Molecular cloning and characterization of the intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel in vascular smooth muscle - Relationship between K-Ca channel diversity and smooth muscle cell function

Recent evidence suggests that functional diversity of vascular smooth muscl e is produced in part by a differential expression of ion channels. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of Ca2+-activated K+ channels (K-Ca channels) in the expression of smooth muscle cell functional phenoty pe. We found that smooth muscle cells exhibiting a contractile function exp ress predominantly large-conductance (approximate to 200 pS) K-Ca (BK) chan nels. In contrast, proliferative smooth muscle cells express predominantly K-Ca channels exhibiting a much smaller conductance (approximate to 32 pS). These channels are blocked by low concentrations of charybdotoxin (10 nmol /L) but, unlike BK channels, are insensitive to iberiotoxin (100 nmol/L). T o determine the molecular identity of this K+ channel, we cloned a 1.9-kb c DNA from an immature-phenotype smooth muscle cell cDNA library. The cDNA co ntains an open reading frame for a 425 amino acid protein exhibiting sequen ce homology to other K-Ca channels, in particular with mIK1 and hIK1. Expre ssion in oocytes gives rise to a K+-selective channel exhibiting intermedia te-conductance (37 pS at -60 mV) and potent activation by Ca2+ (K-d 120 nmo l/L), Thus, we have cloned and characterized the vascular smooth muscle int ermediate-conductance K-Ca channel (SMIK), which is markedly upregulated in proliferating smooth muscle cells. The differential expression of these K- Ca channels in functionally distinct smooth muscle cell types suggests that K-Ca channels play a role in defining the physiological properties of vasc ular smooth muscle. The full text of this article is available at http://ww w.circresaha.org.