The term endothelium-derived hyperpolarising factor (EDHF) was introduced in 1987 to describe the hypothetical factor responsible for myocyte hyperpolarisations not associated with nitric oxide (EDRF) or prostacyclin. Two broad categories of EDHF response exist. The classical EDHF pathway is blocked by apamin plus TRAM-34 but not by apamin plus iberiotoxin and is associated with endothelial cell hyperpolarisation. This follows an increase in intracellular [Ca(2+)] and the opening of endothelial SK(Ca) and IK(Ca) channels preferentially located in caveolae and in endothelial cell projections through the internal elastic lamina, respectively. In some vessels, endothelial hyperpolarisations are transmitted to myocytes through myoendothelial gap junctions without involving any EDHF. In others, the K(+) that effluxes through SK(Ca) activates myocytic and endothelial Ba(2+)-sensitive K(IR) channels leading to myocyte hyperpolarisation. K(+) effluxing through IK(Ca) activates ouabain-sensitive Na(+)/K(+)-ATPases generating further myocyte hyperpolarisation. For the classical pathway, the hyperpolarising "factor" involved is the K(+) that effluxes through endothelial K(Ca) channels. During vessel contraction, K(+) efflux through activated myocyte BK(Ca) channels generates intravascular K(+) clouds. These compromise activation of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPases and K(IR) channels by endothelium-derived K(+) and increase the importance of gap junctional electrical coupling in myocyte hyperpolarisations. The second category of EDHF pathway does not require endothelial hyperpolarisation. It involves the endothelial release of factors that include NO, HNO, H(2)O(2) and vasoactive peptides as well as prostacyclin and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids. These hyperpolarise myocytes by opening various populations of myocyte potassium channels, but predominantly BK(Ca) and/or K(ATP), which are sensitive to blockade by iberiotoxin or glibenclamide, respectively.

1. The properties of the Ca channel in tissue cultured clonal cells (GH(3)) isolated from a rat anterior pituitary tumour were studied with the patch electrode voltage-clamp technique.2. To isolate the current through the Ca channel, the currents through the Na channel, the delayed K channel and the Ca(2+) induced K channel were minimized by replacing the external Na(+) with TEA(+) and adding EGTA to the K-free solution inside the patch electrode.3. The selectivity ratios through the Ca channel with different cations were 2.7 (Ba(2+)):1.6 (Sr(2+)):1.0 (Ca(2+)) and the m(2) form of the activation kinetics and the relationships between the time constant and the membrane potential were common to the three divalent cations.4. The amplitude of the Ba(2+) current increased linearly with [Ba(2+)](o) up to 25 mM and thereafter tended to show saturation.5. The current-voltage relation showed a positive shift along the voltage axis as [Ba(2+)](o) increased, probably due to the screening effect of Ba(2+) on the negative surface charges.6. The time constant of activation as a function of the membrane potential showed a parallel shift as [Ba(2+)](o) was increased, suggesting that the activation kinetics were independent of the permeant ion concentration.7. The time constant of the tail current was consistent with m(2) kinetics for opening and closing of the Ca channel.8. The extrapolated ;instantaneous' tail current rapidly increased as the activating membrane potential became more positive and reached an apparent saturation at membrane potentials substantially more positive than the potential that gave the maximum peak inward current, and suggested that the single channel has a sigmoidal current-voltage relationship.9. The power density spectrum obtained during the steady-state inward Ba(2+) current had a cut-off frequency which was nearly voltage independent; this is expected if the fluctuation of the current originates from m(2) activation kinetics.10. The results of noise analysis suggest that the amplitude of the single Ca channel current was about 0.2 pA at 25 mM-Ba(2+) and 0.7 pA at 100 mM-Ba(2+) for membrane potentials in the vicinity of the maximum inward current.

