Direct block of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl(-) channel by niflumic acid.

Niflumic acid is widely used to inhibit Ca(2+) -activated Cl(-) channels. However, the chemical structure of niflumic acid resembles that of diphenylamine-2-carboxylate, a drug that inhibits the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl(-) channel. To investigate how niflumic acid inhibits CFTR Cl(-) channel, we studied recombinant wild-type human CFTR in excised inside-out membrane patches. When added to the intracellular solution, niflumic acid caused a concentration- and voltage-dependent decrease of CFTR Cl(-) current with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (K(i)) of 253 microM and Hill co-efficient of approximately 1, at -50 mV. Niflumic acid inhibition of single CFTR Cl(-) channels was characterized by a very fast, flickery block that decreased dramatically current amplitude without altering open-probability. Consistent with these data, spectral analysis of CFTR Cl(-) currents suggested that channel block by niflumic acid was described by the closed <--> open <--> blocked kinetic scheme with blocker on rate (k(on)) = 13.9 x 10(6) M(-1)s(-1), off rate (k(off))=3348 s(-1) and dissociation constant (K(d)) = 241 microM, at -50 mV. Based on these data, we tested the effects of niflumic acid on transepithelial Cl(-) secretion and cyst growth using type I MDCK epithelial cells. Niflumic acid (200 microM) inhibited cAMP-stimulated, bumetanide-sensitive short-circuit current by 55%. Moreover, the drug potently retarded cyst growth. We conclude that niflumic acid is an open-channel blocker of CFTR that inhibits Cl(-) permeation by plugging the channel pore. It or related agents might be of value in the development of new therapies for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Characterization of the ryanodine receptor-Ca2+ release channel from the thoracic tissues of the lepidopteran insect Heliothis virescens.

The existence of invertebrate forms of the RyR has recently been confirmed (Takeshima et al., 1994, Puente et al., 2000). However, information on the functional properties of this insect RyR is still limited. We report the functional characterization of a RyR from the thoracic muscle of H. virescens (Scott-Ward et al., 1997). A simple purification protocol produced membranes from homogenized prefrozen H. virescens thoracic muscle with a [3H]-ryanodine binding activity of 1.19 +/- 0.21 pmol/mg protein (mean +/- SE; n = 4). [3H]-Ryanodine binding to the H. virescens receptor was dependent on the ryanodine concentration in a hyperbolic fashion with a KD of 3.82 nM (n = 4). [3H]-ryanodine binding was dependent on [Ca2+] in a biphasic manner and was stimulated by 1 mM ATP. Millimolar caffeine did not stimulate [3H]-ryanodine binding to H. virescens membranes in the presence of either nanomolar or micromolar Ca2+. A protein of at least 400 KDa was recognized in H. virescens membrane proteins by a specific anti-H. virescens RyR antibody. Discontinuous density sucrose gradient fractionation of microsomal membranes produced vesicles suitable for single-channel studies. Ca2+-sensitive, Ca2+-permeable channels were successfully inserted into artificial lipid bilayers from H. virescens membrane vesicles. The H. virescens RyR-channel displayed a Ca2+ conductance of approximately 110 pS and underwent a persistent and characteristic modification of ion handling and gating following addition of 100 nM ryanodine. The gating of H. virescens channels was sensitive to ATP and ruthenium red in a manner similar to mammalian RyR. This is the first report to describe the single channel and [3H]-ryanodine binding properties of a native insect RyR.