Molecular components of transient outward potassium current in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes

We have previously reported that K(v1.4), K(v4.2), and K(v4.3) mRNAs are present in adult and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, and that transient outward potassium current (I(to)) recovers from inactivation with a slow (I(to,s)) and a fast (I(to,f)) time course. This study was designed to determine the molecular correlates of I(to,s) and I(to,f) in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) employing dominant-negative adenoviral infections to manipulate the function of endogenous I(to)-encoding K+ channels. Western blot data from cultured NRVM showed that K(v1.4), K(v4.2), and K(v4.3) channel proteins are present in these myocytes. The biphasic recovery from inactivation of I(to) in control GFP-infected myocytes demonstrated equal contribution of I(to,s) and I(to,f) in NRVM. Infection of cultured NRVM with adenoviruses expressing full-length K(v1.4) or K(v4.2) genes generated currents with recovery from inactivation kinetics similar to native I(to,s) and I(to,f) in GFP-infected myocytes, respectively. Overexpression of dominant-negative truncated K(v1.4) transgene (K(v1.4)N) caused a 51% reduction in I(to), selectively removing the slowly recovering I(to,s). Overexpression of dominant-negative K(v4.2)N reduced I(to) by 53% and eliminated the fast-recovering I(to,f). Our results establish that, in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, the shaker K(v1) family (probably K(v1.4) and/or K(v1.7)) underlies I(to,s), and that the shal K(v4) family (probably K(v4.2) and K(v4.3)) is responsible for I(to,f).