The conductance and selectivity of the Ca-activated K channel in cultured rat muscle was studied. Shifts in the reversal potential of single channel currents when various cations were substituted for Ki+ were used with the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation to calculate relative permeabilities. The selectivity was Tl+ greater than K+ greater than Rb+ greater than NH4+, with permeability ratios of 1.2, 1.0, 0.67, and 0.11. Na+, Li+, and Cs+ were not measurably permeant, with permeabilities less than 0.05 that of K+. Currents with the various ions were typically less than expected on the basis of the permeability ratios, which suggests that the movement of an ion through the channel was not independent of the other ions present. For a fixed activity of Ko+ (77 mM), plots of single channel conductance vs. activity of Ki+ were described by a two-barrier model with a single saturable site. This observation, plus the finding that the permeability ratios of Rb+ and NH+4 to K+ did not change with ion concentration, is consistent with a channel that can contain a maximum of one ion at any time. The empirically determined dissociation constant for the single saturable site was 100 mM, and the maximum calculated conductance for symmetrical solutions of K+ was 640 pS. TEAi+ (tetraethylammonium ion) reduced single channel current amplitude in a voltage-dependent manner. This effect was accounted for by assuming voltage-dependent block by TEA+ (apparent dissociation constant of 60 mM at 0 mV) at a site located 26% of the distance across the membrane potential, starting at the inner side. TEAo+ was much more effective in reducing single channel currents, with an apparent dissociation constant of approximately 0.3 mM.

1. Voltage-clamp studies were carried out on single rabbit myelinated nerve fibres at 14 degrees C with the method of Dodge & Frankenhaeuser (1958). 2. A method was developed to allow the ionic currents through the modal membrane to be calibrated exactly under voltage-clamp conditions by measuring the resistance of the internode through which the current was injected. 3. The ionic currents in a rabbit node of Ranvier can be resolved into two components, a sodium current and a leak current. Potassium current is almost entirely absent. 4. The sodium currents in rabbit nodes were fitted by the Hodgkin-Huxley model using m2h kinetics. The kinetics of sodium currents in a rabbit node differ from that in a frog node under similar experimental conditions in two respects: (a) inactivation is faster, tau h for rabbit being 2-3 times smaller around -50 mV; (b) the P(Na) (E) curve for mammal is shifted 10-15 mV in the hyperpolarizing direction. 5. From the kinetics of sodium current, the non-propagating rabbit action potential was reconstructed at 14 degrees C. The transient inward sodium current is responsible for the fast initial depolarization phase of the action potential, while the repolarizing phase is accounted for by leak alone. The computed shape of the action potential was in good agreement with the experimentally obtained action potential. 6. At 14 degrees C, frog and rabbit nodes with similar diameters have similar measured gNa values.

Epithelial Na+ channels facilitate the transport of Na+ across high resistance epithelia. Proteolytic cleavage has an important role in regulating the activity of these channels by increasing their open probability. Specific proteases have been shown to activate epithelial Na+ channels by cleaving channel subunits at defined sites within their extracellular domains. This minireview addresses the mechanisms by which proteases activate this channel and the question of why proteolysis has evolved as a mechanism of channel activation.

Bicarbonate transporters are the principal regulators of pH in animal cells, and play a vital role in acid-base movement in the stomach, pancreas, intestine, kidney, reproductive system and central nervous system. The functional family of HCO3- transporters includes Cl- -HCO3- exchangers, three Na+/HCO3- cotransporters, a K+/HCO3- cotransporter, and a Na+-driven Cl- -HCO3- exchanger. Molecular information is sparse on HCO3- transporters, apart from Cl- -HCO3- exchangers ('anion exchangers'), whose complementary DNAs were cloned several years ago. Attempts to clone other HCO3- transporters, based on binding of inhibitors, protein purification or homology with anion exchangers, have so far been unsuccessful. Here we monitor the intracellular pH and membrane voltage in Xenopus oocytes to follow the expression of the most electrogenic transporter known: the renal 1:3 electrogenic Na+/HCO3- cotransporter from the salamander Ambystoma tigrinum. We now report the successful cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a cation-coupled HCO3- transporter. The encoded protein is 1,035 amino acids long with several potential membrane-spanning domains. We show that when it is expressed in Xenopus oocytes, this protein is electrogenic, Na+ and HCO3- dependent, and blocked by the anion-transport inhibitor DIDS, and conclude that it is the renal electrogenic sodium bicarbonate cotransporter (NBC).

