Small-conductance Ca2+-dependent K+ channels activated by ATP in murine colonic smooth muscle

Abstract
The patch-clamp technique was used to determine the ionic conductances activated by ATP in murine colonic smooth muscle cells. Extracellular ATP, UTP, and 2-methylthioadenosine 5′-triphosphate (2-MeS-ATP) increased outward currents in cells with amphotericin B-perforated patches. ATP (0.5–1 mM) did not affect whole cell currents of cells dialyzed with solutions containing ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)- N, N, N′, N′-tetraacetic acid. Apamin (3 × 10−7M) reduced the outward current activated by ATP by 32 ± 5%. Single channel recordings from cell-attached patches showed that ATP, UTP, and 2-MeS-ATP increased the open probability of small-conductance, Ca2+-dependent K+ channels with a slope conductance of 5.3 ± 0.02 pS. Caffeine (500 μM) enhanced the open probability of the small-conductance K+ channels, and ATP had no effect after caffeine. Pyridoxal phosphate 6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulfonic acid tetrasodium (PPADS, 10−4 M), a nonselective P2 receptor antagonist, prevented the increase in open probability caused by ATP and 2-MeS-ATP. PPADS had no effect on the response to caffeine. ATP-induced hyperpolarization in the murine colon may be mediated by P2y-induced release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores and activation of the 5.3-pS Ca2+-activated K+ channels.