cardiac connexins, Cx43 and Cx45. Cx40 channels
have a fivefold higher cationic selectivity, lower anionic dye
permeability, greater Vj sensitivity, and a threefold
higher j than do Cx43 channels. The functional
expression of Cx40 in N2A cells provides a useful system for examining
the differential gating, regulatory, and selective permeability
properties of connexin-specific gap junction channels. Future
investigations in connexin-transfected and native cells will
further delineate the unique physiological
properties imparted on a specific tissue by the expression of distinct
connexins.
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Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
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Acknowledgments |
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This study was supported by grants HL-42220, HL-45466, and HL-31299 of the National Institutes of Health and a Monsanto-Searle/Washington University Biomedical Research Agreement. Dr Veenstra and Dr Beyer are Established Investigators of the American Heart Association. This work was conducted with the technical assistance of M. Chilton. We wish to thank Dr J. Jalife for a partial loan of equipment and Drs Peter Brink and S.V. Ramanan for helpful discussions and the channel analysis software.
Received November 11, 1994; accepted June 22, 1995.
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References |
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