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Properties of membrane currents in isolated smooth muscle cells from guinea-pig trachea

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Abstract

Tracheal smooth muscle cells were enzymatically isolated from guinea-pig trachea. These cells contracted in response to acetylcholine (0.01–10 μM) in a concentration-dependent fashion. Under current-clamp conditions with 140 mM K+ in the pipette solution, the membrane potential oscillated spontaneously at around −30 mV. Under voltage-clamp conditions, there appeared spontaneous but steady oscillations of outward current (I o). On depolarization from a holding potential at −40 mV, three components of outward current were elicited: transient outward current (I T), steady-state outward current (I s) and I o. These three components of outward current reversed around the K+ equilibrium potential and were abolished by Cs+ in the pipette, indicating that K+ was the major charge carrier of these outward currents. All these three components were completely suppressed by extracellular tetraethylammonium (10 mM). Both I T and I o were depressed by quinidine (1 mM), 4-aminopyridine (10 mM) and nifedipine (100 nM), but I s was not affected. I T and I o were suppressed by a Ca2+-free perfusate with less than 1 nM Ca2+ in the pipette, while with 10 nM Ca2+ in the pipette, only I o was suppressed. In both conditions, I s was not affected by the Ca2+-free perfusate. Therefore, it is suggested that I o, I T and I s are separate types of K+ current. With Cs+ in the pipette, K+ currents were almost completely suppressed and a transient inward current was observed during depolarizing pulses. The inward current was not affected by tetrodotoxin and increased when the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ was raised, indicating that the current is a Ca2+ channel current. Even with a holding potential of −80 mV, the low-threshold inward current could not be observed. The high-threshold Ca2+ current was abolished by nifedipine (100 nM) and was enhanced by Bay K 8644 (100 nM). The order of permeation of divalent cations through the Ca2+ channel was Ba2+ >Sr2+ ≈ Ca2+. Cd2+ blocked the Ca2+ current more effectively than Ni2+. These results may indicate that the Ca2+ current of tracheal smooth muscle cells is mainly composed of the current through an L-type Ca2+ channel.

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Hisada, T., Kurachi, Y. & Sugimoto, T. Properties of membrane currents in isolated smooth muscle cells from guinea-pig trachea. Pflügers Arch 416, 151–161 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00370237

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00370237

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