Neuraminidase selectively enhances transient Ca2+ current in cardiac myocytes

Sialic acid, an anionic sugar moiety found peripherally on membrane glycoconjugates, is specifically hydrolyzed from the cell surface by neuraminidase. Because neuraminidase has previously been demonstrated to augment myocardial cell calcium content, the effects of neuraminidase on Ca channel function were studied on voltage-clamped guinea pig ventricular myocytes. In 25-50% of cells, neuraminidase treatment (0.12 U/ml for 20 min) enhanced current through the transient (T) Ca channel by 304 +/- 35% without significantly altering the magnitude of the long-lasting (L) Ca channel current. Exposure to neuraminidase did not affect the voltage dependence of activation or inactivation, nor did it affect the selective inhibition of the T-channel current by amiloride or the L-channel current by nifedipine. After neuraminidase treatment, the T-channel current inactivated more rapidly (time constant decreasing from 8.9 +/- 0.9 to 7.7 +/- 0.6 ms), whereas there was no change in the rate of inactivation of the L-channel current. Neuraminidase treatment removed approximately 20% of the total cellular sialic acid. These results indicate that neuraminidase treatment selectively modulates the function of the T Ca channel in ventricular myocytes, possibly through removal of sarcolemmal sialic acid, suggesting that glycosylation of membrane macromolecules may influence membrane function.