In the nervous system, the intracellular chloride concentration ([Cl(-)](i)) determines the strength and polarity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated neurotransmission. [Cl(-)](i) is determined, in part, by the activities of the SLC12 cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs). These transporters include the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter NKCC1, which mediates chloride influx, and various K-Cl cotransporters--such as KCC2 and KCC3-that extrude chloride. A precise balance between NKCC1 and KCC2 activity is necessary for inhibitory GABAergic signaling in the adult CNS, and for excitatory GABAergic signaling in the developing CNS and the adult PNS. Altered chloride homeostasis, resulting from mutation or dysfunction of NKCC1 and/or KCC2, causes neuronal hypoexcitability or hyperexcitability; such derangements have been implicated in the pathogenesis of seizures and neuropathic pain. [Cl(-)](i) is also regulated to maintain normal cell volume. Dysfunction of NKCC1 or of swelling-activated K-Cl cotransporters has been implicated in the damaging secondary effects of cerebral edema after ischemic and traumatic brain injury, as well as in swelling-related neurodegeneration. CCCs represent attractive therapeutic targets in neurological disorders the pathogenesis of which involves deranged cellular chloride homoestasis.

Oseltamivir carboxylate is a potent and specific inhibitor of influenza A and B neuraminidase (NA). Oseltamivir phosphate, the ethyl ester prodrug of oseltamivir carboxylate, is the first orally active NA inhibitor available for the prophylaxis and treatment of influenza A and B. It offers an improvement over amantadine and rimantadine which are active only against influenza A and rapidly generate resistant virus. The emergence of virus resistant to oseltamivir carboxylate in the treatment of naturally acquired influenza infection is low (about 1%). The types of NA mutation to arise are sub-type specific and largely predicted from in vitro drug selection studies. A substitution of the conserved histidine at position 274 for tyrosine in the NA active site has been selected via site directed mutagenesis, serial passage in culture under drug pressure in H1N1 and during the treatment of experimental H1N1 infection in man. Virus carrying H274Y NA enzyme selected in vivo has reduced sensitivity to oseltamivir carboxylate. The replicative ability in cell culture was reduced up to 3 logs, as was infectivity in animal models of influenza virus infection. Additionally, pathogenicity of the mutant virus is significantly compromised in ferret, compared to the corresponding wild type virus. Virus carrying a H274Y mutation is unlikely to be of clinical consequence in man.

The major reabsorptive mechanism for D-glucose in the kidney is known to involve a low affinity high capacity Na+/glucose cotransporter, which is located in the early proximal convoluted tubule segment S1, and which has a Na+ to glucose coupling ratio of 1:1. Here we provide the first molecular evidence for this renal D-glucose reabsorptive mechanism. We report the characterization of a previously cloned human kidney cDNA that codes for a protein with 59% identity to the high affinity Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1). Using expression studies with Xenopus laevis oocytes we demonstrate that this protein (termed SGLT2) mediates saturable Na(+)-dependent and phlorizin-sensitive transport of D-glucose and alpha-methyl-D-glucopyranoside (alpha MeGlc) with Km values of 1.6 mM for alpha MeGlc and approximately 250 to 300 mM for Na+, consistent with low affinity Na+/glucose cotransport. In contrast to SGLT1, SGLT2 does not transport D-galactose. By comparing the initial rate of [14C]-alpha MeGlc uptake with the Na(+)-influx calculated from alpha MeGlc-evoked inward currents, we show that the Na+ to glucose coupling ratio of SGLT2 is 1:1. Using combined in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry with tubule segment specific marker antibodies, we demonstrate an extremely high level of SGLT2 message in proximal tubule S1 segments. This level of expression was also evident on Northern blots and likely confers the high capacity of this glucose transport system. We conclude that SGLT2 has properties characteristic of the renal low affinity high capacity Na+/glucose cotransporter as previously reported for perfused tubule preparations and brush border membrane vesicles. Knowledge of the structural and functional properties of this major renal Na+/glucose reabsorptive mechanism will advance our understanding of the pathophysiology of renal diseases such as familial renal glycosuria and diabetic renal disorders.

