title: TASK-3 dominates the background potassium conductance in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells.
abstract: In a preceding study we showed that the highly negative resting membrane potential of rat adrenal glomerulosa cells is related to background potassium channel(s), which belong to the two-pore domain channel family. TWIK-related acid-sensitive K+ channel (TASK-1) expression was found in glomerulosa tissue, and the currents elicited by injection of glomerulosa mRNA (I(glom)) or TASK-1 cRNA (I(TASK-1)) showed remarkable similarity in Xenopus laevis oocytes. However, based on the different sensitivity of these currents to acidification, we concluded that TASK-1 may be responsible for a maximum of 25% of the weakly pH-dependent glomerulosa background K+ current. Here we demonstrate that TASK-3, a close relative of TASK-1, is expressed abundantly in glomerulosa cells. Northern blot detected TASK-3 message in adrenal glomerulosa, but not in other tissues. Quantitative RT-PCR experiments indicated even higher mRNA expression of TASK-3 than TASK-1 in glomerulosa tissue. Similarly to the glomerulosa background current, the current expressed by injection of TASK-3 cRNA (I(TASK-3)) was less acid-sensitive than I(TASK-1). Ruthenium red in the micromolar range inhibited I(glom) and I(TASK-3), but not I(TASK-1). Like I(TASK-1), I(TASK-3) was inhibited by stimulation of AT1a angiotensin II receptor coexpressed with the potassium channel. The high level of expression and its pharmacological properties suggest that TASK-3 dominates the resting potassium conductance of glomerulosa cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University of Medicine, Budapest H-1444, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Czirják
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Enyedi
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D015870:Gene Expression; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D024683:Potassium Channels, Tandem Pore Domain; D018075:RNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D044140:Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014162:Transfection; D015384:Zona Glomerulosa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C407082:Kcnk9 protein, rat; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024683:Potassium Channels, Tandem Pore Domain; D018075:RNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D044140:Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin; D000804:Angiotensin II; C420132:potassium channel subfamily K member 3; D011188:Potassium