title: Opening of large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels by the substituted benzimidazolone NS004.
abstract: 1. We used electrophysiological techniques to examine the effects of 5-trifluoromethyl-1-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidaz ole- 2-one (NS004) on large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels. 2. We used recordings from excised membrane patches (cell-attached and inside-out single-channel configurations) and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to examine the effects of NS004 on single BK channels and whole-cell outward currents, respectively, in rat GH3 clonal pituitary tumor cells. We also tested NS004 on voltage-clamped BK channels isolated from rat brain plasma membrane preparations and reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers. Finally, we used two-electrode voltage-clamp techniques to study the effects of NS004 on currents expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes by the recently described Slo BK clone from Drosophila. 3. In GH3 cells and in Xenopus oocytes expressing the Slo gene product NS004 produced an increase in an iberiotoxin- or tetraethylammonium-sensitive whole-cell outward current, respectively. NS004 produced a significant increase in the activity of single GH3 cell BK channels and rat brain BK channels reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers. In both systems this was characterized by an increase in channel mean open time, a decrease in interburst interval, and an apparent increase in channel voltage/calcium sensitivity. 4. These data indicate that NS004 could be useful for investigating the biophysical and molecular properties of BK channels and for determining the functional consequences of the opening of BK channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Dworetzky
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Meanwell
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Olesen
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Reinhart
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Levitan
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Adelman
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Gribkoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002733:Chlorophenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D002733:Chlorophenols; D015221:Potassium Channels; C083230:NS 004; D002118:Calcium