K+ channels represent the most complex class of voltage-gated ion channels from both functional and structural standpoints. In the heart these channels are responsible for the rapid repolarizing phases of the action potential and are the targets of several antiarrhythmic drugs. Full-length cDNA clones were isolated from human ventricular libraries that encode two voltage-gated K+ channels. These two cDNAs, designated HK1 and HK2, encode proteins of 653 and 605 amino acids, respectively. HK1 is the human equivalent (98% identity) of an inactivating K+ channel previously described in rat heart (RHK1) whereas the HK2 channel is 86% identical to a cloned rat brain K+ channel (Kv1). The only amino acid sequence identity (72%) between HK1 and HK2 is within the central region containing the membrane spanning domains. Northern blot analysis of human mRNA indicated that HK1 is slightly more abundant in ventricle than atrium whereas HK2 is much more abundant in atrium relative to ventricle. Both channel transcripts are present in ventricle at levels equivalent to voltage-gated Na+ channels. Analysis of the gene encoding HK1 suggests the coding sequence is intronless and is represented once in the human genome.

Sertraline is a new, selective serotonin (5HT) uptake inhibitor with antidepressant activity. The effect of chronic administration of sertraline on 5HT-2 receptors in rat cortex was compared with that of the tricyclic antidepressant, amitriptyline. 5HT-2 receptors were evaluated in binding assays using [3H]-ketanserin and in functional assays of transmembrane signaling, hydrolysis of phosphoinositides. The daily injection of 17 mg/kg sertraline induced a desensitization of 5HT-2-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis after 28, but not 21, days. The administration of 1.2 mg/kg/day via continuous release pumps caused a more rapid desensitization. Amitriptyline administered chronically also produced a desensitization of the 5HT-2-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis response. A decrease in the density of 5HT-2 binding sites accompanies the functional desensitization after amitriptyline, but changes in 5HT-2 binding sites were not detected after chronic sertraline administration. Studies of the mechanism of action of sertraline show that the desensitization of the phosphoinositide hydrolysis response is homologous in nature, and that it is not secondary to changes in the synthesis of precursor lipids. Other possibilities such as alterations in coupling efficiency or in the activity of effector enzymes are currently being considered. The present results suggest a new postsynaptic action of antidepressant drugs at central 5HT-2 receptors (i.e., changes in 5HT-2 signal transduction at a site distal to the cell surface binding site) and illustrate the importance of studies of receptor signaling pathways to complement radioligand binding.

No abstract

K+ channels represent the most diverse class of voltage-gated ion channels in terms of function and structure. Voltage-gated K+ channels in the heart establish the resting membrane K+ permeability, modulate the frequency and duration of action potentials, and are targets of several antiarrhythmic drugs. Consequently, an understanding of K+ channel structure-function relationships and pharmacology is of great practical interest. However, the presence of multiple overlapping currents in native cardiac myocytes complicates the study of basic K+ channel function and drug-channel interactions in these cells. The application of molecular cloning technology to cardiovascular K+ channels has identified the primary structure of these proteins, and heterologous expression systems have allowed a detailed analysis of channel function and pharmacology without contaminating currents. To date six different K+ channels have been cloned from rat and human heart, and all have been functionally characterized in either Xenopus oocytes or mammalian tissue culture systems. This initial research is an important step toward understanding the molecular basis of the action potential in the heart. An important challenge for the future is to determine the cell-specific expression and relative contribution of these cloned channels to cardiac excitability.

Female Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) show a 4-day estrous cycle. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of 17beta-estradiol supplementation every fourth day to ovariectomized rats - mimicking the physiological estrous cycle - on regulation of blood pressure. We monitored blood pressure telemetrically in intact females, ovariectomized (OVX), and ovariectomized WKY injected subcutaneously with 17beta-estradiol (OVX (E2)) in a 4-day rhythm for 24 weeks. Blood pressure decreased both in intact females and OVX (E2), whereas that of OVX persisted at constant levels. The underlying mechanisms studied include the nitric oxide pathway, the rennin-angiotensin system as well as the endothelin system. Serum and urinary nitrate/nitrite (NOx) as well as aortic eNOS decreased in OVX and were restored to normal in OVX (E2). Conversely, caveolin-1 was higher in OVX than in intact females and OVX (E2) while Hsp90 did not differ among groups. Plasma angiotensin II and aortic AT (1) receptor expression increased in OVX and were normalized in OVX (E2). AT (2) receptor expression was regulated reciprocally. Serum endothelin-1 was significantly elevated in OVX and OVX (E2). There was no difference in aortic ET (A) receptor expression between groups whereas ET (B) receptor expression was higher in intact females and OVX (E2) than in OVX. The study suggests that supplementation of 17beta-estradiol in female WKY according to the natural estrous cycle maintains the physiological blood pressure encompassing vasorelaxing and vasoconstricting pathways. The physiological estrous cycle should be kept in mind when cardiovascular data are to be collected/interpreted under estrogen supplementation.