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¹ Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8661
² Institute of Molecular Cardiology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8661
³ Department of Surgery, Health Sciences Center, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8661
⁴ Department of Biology, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104-3189

Address correspondence to Dr. Richard T. Mathias, Department of Physiology and Biophysics Health Sciences Center, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8661. Fax: (631) 444-3432; E-mail: rtmathias{at}physiology.pnb.sunysb.edu

It is well-known that micromolar to millimolar concentrations of cardiac glycosides inhibit Na/K pump activity, however, some early reports suggested nanomolar concentrations of these glycosides stimulate activity. These early reports were based on indirect measurements in multicellular preparations, hence, there was some uncertainty whether ion accumulation/depletion rather than pump stimulation caused the observations. Here, we utilize the whole-cell patch-clamp technique on isolated cardiac myocytes to directly measure Na/K pump current (I_P) in conditions that minimize the possibility of ion accumulation/depletion causing the observed effects. In guinea pig ventricular myocytes, nanomolar concentrations of dihydro-ouabain (DHO) caused an outward current that appeared to be due to stimulation of I_P because of the following: (1) it was absent in 0 mM [K⁺]_o, as was I_P; (2) it was absent in 0 mM [Na⁺]_i, as was I_P; (3) at reduced [Na⁺]_i, the outward current was reduced in proportion to the reduction in I_P; (4) it was eliminated by intracellular vanadate, as was I_P. Our previous work suggested guinea pig ventricular myocytes coexpress the ₁- and ₂-isoforms of the Na/K pumps. The stimulation of I_P appears to be through stimulation of the high glycoside affinity ₂-isoform and not the ₁-isoform because of the following: (1) regulatory signals that specifically increased activity of the ₂-isoform increased the amplitude of the stimulation; (2) regulatory signals that specifically altered the activity of the ₁-isoform did not affect the stimulation; (3) changes in [K⁺]_o that affected activity of the ₁-isoform, but not the ₂-isoform, did not affect the stimulation; (4) myocytes from one group of guinea pigs expressed the ₁-isoform but not the ₂-isoform, and these myocytes did not show the stimulation. At 10 nM DHO, total I_P increased by 35 ± 10% (mean ± SD, n = 18). If one accepts the hypothesis that this increase is due to stimulation of just the ₂-isoform, then activity of the ₂-isoform increased by 107 ± 30%. In the guinea pig myocytes, nanomolar ouabain as well as DHO stimulated the ₂-isoform, but both the stimulatory and inhibitory concentrations of ouabain were 10-fold lower than those for DHO. Stimulation of I_P by nanomolar DHO was observed in canine atrial and ventricular myocytes, which express the ₁- and ₃-isoforms of the Na/K pumps, suggesting the other high glycoside affinity isoform (the ₃-isoform) also was stimulated by nanomolar concentrations of DHO. Human atrial and ventricular myocytes express all three isoforms, but isoform affinity for glycosides is too similar to separate their activity. Nevertheless, nanomolar DHO caused a stimulation of I_P that was very similar to that seen in other species. Thus, in all species studied, nanomolar DHO caused stimulation of I_P, and where the contributions of the high glycoside affinity ₂- and ₃-isoforms could be separated from that of the ₁-isoform, it was only the high glycoside affinity isoform that was stimulated. These observations support early reports that nanomolar concentrations of glycosides stimulate Na/K pump activity, and suggest a novel mechanism of isoform-specific regulation of I_P in heart by nanomolar concentrations of endogenous ouabain-like molecules.

Key Words: cardiac electrophysiology • Na/K ATPase • cardiac glycosides

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