In mouse mammary C127i cells, during whole-cell clamp, osmotic cell swelling activated an anion channel current, when the phloretin-sensitive, volume-activated outwardly rectifying Cl− channel was eliminated. This current exhibited time-dependent inactivation at positive and negative voltages greater than around ±25 mV. The whole-cell current was selective for anions and sensitive to Gd3+. In on-cell patches, single-channel events appeared with a lag period of ∼15 min after a hypotonic challenge. Under isotonic conditions, cell-attached patches were silent, but patch excision led to activation of currents that consisted of multiple large-conductance unitary steps. The current displayed voltage- and time-dependent inactivation similar to that of whole-cell current. Voltage-dependent activation profile was bell-shaped with the maximum open probability at −20 to 0 mV. The channel in inside-out patches had the unitary conductance of ∼400 pS, a linear current-voltage relationship, and anion selectivity. The outward (but not inward) single-channel conductance was suppressed by extracellular ATP with an IC50 of 12.3 mM and an electric distance (δ) of 0.47, whereas the inward (but not outward) conductance was inhibited by intracellular ATP with an IC50 of 12.9 mM and δ of 0.40. Despite the open channel block by ATP, the channel was ATP-conductive with PATP/PCl of 0.09. The single-channel activity was sensitive to Gd3+, SITS, and NPPB, but insensitive to phloretin, niflumic acid, and glibenclamide. The same pharmacological pattern was found in swelling-induced ATP release. Thus, it is concluded that the volume- and voltage-dependent ATP-conductive large-conductance anion channel serves as a conductive pathway for the swelling-induced ATP release in C127i cells.

It is known that the level of ATP in the interstitial spaces within the heart during ischaemia or hypoxia is elevated due to its release from a number of cell types, including cardiomyocytes. However, the mechanism by which ATP is released from these myocytes is not known. In this study, we examined a possible involvement of the ATP-conductive maxi-anion channel in ATP release from neonatal rat cardiomyocytes in primary culture upon ischaemic, hypoxic or hypotonic stimulation. Using a luciferin-luciferase assay, it was found that ATP was released into the bulk solution when the cells were subjected to chemical ischaemia, hypoxia or hypotonic stress. The swelling-induced ATP release was inhibited by the carboxylate-and stilbene-derivative anion channel blockers, arachidonic acid and Gd 3+ , but not by glibenclamide. The local concentration of ATP released near the cell surface of a single cardiomyocyte, measured by a biosensor technique, was found to exceed the micromolar level. Patch-clamp studies showed that ischaemia, hypoxia or hypotonic stimulation inducedtheactivationofsingle-channeleventswithalargeunitaryconductance(∼390 pS).The channel was selective to anions and showed significant permeability to ATP 4− (P ATP /P Cl ∼ 0.1) and MgATP 2− (P ATP /P Cl ∼ 0.16). The channel activity exhibited pharmacological properties essentially identical to those of ATP release. These results indicate that neonatal rat cardiomyocytes respond to ischaemia, hypoxia or hypotonic stimulation with ATP release via maxi-anion channels.

Cl؊ channels in the apical membrane of biliary epithelial

Mouse mammary C127 cells responded to hypotonic stimulation with activation of the volumedependent ATP-conductive large conductance (VDACL) anion channel and massive release of ATP. Arachidonic acid downregulated both VDACL currents and swelling-induced ATP release in the physiological concentration range with K d of 4-6 mM. The former effect observed in the wholecell or excised patch mode was more prominent than the latter effect observed in intact cells. The arachidonate effects were direct and not mediated by downstream metabolic products, as evidenced by their insensitivity to inhibitors of arachidonate-metabolizing oxygenases, and by the observation that they were mimicked by cis-unsaturated fatty acids, which are not substrates for oxygenases. A membrane-impermeable analogue, arachidonyl coenzyme A was effective only from the cytosolic side of membrane patches suggesting that the binding site is localized intracellularly. Non-charged arachidonate analogues as well as trans-unsaturated and saturated fatty acids had no effect on VDACL currents and ATP release, indicating the importance of arachidonate's negative charge and specific hydrocarbon chain conformation in the inhibitory effect. VDACL anion channels were inhibited by arachidonic acid in two different ways: channel shutdown (K d of 4-5 mM) and reduced unitary conductance (K d of 13-14 mM) without affecting voltage dependence of open probability. ATP 4_ -conducting inward currents measured in the presence of 100 mM ATP in the bath were reversibly inhibited by arachidonic acid. Thus, we conclude that swelling-induced ATP release and its putative pathway, the VDACL anion channel, are under a negative control by intracellular arachidonic acid signalling in mammary C127 cells.