Main TextLarge-conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + (BK) channels contribute to the repolarisation or hyperpolarisation of a wide variety of tissues including bladder and urethral smooth muscles. [1][2][3] In bladder smooth muscle, BK channels are activated by both the influx of Ca 2+ across the membrane and the release of Ca 2+ from intracellular stores and are responsible for the rapid repolarisation phase of the action potential. Thus, BK channels help limit the excitability of bladder smooth muscle and consequently reduce its contractile behaviour.Meredith et al., [4] elegantly illustrated the importance of BK channels in controlling bladder contractility by demonstrating that mutant mice, which lack the BKα subunits, have overactive bladders and are functionally incontinent.It is clear from the above studies that BK channels offer a promising target for the treatment of urinary incontinence caused by overactive bladder (OAB). In this study, we have synthesised a new family of BK channel openers, termed the GoSlo-SR family, that may form scaffold molecules for future development in the treatment of this disease. The predominant cause of OAB is the uncontrolled, inappropriate contraction of the bladder smooth muscle, which increases intravesicle pressure above urethral closure pressure causing urine leakage. [5] The current 'gold standard' therapeutic treatment (anticholinergics) for overactive bladder has compliance rates of <30%, due to unwanted side effects including chronic constipation and dry mouth. [6] Consequently, the pharmaceutical industry has invested significantly in trying to target smooth muscle function by developing novel BK channel modulators to help treat disorders such as urinary incontinence. [6][7][8][9][10] Although a large number of chemically diverse BK channel openers have already been developed, [8,9] only a few studies [11][12][13] have focused on examining the effects of these compounds across a wide voltage range to include physiological potentials (~−100 mV to 0 mV). [10][11][12] Instead, the majority of studies have focused on the ability of compounds to open channels only at potentials some 50 to 100 mV more positive than a cell is ever likely to encounter in vivo. It appears that the majority of BK channel openers developed to date would have little effect at physiological membrane potentials and this may explain their poor efficacy in clinical trials [7] and subsequent failure to progress to market.In this study, we have examined the effects of the GoSlo-SR family of molecules across a wide range of potentials (from −100 mV to +150 mV). In addition, we have chosen to measure efficacy of these BK channel openers by calculating the shift in the voltage required to half maximally activate the channels (ΔV1/2). We have previously used this approach to demonstrate that 10 µM Cibacron Blue (Reactive Blue 2, RB2, see Figure 1A) activated BK channels recorded from bladder smooth muscle cells with ΔV1/2 of~−50 mV. [11] However, little is known about the minimal structure necessary to ret...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEGoSlo-SR compounds are efficacious BK (KCa1.1) channel openers, but little is known about their mechanism of action or effect on bladder contractility. We examined the effects of two closely related compounds on BK currents and bladder contractions. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHA combination of electrophysiology, molecular biology and synthetic chemistry was used to examine the effects of two novel channel agonists on BK channels from bladder smooth muscle cells and in HEK cells expressing BKα alone or in combination with either β1 or β4 subunits. KEY RESULTSGoSlo-SR-5-6 shifted the voltage required for half maximal activation (V1/2) of BK channels approximately −100 mV, irrespective of the presence of regulatory β subunits. The deaminated derivative, GoSlo-SR-5-130, also shifted the activation V1/2 in smooth muscle cells by approximately −100 mV; however, this was reduced by ∼80% in HEK cells expressing only BKα subunits. When β1 or β4 subunits were co-expressed with BKα, efficacy was restored. GoSlo-SR-5-130 caused a concentration-dependent reduction in spontaneous bladder contraction amplitude and this was abolished by iberiotoxin, consistent with an effect on BK channels. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSGoSlo-SR-5-130 required β1 or β4 subunits to mediate its full effects, whereas GoSlo-SR-5-6 worked equally well in the absence or presence of β subunits. GoSlo-SR-5-130 inhibited spontaneous bladder contractions by activating BK channels. The novel BK channel opener, GoSlo-SR-5-130, is approximately fivefold more efficacious on BK channels with regulatory β subunits and may be a useful scaffold in the development of drugs to treat diseases such as overactive bladder.
GoSlo-SR-5-6 is a novel large-conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + (BK) channel agonist that shifts the activation V 1/2 of these channels in excess of −100 mV when applied at a concentration of 10 μM. Although the structure-activity relationship of this family of molecules has been established, little is known about how they open BK channels. To help address this, we used a combination of electrophysiology, mutagenesis, and mathematical modeling to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of GoSlo-SR-5-6. Our data demonstrate that the effects of this agonist are practically abolished when three point mutations are made: L227A in the S4/S5 linker in combination with S317R and I326A in the S6C region. Our data suggest that GoSlo-SR-5-6 interacts with the transmembrane domain of the channel to enhance pore opening. The Horrigan-Aldrich model suggests that GoSlo-SR-5-6 works by stabilizing the open conformation of the channel and the activated state of the voltage sensors, yet decouples the voltage sensors from the pore gate.
The inside cover picture shows two members of the GoSlo‐SR family of BK channel modulators that activate channels at physiological potentials. These were developed by the Smooth Muscle Research and Ion Channel Biotechnology Centres in Ireland and may form a scaffold for the future development of smooth‐muscle‐specific relaxants to help treat overactive bladder, hypertension or asthma. For more details, see the Communication by Mark A. Hollywood et al. on
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.