Abstract:
IKs, the slow component of the delayed rectifier potassium current, is a crucial repolarizing current and underlies strong beta-adrenergic regulation in the heart. Catecholamines, like isoproterenol, induce a strong increase in IKs via activation of beta1-adrenoceptors (β1-ARs). However the role of the β3-AR (cloned in 1989) in the regulation of cardiac ion channel function is unknown. Therefore, the present study characterizes the effect of β3-AR activation on IKs in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes using patch-clamp techniques. Activation of the β1-adrenergic signaling pathway (isoproterenol, forskolin, 8-CPT-cAMP) increased the step and tail current amplitudes. In contrast, after block of β1- and β2-receptors, isoproterenol and noradrenaline induced a reduction of the step current amplitude. The β3-selective agonists BRL 37344 and CL 316,243 also significantly reduced IKs in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50: 5 nM and 32 nM, respectively). In the presence of bupranolol (β3-adrenoceptor antagonist), the effect of BRL 37344 was markedly attenuated. Moreover, BRL 37344 caused a mild prolongation of the action potential duration of about 10 % in guinea-pig ventricle. In this study, we also evaluated the signaling cascade responsible for the observed reduction of IKs current amplitudes induced by β3-AR stimulation: the responses on β3-AR activation were fully abolished by pretreatment with the potent membrane permeable src-tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP2, leading to the conclusion, that activation of a specific tyrosine kinase signaling pathway can mediate the inhibition of IKs after selective stimulation of the beta3-adrenoceptor in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. For the first time, we demonstrated a functional coupling between the β3-adrenoceptor and potassium channel function in the mammalian heart.