title: Different Effects of Hypertension and Age on the Function of Large Conductance Calcium- and Voltage-Activated Potassium Channels in Human Mesentery Artery Smooth Muscle Cells.
abstract: Large-conductance calcium- and voltage-activated potassium channels (BKC a channels) play important roles in the maintenance of vascular tone, and their dysregulation is associated with abnormal vascular relaxation and contraction. We tested the changes in BKC a channel properties in patients at different ages to assess the effects of hypertension and aging on the functional changes of BKC a channels.
  
  
  
  Patch clamp was performed to detect the activities of BKC a channels in freshly isolated human mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells from younger patients (aged ≤45 years) without hypertension, older patients (aged ≥65 years) without hypertension, and older patients with hypertension. The expression of mRNA and protein from BKC a channels was evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, respectively. Results showed that the whole-cell current density, spontaneous transient outward current, and Ca(2+) sensitivity of the artery smooth muscle cells were significantly decreased in the older patients with hypertension; the decreases were insignificant in the older patients without hypertension, although a clear tendency to have spontaneous transient outward current was detected in these patients. The expression of both mRNA and protein of BKC a subunits α and β1 was significantly decreased in the older patients with hypertension but not in the older patients without hypertension compared with the younger patients without hypertension.
  
  
  
  Our findings demonstrate for the first time that hypertension is an important factor for the pathological alteration of the properties of BKC a channels in human mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells, and aging itself may also be a factor in these changes in the cells.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Peng-Yun
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qiu
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Rong
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xian-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China wyangyan@swmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated
keywords: BKCa channels; age; human mesentery artery smooth muscle cells; hypertension; patch clamp