Cerebral metabolite concentrations and water content were measured by means of localized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in 50 children, while metabolite peak ratios in short echo time spectra were evaluated in 173 examinations. Normative curves for normal development were established for two cerebral locations. The current report presents the first study of absolute metabolite concentrations and T1- and T2- relaxation as a function of age. Myo-inositol was found dominating the spectra at birth (12 mmoles/kg), while choline is responsible for the strongest peak in older infants (2.5 mmoles/kg). Creatine and N-acetyl groups are at significantly lower concentrations in the neonate than in the adult (Cr: 6, NA: 5 mmoles/kg). NA and Cr are determined by gestational age, whereas the concentration of ml correlates best with postnatal age. Quantitative 1H MRS is expected to be of particular value in diagnosis and monitoring of pathology in infants, since metabolite ratios are often misleading.

Once thought of as toxic by-products of cellular metabolism, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in a large variety of cell-signaling processes. Several enzymatic systems contribute to ROS production in vascular endothelial cells, including NA(D)PH oxidase, xanthine oxidase, uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and the mitochondrial electron transport chain. The respiratory chain is the major source of ROS in most mammalian cells, but the role of mitochondria-derived ROS in vascular cell signaling has received little attention. A new paradigm has evolved in recent years postulating that, in addition to producing ATP, mitochondria also play a key role in cell signaling and regulate a variety of cellular functions. This review focuses on the emerging role of mitochondrial ROS as signaling molecules in vascular endothelial cells. Specifically, we discuss some recent findings that indicate that mitochondrial ROS regulate vascular endothelial function, focusing on major sites of ROS production in endothelial mitochondria, factors modulating mitochondrial ROS production, the physiological and clinical implications of endothelial mitochondrial ROS, and methodological considerations in the study of mitochondrial contribution to vascular ROS generation.

1. The construction and properties of a new design of pH-sensitive micro-electrode are described. The electrodes are very durable, and have a recessed configuration so that only the extreme tip, which can be as small as 1 mum in diameter, needs to enter the cell.2. The average intracellular pH in thirty-two snail neurones was 7.4. This was not in accord with a passive distribution of H(+) ions across the cell membrane.3. Changing membrane potential or external pH had only slow effects on internal pH.4. Removing external K had no effect, and removing external Na had only slow and variable effects on intracellular pH.5. Anoxia, azide and DNP all caused a slow fall in internal pH.6. External CO(2) caused large and rapid decreases in internal pH, which external bicarbonate appeared to offset slowly. Injected bicarbonate increased internal pH.7. The size of the pH changes caused by CO(2) suggested a minimum intracellular buffering power of 25 m-equiv H(+)/unit pH per l., equivalent to that of 150 mM Tris maleate, pH 7.4.8. External ammonia caused a large and rapid increase in internal pH, while the injection of ammonium ions had the opposite effect.

There is good evidence that elevated [Ca2+]i, produced by an influx of Ca2+ in exchange for Na+, is the underlying pathology in reperfusion or reoxygenation damage. Further measurements of [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i during ischemia and reperfusion, coupled with information about metabolic levels, are needed to confirm or refute this hypothesis. Contributions to cell damage by other mechanisms, e.g., oxygen free radicals, certainly cannot yet be excluded.

