Swelling and cAMP on hyperpolarization-activated Cl- conductance in rat Leydig cells

We have used the whole cell patch-clamp technique to characterize changes in membrane conductance induced by osmotic swelling in mature rat Leydig cells dialyzed with ATP (control cells) or adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) plus ATP (cAMP cells). A spontaneous current activation occurs in both groups in isosmotic conditions (300/295 mosM in/out). This development is entirely counteracted in control cells and partly inhibited in cAMP cells by exposing them to a hyperosmotic (350 mosM) bath solution, and these currents increase again in a hyposmotic (205 mosM) bath solution. These currents are sensitive to 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, a Cl- channel blocker. Taken together, the results indicate that, in the control cells (ATP alone) as well as in the presence of intracellular cAMP, osmotic swelling activates the background hyperpolarization-activated Cl- conductance, osmotic swelling and cAMP appearing to act synergistically.