KCNQ Modulators Reveal a Key Role for KCNQ Potassium Channels in Regulating the Tone of Rat Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle

• Published in: The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics Vol. 329; no. 1; pp. 368 - 376
• Main Authors: Joshi, Shreena, Sedivy, Vojtech, Hodyc, Daniel, Herget, Jan, Gurney, Alison M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2009; American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
• Subjects: Animals; Cardiovascular; Cell Membrane - drug effects; Electrophysiology; Hemodynamics - drug effects; In Vitro Techniques; KCNQ Potassium Channels - agonists; KCNQ Potassium Channels - antagonists & inhibitors; KCNQ Potassium Channels - drug effects; Lung - drug effects; Male; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Muscle Tonus - drug effects; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - drug effects; Myography; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Potassium Channel Blockers - pharmacology; Pulmonary Artery - drug effects; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Vasodilation - drug effects

Potassium channels are central to the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone. The smooth muscle cells of pulmonary artery display a background K+ conductance with biophysical properties resembling those of KCNQ (KV7) potassium channels. Therefore, we investigated the expression and functional role of...