1. The intracellular Na activity of sheep heart Purkinje fibres has been measured using recessed-tip Na(+)-sensitive glass micro-electrodes.2. The internal Na activity was 7.2 +/- 2.0 mM (mean +/- S.D., n = 32) at the normal external Na concentration, [Na](o), in these experiments of 140 mM (equivalent to an external Na activity of 105 mM). The equilibrium potential for Na across the fibre membrane was therefore approximately + 70 mV.3. When the [K](o) was altered the internal Na activity changed, reaching a new level within about 20 min. Increasing the [K](o) from 4 to 25 mM decreased the internal Na by approximately 30%, while decreasing the [K](o) from 4 to 1 mM increased internal Na by 20%.4. The removal of external K produced an easily reversible increase in the internal Na with an initial rate equivalent to a concentration change of 0.24 +/- 0.07 m-mole/min (mean +/- S.D., n = 8).5. Ouabain produced increases in the internal Na activity that were only very slowly reversible. The threshold concentration for producing an increase was approximately 10(-7)M.6. When [Na](o) was reduced the internal Na activity fell rapidly with a single exponential time course (time constant 3.3 +/- 0.8 min, mean +/- S.D., n = 16) to a new, relatively stable level. The recovery of internal Na on return to the normal [Na](o) did not have a simple time course. It was normally complete within 10-30 min.7. The relationship of the stabilized level of the internal Na activity to the [Na](o) was approximately linear over the range 140-14 mM-[Na](o). When [Na](o) was reduced from 140 to 14 mM the internal Na activity fell by 72 +/- 5% (mean +/- S.D., n = 21).8. When the [Na](o) was reduced, the decrease in the internal Na activity was partially inhibited by Mn or by removal external Ca.9. When the [Ca](o) was altered over the range 0.2-16 mM the internal Na activity was reduced by approximately 50% for a tenfold increase in the [Ca](o).10. The relationship between internal Na and contractility is discussed.

1. Characteristics of the transmembrane ionic currents under controlled changes in ionic composition of extra- and intracellular medium were studied in isolated neurones from the ganglia of molluscs, Helix pomatia, Limnea stagnalis and Planorbis corneus. The neurones were investigated by a new technique which allows for dialysis of their interior and for clamping of the potential at the surface membrane without using micro-electrodes.2. Replacement of K ions by Tris inside the neurones eliminated the outward K current so that the actual time course of the inward current could be measured. The latter was separated into two additive components, one of which was carried by Na ions and the other one by Ca ions.3. Both inward currents were unaltered by tetrodotoxin (TTX); however, Ca current could be separately blocked by externally applied Cd ions (K(d) = 7.2 x 10(-5)M) and by the use of fluoride as an intracellular anion.4. No reversal of Na inward current could be achieved in neurones dialysed with Na-free solution, indicating the absence of outward current carrying ions through the corresponding channels. With 5 mM-Na inside the cell, the equilibrium potential was close to the value predicted by the Nernst equilibrium.5. A non-specific outward current could be detected in K-free cells at membrane potentials exceeding 20-40 mV. Its time course was proportional to 1 - exp (-t/tau(ns)). Cd ions depressed this current. The presence of the non-specific outward current made an exact measurement of the equilibrium potential for the Ca inward current impossible.6. The kinetics of Na inward currents could be described by m(3)h and those of the Ca current by m(2)h law. The corresponding values for V(m) = 0 are: tau(m)(Na) = 1.1 +/- 0.5 msec, tau(m)(Ca) = 2.4 +/- 1.0 msec, tau(h)(Na) = 7.9 +/- 2.0 msec. The inactivation of Ca current included two first-order kinetic processes with tau(h1) = 50 +/- 10 msec and tau(h) = 320 +/- 30 msec.7. The data presented are considered to be a proof of the existence of separate systems of Na and Ca ion-conducting channels in the nerve cell membrane.

In humans, the kidneys filter approximately 180 g of D-glucose from plasma each day, and this is normally reabsorbed in the proximal tubules. Although the mechanism of reabsorption is well understood, Na(+)-glucose cotransport across the brush-border membrane and facilitated diffusion across the basolateral membrane, questions remain about the identity of the genes responsible for cotransport across the brush border. Genetic studies suggest that two different genes regulate Na(+)-glucose cotransport, and there is evidence from animal studies to suggest that the major bulk of sugar is reabsorbed in the convoluted proximal tubule by a low-affinity, high-capacity transporter and that the remainder is absorbed in the straight proximal tubule by a high-affinity, low-capacity transporter. There are at least three different candidates for these human renal Na(+)-glucose cotransporters. This review will focus on the structure-function relationships of these three transporters, SGLT1, SGLT2, and SGLT3.

