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Swelling-activated chloride currents in embryonic chick heart cells
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Liren Laboratory, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Acta Pharmacologica Sinica
|August 15, 2001
Summary
Swelling-activated chloride current (I(Cl, swell)) was identified in chick heart cells. This current, unlike in E. coli, was not triggered by chlorpromazine (CPZ), indicating distinct activation mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Ion Channel Biology
- Cellular Biophysics
Background:
- Cell volume regulation is crucial for cardiac function.
- Swelling-activated chloride currents (I(Cl, swell)) play a role in cellular homeostasis.
- Understanding these currents in cardiac cells is vital for cardiovascular research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the swelling-activated chloride current (I(Cl, swell)) in white Leghorn chick heart cells.
- To investigate the effects of chlorpromazine (CPZ) on this current.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration.
- Applied hyposmotic conditions to induce cell swelling.
- Tested the effects of 4',4-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS) and chlorpromazine (CPZ).
Main Results:
- Hyposmotic swelling activated I(Cl, swell) in chick heart cells, increasing current amplitude significantly.
- DIDS (100 µmol/L) inhibited the swelling-activated current.
- Chlorpromazine (CPZ, 30 µmol/L) did not induce I(Cl, swell) in these cells, contrasting with findings in E. coli.
Conclusions:
- A swelling-activated chloride current was successfully characterized in white Leghorn chick heart cells.
- The activation mechanism of this current differs from mechanosensitive ion channels found in E. coli.
- These findings highlight species-specific differences in ion channel regulation during cell swelling.