Characteristics of the inward-rectifying potassium current in mouse ventricular myocytes and its relation to early...

The properties of the inward-rectifying potassium current (IK1) were studied in the single myocytes isolated from adult mouse ventricles by the whole-cell patch-clamp technique for the first time. Most of the properties of IK1 including channel conductances, activation, inactivation, rectification and external K+ sensitivity in mouse ventricular myocyte were similar to those in other species, but the current-voltage (I-V) curve of mouse ventricular myocyte showed no negative slope, i.e the slope in the range of membrane potential 50 mV positive to the reversal potential (VRev) was virtually flat and remained at a low current level ((59 +/- 39) pA). Under the superfusion of Tyrode's solution with 3 mmol/L K+ and 3 mmol/L Cs+, IK1 in the above region nearly decreased to zero, and then the early after-depolarization (EAD) occurred. The results suggest that this distinctive characteristic of IK1 in mouse ventricular myocyte may relate to the high susceptibility to EAD in mouse myocardium. The inhibition of IK1 seems to be a prerequisite for the occurrence of EAD in this experiment.