No.7943 (2-[2-[4-(4-nitrobenzyloxy)phenyl]ethyl]isothiourea methanesulfonate), a selective inhibitor of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1), has been newly synthesized. It dose-dependently inhibited Na+i-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake and Na+i-dependent [Ca2+]i increase in cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, and NCX1-transfected fibroblasts (IC50 = 1.2-2.4 microM). Inhibition was observed without prior incubation with the agent and was completely reversed by washing cells with buffer for 1 min. Interestingly, No.7943 was much less potent in inhibiting Na+o-dependent 45Ca2+ efflux and Na+o-induced [Ca2+]i decline (IC50 = >30 microM), indicating that it selectively blocks the reverse mode of Na+/Ca2+ exchange in intact cells. In cardiac sarcolemmal preparations consisting mostly of inside-out vesicles, the agent inhibited Na+i-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake and Na+o-dependent 45Ca2+ efflux with similar, but slightly lower, potencies (IC50 = 5.4-13 microM). Inhibition was noncompetitive with respect to Ca2+ and Na+ in both cells and sarcolemmal vesicles. These results suggest that No.7943 primarily acts on external exchanger site(s) other than the transport sites in intact cells, although it is able to inhibit the exchanger from both sides of the plasma membrane. No.7943 at up to 10 microM does not affect many other ion transporters nor several cardiac action potential parameters. This agent at these concentrations also did not influence either diastolic [Ca2+]i or spontaneous beating in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, No.7943 markedly inhibited Ca2+ overloading into cardiomyocytes under the Ca2+ paradox conditions. Thus, No.7943 is not only useful as a tool with which to study the transport mechanism and physiological role of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger but also has therapeutic potential as a selective blocker of excessive Ca2+ influx mediated via the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger under pathological conditions.

1. Rapid inward Na current (INa) was studied in isolated cells from rat ventricular myocardium by a double-suction-pipette voltage clamp technique. All experiments were carried out at 20-22 degrees C. 2. INa elicited by single depolarizing voltage steps from a holding potential, VH, of -80 mV had a threshold between -70 and -60 mV and was maximal at -30 to -20 mV. Peak currents in Krebs-Ringer solution containing 145 mM Na were of the order 0.9-1.8 mA cm-2, assuming an average cell surface area of 8000 square micrometers. 3. The reversal potential for INa was predicted by the Nernst equation for external Na in the range 1.45-145 mM with 16 mM-Na solution perfusing the interior of the cell. 4. Instantaneous I-V plots were linear for potentials of -100 to + 10 mV. Maximum Na conductance (-gNa) was calculated to be 25 mS cm-2 in 145 mM-Na solutions and gNa was constant for potentials positive to -10 mV. 5. INa activated with a time constant of 0.7 msec at -55 mV, decreasing to 100 microsec on depolarizations positive to + 10 mV. 6. Two time constants (tau h1, tau h2) were required to describe INa inactivation during a maintained depolarization, with tau h2 three to four times as long as tau h1. tau h1 was about 2 msec at -50 mV, decreasing to 0.9 msec at -10 mV. 7. The time course for recovery of INa from inactivation also exhibited two time constants (tau r1, tau r2), with the longer tau r2 having a maximum value of the order 100 msec in the potential range -60 to -80 mV. 8. INa in isolated rat cardiac cells has a low sensitivity to tetrodotoxin, requiring a concentration of 30 micrometers for complete blockade.

