The cAMP transduction cascade mediates the PGE2‐induced inhibition of potassium currents in rat sensory neurones

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Abstract
1 The role of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) transduction cascade in mediating the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-induced decrease in potassium current (IK) was investigated in isolated embryonic rat sensory neurones using the whole-cell patch-clamp recording technique. 2 Exposure to 100 μM chlorophenylthio-adenosine cyclic 3′,5′-monophosphate (cpt-cAMP) or 1 μM PGE2 caused a slow suppression of the whole-cell IK by 34 and 36 %, respectively (measured after 20 min), without a shift in the voltage dependence of activation for this current. Neither of these agents altered the shape of the voltage-dependent inactivation curve indicating that the suppression of IK did not result from alterations in the inactivation properties. 3 To determine whether the PGE2-mediated suppression of IK depended on activation of the cAMP pathway, cells were exposed to this prostanoid in the presence of the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, PKI. The PGE2-induced suppression of IK was prevented by PKI. In the absence of PGE2, PKI had no significant effect on the magnitude of IK. 4 Results obtained from protocols using different conditioning prepulse voltages indicated that the extent of cpt-cAMP- and PGE2-mediated suppression of IK was independent of the prepulse voltage. The subtraction of control and treated currents revealed that the cpt-cAMP- and PGE2-sensitive currents exhibited little time-dependent inactivation. Taken together, these results suggest that the modulated currents may be delayed rectifier-like IK. 5 Exposure to the inhibitors of IK, tetraethylammonium (TEA) or 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), reduced the control current elicited by a voltage step to +60 mV by 40-50 %. In the presence of 10 mM TEA, treatment with cpt-cAMP did not result in any further inhibition of IK. In contrast, cpt-cAMP reduced IK by an additional 25-30 % in the presence of 1 mM 4-AP. This effect was independent of the conditioning prepulse voltage. 6 These results establish that PGE2 inhibits an outward IK in sensory neurones via activation of PKA and are consistent with the idea that the PGE2-mediated sensitization of sensory neurones results, in part, from an inhibition of delayed rectifier-like IK.