Marine n-3 PUFAs modulate IKs gating, channel expression, and location in membrane microdomains.

AIMS: Polyunsaturated fatty n-3 acids (PUFAs) have been reported to exhibit antiarrhythmic properties. However, the mechanisms of action remain unclear. We studied the electrophysiological effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on IKs, and on the expression and location of Kv7.1 and KCNE1. METHODS AND RESULTS: Experiments were performed using patch-clamp, western blot, and sucrose gradient techniques in COS7 cells transfected with Kv7.1/KCNE1 channels. Acute perfusion with both PUFAs increased Kv7.1/KCNE1 current, this effect being greater for DHA than for EPA. Similar results were found in guinea pig cardiomyocytes. Acute perfusion of either PUFA slowed the activation kinetics and EPA shifted the activation curve to the left. Conversely, chronic EPA did not modify Kv7.1/KCNE1 current magnitude and shifted the activation curve to the right. Chronic PUFAs decreased the expression of Kv7.1, but not of KCNE1, and induced spatial redistribution of Kv7.1 over the cell membrane. Cholesterol depletion with methyl-ß-cyclodextrin increased Kv7.1/KCNE1 current magnitude. Under these conditions, acute EPA produced similar effects than those induced in non-cholesterol-depleted cells. A ventricular action potential computational model suggested antiarrhythmic efficacy of acute PUFA application under IKr block. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence that acute application of PUFAs increases Kv7.1/KCNE1 through a probably direct effect, and shows antiarrhythmic efficacy under IKr block. Conversely, chronic EPA application modifies the channel activity through a change in the Kv7.1/KCNE1 voltage-dependence, correlated with a redistribution of Kv7.1 over the cell membrane. This loss of function may be pro-arrhythmic. This shed light on the controversial effects of PUFAs regarding arrhythmias.

Modulation of the atrial specific Kv1.5 channel by the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid.

Epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies suggest that the cardioprotective effect of fish intake is mainly due to the antiarrhythmic properties of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which modulate ion currents. Emerging evidences point to similar effects of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a vegetable n-3 PUFA, but much less is known about its effects on the specific cardiac ion channels. Using electrophysiology, protein biochemistry and fluorescence anisotropy measurements, we tested the effects of ALA on the atrial specific Kv1.5 channel. In stably transfected Ltk(-) cells, ALA blocked Kv1.5 channels in a time- and voltage-dependent manner with an IC(50) value of 3.7+/-0.3 microM. ALA at 2.5 microM inhibited the Kv1.5 current, shifted the midpoint of the activation curve by -8.8+/-4.3 mV (p<0.05), accelerated the activation kinetics of Kv1.5 due to a negative shift in its voltage dependency and slowed its deactivation process. Marine n-3 PUFA eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic (EPA and DHA) acids, but not ALA, reduced the steady-state levels of Kv1.5 protein. DHA, but not ALA, increased the cell membrane order parameter. These results demonstrate that ALA directly blocks atria-specific Kv1.5 channels without modifying their expression or the bilayer order. Together, these effects suggest that the antiarrhythmic potential of diets enriched with plant-derived n-3 PUFA result, in part, from direct effects on cardiac ion channels.

Kvbeta1.3 reduces the degree of stereoselective bupivacaine block of Kv1.5 channels.

BACKGROUND: Kvbeta1.3 subunit modifies the gating and the pharmacology of Kv1.5 channels, decreasing their sensitivity to block induced by drugs, suggesting that Kvbeta1.3 competes with them for a binding site at Kv1.5 channels. METHODS: Currents generated by the activation of Kv1.5 and Kv1.5 + Kvbeta1.3 channels expressed in HEK293 cells and Xenopus oocytes were recorded by using whole cell patch clamp and voltage clamp techniques. RESULTS: Block of Kv1.5, but not that produced on Kv1.5 + Kvbeta1.3 channels, was voltage dependent. In both channels, bupivacaine block was time dependent. R(+)- and S(-)-bupivacaine blocked Kv1.5 with IC50 4.4 +/- 0.5 microM (n = 15) and 39.8 +/- 8.2 microM (n = 16; P < 0.05), respectively. These values increased fourfold for R(+)-bupivacaine (17.2 +/- 2.2 microM) and twofold for S(-)-bupivacaine (71.9 +/- 11.5 microM) in Kv1.5 + Kvbeta1.3 channels. Therefore, the degree of stereoselectivity (theta) decreased from 9 to 4 in the presence of Kvbeta1.3. The decrease in potency to block Kv1.5 + Kvbeta1.3 channels was the result of a less stable interaction between bupivacaine enantiomers and channels. Differences in stereoselectivity in each situation were due to a more favorable interaction between the channel and R(+)-bupivacaine. In the presence of Kvbeta1.3, stereoselectivity was abolished for V514A mutant channels (involved in bupivacaine binding but not in Kvbeta1.3 binding) but not for L510A (part of Kvbeta1.3 binding site). CONCLUSIONS: The degree of stereoselective block of Kv1.5 decreases from 9 to 4 when Kvbeta1.3 is present. L510 is determinant for the modulation of bupivacaine block, because it is the only residue of the S6 segment that binds to both bupivacaine and Kvbeta1.3. These findings support an overlapping binding site for drugs and Kvbeta1.3.