Sensory acuity and motor dexterity deteriorate when human limbs cool down, but pain perception persists and cold-induced pain can become excruciating. Evolutionary pressure to enforce protective behaviour requires that damage-sensing neurons (nociceptors) continue to function at low temperatures. Here we show that this goal is achieved by endowing superficial endings of slowly conducting nociceptive fibres with the tetrodotoxin-resistant voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) Na(v)1.8 (ref. 2). This channel is essential for sustained excitability of nociceptors when the skin is cooled. We show that cooling excitable membranes progressively enhances the voltage-dependent slow inactivation of tetrodotoxin-sensitive VGSCs. In contrast, the inactivation properties of Na(v)1.8 are entirely cold-resistant. Moreover, low temperatures decrease the activation threshold of the sodium currents and increase the membrane resistance, augmenting the voltage change caused by any membrane current. Thus, in the cold, Na(v)1.8 remains available as the sole electrical impulse generator in nociceptors that transmits nociceptive information to the central nervous system. Consistent with this concept is the observation that Na(v)1.8-null mutant mice show negligible responses to noxious cold and mechanical stimulation at low temperatures. Our data present strong evidence for a specialized role of Na(v)1.8 in nociceptors as the critical molecule for the perception of cold pain and pain in the cold.

Using site-directed fluorescent labeling, we examined conformational changes in the S4 segment of each domain of the human skeletal muscle sodium channel (hSkM1). The fluorescence signals from S4 segments in domains I and II follow activation and are unaffected as fast inactivation settles. In contrast, the fluorescence signals from S4 segments in domains III and IV show kinetic components during activation and deactivation that correlate with fast inactivation and charge immobilization. These results indicate that in hSkM1, the S4 segments in domains III and IV are responsible for voltage-sensitive conformational changes linked to fast inactivation and are immobilized by fast inactivation, while the S4 segments in domains I and II are unaffected by fast inactivation.

Hypertension places a major burden on individual and public health, but the genetic basis of this complex disorder is poorly understood. We conducted a genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) in Amish subjects and found strong association signals with common variants in a serine/threonine kinase gene, STK39. We confirmed this association in an independent Amish and 4 non-Amish Caucasian samples including the Diabetes Genetics Initiative, Framingham Heart Study, GenNet, and Hutterites (meta-analysis combining all studies: n = 7,125, P < 10(-6)). The higher BP-associated alleles have frequencies>> 0.09 and were associated with increases of 3.3/1.3 mm Hg in SBP/DBP, respectively, in the Amish subjects and with smaller but consistent effects across the non-Amish studies. Cell-based functional studies showed that STK39 interacts with WNK kinases and cation-chloride cotransporters, mutations in which cause monogenic forms of BP dysregulation. We demonstrate that in vivo, STK39 is expressed in the distal nephron, where it may interact with these proteins. Although none of the associated SNPs alter protein structure, we identified and experimentally confirmed a highly conserved intronic element with allele-specific in vitro transcription activity as a functional candidate for this association. Thus, variants in STK39 may influence BP by increasing STK39 expression and consequently altering renal Na(+) excretion, thus unifying rare and common BP-regulating alleles in the same physiological pathway.

Calcium current, Ica, was studied in isolated nerve cell bodies of Helix aspersa after suppression of Na+ and K+ currents. The suction pipette method described in the preceding paper was used. Ica rises to a peak value and then subsides exponentially and has a null potential of 150 mV or more and a relationship with [Ca2+]o that is hyperbolic over a small range of [Ca2+]o's. When [Ca2+]i is increased, Ica is reduced disproportionately, but the effect is not hyperbolic. Ica is blocked by extracellular Ni2+, La3+, Cd2+, and Co2+ and is greater when Ba2+ and Sr2+ carry the current. Saturation and blockage are described by a Langmuir adsorption relationship similar to that found in Balanus. Thus, the calcium conductance probably contains a site which binds the ions referred to. The site also appears to be voltage-dependent. Activation and inactivation of Ica are described by first order kinetics, and there is evidence that the processes are coupled. For example, inactivation is delayed slightly in its onset and tau inactivation depends upon the method of study. However, the currents are described equally well by either a noncoupled Hodgkin-Huxley mh scheme or a coupled reaction. Facilitation of Ica by prepulses was not observed. For times up to 50 ms, currents even at small depolarizations were accounted for by suitable adjustment of the activation and inactivation rate constants.

