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Human myoblast fusion requires expression of functional inward rectifier Kir2.1 channels
J Fischer-Lougheed1, J H Liu, E Espinos
1Département de Physiologie et, Centre Médical Universitaire, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
The Journal of Cell Biology
|May 16, 2001
Abstract:
Myoblast fusion is essential to skeletal muscle development and repair. We have demonstrated previously that human myoblasts hyperpolarize, before fusion, through the sequential expression of two K+ channels: an ether-à-go-go and an inward rectifier. This hyperpolarization is a prerequisite for fusion, as it sets the resting membrane potential in a range at which Ca2+ can enter myoblasts and thereby trigger fusion via a window current through alpha1H T channels.