Characterization of functional ion channels in human cardiac c-kit progenitor cells.

Zhang, Ying-Ying; Li, Gang; Che, Hui; Sun, Hai-Ying; Li, Xin; Au, Wing-Kuk; Xiao, Guo-Sheng; Wang, Yan; Li, Gui-Rong

Cardiac progenitor cells play an important role in cardiac repair and regeneration; however, their cellular biology and electrophysiology are not understood. The present study characterizes the functional ion channels in human cardiac c-kit progenitor cells using whole-cell patch voltage-clamp, RT-PCR, and Western blots. We found that several ionic currents were present in human cardiac c-kit progenitor cells, including a large-conductance Ca-activated K current (BK) in 86 % of cells, an inwardly rectifying K current ( I) in 84 % of cells, a transient outward K current ( I) in 47 % of cells, a voltage-gated tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na current ( I) in 61 % of cells. Molecular identities of these ionic currents were determined with RT-PCR and Western-blot analysis. KCa.1.1 (for BK), Kir2.1 (for I), Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 (for I), Nav1.3 and Nav1.6 (for I) were abundantly expressed in human cardiac c-kit progenitor cells, which do not resemble cardiomyocytes at all. These results demonstrate for the first time that four types of ionic currents including BK, I, I, and I, are heterogeneously present in human cardiac c-kit cells, which may be involved in regulating cellular physiology.

ION channels; PROGENITOR cells; ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY; CARDIAC regeneration; WESTERN immunoblotting; POLYMERASE chain reaction; HEART cells

Basic Research in Cardiology, 2014, Vol 109, Issue 3, p1

0300-8428

Academic Journal

10.1007/s00395-014-0407-z