Biochemical and pharmacological data support the existence of multiple forms of the Na/H exchanger (NHE). Two isoforms, termed NHE-1 and NHE-2, have recently been isolated from rabbit ileal villus epithelial cells (Tse, C. M., Ma, A. I., Yang, V. W., Watson, A. J. M., Levine, S., Montrose, M. H., Potter, J., Sardet, C., Pouysségur, J., and Donowitz, M. (1991) EMBO J. 10, 1957-1967; Tse, C. M., Watson, A. J. M., Ma, A. I., Pouysségur, J., and Donowitz, M. (1991) Gastroenterology 100, A258). To identify additional molecular forms of the exchanger, rat brain, heart, kidney, stomach, and spleen cDNA libraries were screened for their presence using an NHE-1 cDNA probe under low stringency hybridization conditions. cDNAs encoding rat NHE-1 and two structurally related proteins, designated NHE-3 and NHE-4, have been isolated. Based on the deduced amino acid sequences, NHE-1, -3, and -4 are similar in size, having relative molecular masses of 91,506, 92,997, and 81,427, respectively. Overall, the proteins exhibit approximately 40% amino acid identity to each other and have similar hydropathy profiles, suggesting that they have the same transmembrane organization. The predicted N-terminal transmembrane regions of the three proteins, which span between 453 and 503 amino acids, exhibit the highest degree of identity (45-49%). In contrast, the C-terminal cytoplasmic regions, which span between 247 and 378 amino acids, exhibit very low amino acid identity (24-31%). Tissue distribution studies reveal that the NHE-1 mRNA is present at varying levels in all tissues examined, whereas NHE-3 and NHE-4 mRNAs exhibit a more limited distribution. NHE-3 mRNA is expressed at high levels in colon and small intestine, with significant levels also present in kidney and stomach. NHE-4 mRNA is most abundant in stomach, followed by intermediate levels in small intestine and colon and lesser amounts in kidney, brain, uterus, and skeletal muscle. These data suggest that the molecular basis for the functional diversity of the Na/H exchanger in mammals is based, at least in part, on expression of multiple members of a gene family.

1. The adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive K+ channel of guinea-pig ventricular cells was examined in the presence and absence of internal Mg2+ or Na+ using an open cell-attached configuration of the patch-clamp technique. 2. Millimolar concentrations of internal Mg2+ ([Mg2+]i) produced marked fluctuations in the outward current, and the amplitude of the open-channel current was reduced with increasing [Mg2+]i. Millimolar Na+ applied internally also decreased the mean amplitude of the outward current, but the increase in current noise was not obvious. These effects became larger when the membrane potential was shifted to be more positive from the K+ equilibrium potential (EK). At potentials negative to EK the inward current was affected by neither internal Mg2+ nor Na+. 3. The external application of Na+, Mg2+ or Ca2+, however, failed to affect the single-channel current. 4. After removal of both internal Mg2+ and Na+, the mean open-channel current-voltage relationship became virtually linear. Referring to these unblocked values, relative amplitudes were determined at different levels of [Mg2+]i or [Na+]i. The dose-response relations gave a Hill coefficient of approximately 1 for Mg2+ block and approximately 2 for Na+ block. The half-maximum concentrations (Kh) for both Mg2+ and Na+ block were shifted to lower values with increasing positive potentials. 5. The power-density spectrum of the open-channel current noise induced by internal Mg2+ showed a Lorentzian function with a corner frequency above 1 kHz, suggesting that the current noise is due to rapid fluctuations of open-channel current between blocked and unblocked states. The corner frequencies gave Mg2+ block and unblock rate constants which were of the order of 10(7) M-1 s-1 and 10(4) s-1, respectively. 6. With increasing external K+ concentration ([K+]o) from 0 to 140 mM the current fluctuations became less prominent, and Kh for Mg2+ block was shifted to higher values. Raising [K+]o enhanced the unblock rate derived from the noise analysis while the block rate was not significantly altered. 7. The above findings could be explained by assuming a binding site for one Mg2+ or two Na+ located 30-35% of the electrical drop across the membrane from the inner mouth of the channel, thereby resulting in the ionic block of K+ passage. An apparent inward rectification observed in the single-channel current-voltage relation is attributable to the blockade of the channel by intracellular Mg2+ and/or Na+.