The induction of NOS2 expression by the hybrid cecropin A-melittin antibiotic peptide CA(1-8)M(1-18) in the monocytic line RAW 264.7 is triggered by a temporary and reversible plasma membrane permeation.

There is an increasing awareness of immune cell modulation by antimicrobial peptides. While this process often requires specific receptors for the peptides involved, several reports point out to a receptor-independent process. The cecropin A-melittin hybrid peptide CA(1-8)M(1-18) (KWKLFKKIGIGAVLKVLTTGLPALIS-amide) modifies gene expression in the macrophage line RAW 264.7 in the absence of any previous macrophage priming, suggesting a membrane permeation process. To further analyze the initial steps of this mechanism, we have studied the interaction of the peptide with these cells. Below 2 microM, CA(1-8)M(1-18) causes a concentration-dependent membrane depolarization partially reversible with time. At 2 microM, the accumulation of the SYTOX green vital dye is one half of that achieved with 0.05% Triton X-100. The binding level, as assessed by fluorescein-labeled CA(1-8)M(1-18), varies from 7.7+/-1.2 to 37.4+/-3.9 x 10(6) molecules/cell over a 0.5-4.0 microM concentration range. Electrophysiological experiments with 0.5 microM CA(1-8)M(1-18), a concentration that triggers maximal NOS2 expression and minimal toxicity, show a reversible current induction in the RAW 264.7 plasma membrane that is maintained as far as peptide is present. This activation of the macrophage involves the production of nitric oxide, a metabolite lethal for many pathogens that results from unspecific membrane permeation by antimicrobial peptides, and represents a new mode of action that may open new therapeutic possibilities for these compounds against intracellular pathogens.

{Omega}-3 and {omega}-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids block HERG channels.

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been reported to exhibit antiarrhythmic properties, which have been attributed to their availability to modulate Na(+), Ca(2+), and several K(+) channels. However, their effects on human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) channels are unknown. In this study we have analyzed the effects of arachidonic acid (AA, omega-6) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, omega-3) on HERG channels stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells by using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. At 10 microM, AA and DHA blocked HERG channels, at the end of 5-s pulses to -10 mV, to a similar extent (37.7 +/- 2.4% vs. 50.2 +/- 8.1%, n = 7-10, P > 0.05). 5,6,11,14-Eicosatetrayenoic acid, a nonmetabolizable AA analog, induced effects similar to those of AA on HERG current. Both PUFAs shifted the midpoint of activation curves of HERG channels by -5.1 +/- 1.8 mV (n = 10, P < 0.05) and -11.2 +/- 1.1 mV (n = 7, P < 0.01). Also, AA and DHA shifted the midpoint of inactivation curves by +12.0 +/- 3.9 mV (n = 4; P < 0.05) and +15.8 +/- 4.3 mV (n = 4; P < 0.05), respectively. DHA and AA accelerated the deactivation kinetics and slowed the inactivation kinetics at potentials positive to +40 mV. Block induced by DHA, but not that produced by AA, was higher when measured after applying a pulse to -120 mV (I-->O). Finally, both AA and DHA induced a use-dependent inhibition of HERG channels. In summary, block induced by AA and DHA was time, voltage, and use dependent. The results obtained suggest that both PUFAs bind preferentially to the open state of the channel, although an interaction with inactivated HERG channels cannot be ruled out for AA.

Interaction of angiotensin II with the angiotensin type 2 receptor inhibits the cardiac transient outward potassium current.

OBJECTIVE: The Ca2+ -independent transient outward K+ current (Ito) plays a crucial role in shaping the cardiac action potential. In the present study, we examined whether angiotensin II (AngII) regulated the Ito as well as the putative intracellular cascade responsible for the effects. METHODS: Ito was recorded in rat ventricular myocytes using the nystatin-perforated patch-clamp configuration. RESULTS: AngII (0.1 microM) inhibited Ito (21.9+/-4.8% at +40 mV), but not the IK1, in a voltage- and time-independent manner. The inhibition decreased at concentrations higher than 1 microM resulting in a bell-shaped dose-response curve (IC50 = 3.1+/-1.5 microM). The blocking effects were abolished in the presence of the type 2 AngII receptor (AT2R) antagonist PD123319, but not in the presence of the selective type 1 AngII receptor (AT1R) antagonist candesartan. Moreover, the selective AT2R agonist CGP42112A completely reproduced the effects of AngII (20.5+/-2.4% of block at +40 mV), indicating that AngII-induced Ito block was mediated via stimulation of AT2R. Furthermore, selective stimulation of AT2R by CGP42112A significantly prolonged the rat atrial action potentials recorded using conventional microelectrode techniques. The AngII-induced inhibition of I(to) was not modified by either Npi-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) or eicosatetrayonic acid (ETYA), indicating that neither the nitric oxide (NO)-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) system nor the arachidonic acid cascade was implicated in the effects of AngII on Ito. However, the AngII-induced Ito inhibition was completely abolished by the serine/threonine phosphatase type 2A (PP2A) inhibitors, okadaic acid and cantharidin, but not by the inactive analog of okadaic acid, 1-norokadaone. Intracellular application of PP2A decreased Kv4.2 currents recorded in transiently transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that AngII activates PP2A through the stimulation of the AT2R, resulting in a decrease of the Ito amplitude.