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(Circulation. 2002;106:2098.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Investigation and Reports |
From the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8078 (C.P., A.C.), Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis Robinson, and the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases (B.L.G., G.W.J.), Centre de Recherche Pierre Fabre, Castres, France.
Correspondence to Dr Alain Coulombe, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, 133 Ave de la Résistance, F92350 Le Plessis Robinson. E-mail alain.coulombe{at}ccml.u-psud.fr
| Abstract |
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Methods and Results Sodium current (INa) was recorded by the whole-cell patch-clamp method. Thrombin increased peak INa amplitude in an activity-dependent manner, from 1 to 100 U/mL, with an apparent EC50 of 91±16 U/mL. When tested at 32 U/mL, thrombin-increased INa was abolished by tetrodotoxin (50 µmol/L). Thrombin effects on INa were reversible and repeatable, and 100 U/mL doubled peak INa amplitude. Thrombin (32 U/mL) shifted INa activation to hyperpolarized potentials without affecting steady-state inactivation, producing unusually large increases in window current. Hirudin (320 U/mL) or haloenol lactone suicide substrate (10 µmol/L) failed to significantly affect these effects of thrombin. In current-clamped cardiomyocytes, thrombin (32 U/mL) depolarized resting membrane potential by 10 mV.
Conclusions Facilitation of VGSC activation causing large increases in window current is a major mechanism by which thrombin may promote ischemic sodium loading and injury.
Key Words: ion channels sodium thrombosis ischemia myocytes
| Introduction |
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In cardiomyocytes, thrombin elevates [Na+]i by Na+-H+ exchange activation7 or via production of membrane-derived lysophosphatidylcholine.4,5,8 A possible involvement of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) in mediating thrombin-induced increases in [Na+]i has not, however, been previously considered. Increases in [Na+]i in ischemic cardiomyocytes generate Ca2+ loading via reverse Na+-Ca2+ exchange, leading to contractile dysfunction and ultimately cell death.911 Na+-H+ exchange activity during ischemia is inactive or weak12 because the exchanger is subject to inhibition by extracellular acidosis, 13 which suggests a more significant role for VGSCs as mediators of ischemic Na+ loading.
A large fraction of VGSCs become rapidly nonrecruitable in ischemic tissues after resting membrane potential depolarization, and action potentials (APs) initially shorten and subsequently cease with exhaustion of cellular ATP. Na+ influx continues, however, through noninactivated VGSCs, giving rise to persistent window currents14,15 and further cardiomyocyte depolarization. Moreover, the slowly inactivating component of Na+ current also increases substantially during ischemia, amplifying Na+ influx.1518
The putative effects of thrombin on VGSCs in human atrial myocytes were studied by the patch-clamp technique. The data demonstrate, for the first time, that thrombin acts as a powerful activator of human cardiac VGSCs, constituting a major mechanism by which the protease increases [Na+]i in ischemic cardiomyocytes.
| Methods |
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Cell Isolation
Human atrial myocytes were isolated enzymatically as previously described.19 Only quiescent rod-shaped myocytes with clear cross-striations, sharp edges, and well-delineated cell membranes were chosen for experiments. Small myocytes were preferred to optimize spacial voltage-clamp.
Solutions and Drugs
For whole-cell current recordings, the intracellular pipette solution contained (in mmol/L): NaCl 5, CsF 130, MgCl 2, CaCl2 1, EGTA 15, HEPES 10, and MgATP 4, pH 7.2 with CsOH. The external solution contained: NaCl 25, CsCl 108.5, CoCl 2.5, CaCl2 0.5, MgCl 2.5, 4-AP 5, HEPES 10, and glucose 10, pH 7.4 with CsOH. To record APs, myocytes were bathed in Tyrodes solution (in mmol/L): NaCl 135, KCl 4, MgCl 2, CaCl2 1.8, HEPES 10, NaH2PO4 1, Na-pyruvate 2.5, and glucose 20, pH 7.4 with NaOH. The pipette solution contained (in mmol/L): K-aspartate 115, NaCl 5, KCl 15, MgCl 2, HEPES 10, glucose 10, MgATP 3, tris-phosphocreatine 5, and EGTA 5, pH 7.2 with KOH. Hirudin (leech,
2000 U/mg) was from Boehringer Mannheim. Haloenol lactone suicide substrate (HELSS) from TEBU France was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) that did not exceeded 0.05% and thrombin (human plasma
1000 U/mg). Other chemicals were purchased from Sigma.
Current and AP Recordings
Ionic currents were recorded by the whole-cell patch-clamp technique with a patch-clamp amplifier (Axopatch 200B, Axon Instruments). Patch pipettes (Corning Kovar Sealing code 7052, WPI) had resistances of 0.5 to 1 M
. Currents were filtered at 20 kHz (-3 dB, 8-pole low-pass Bessel filter) and digitized at 50 kHz (Digidata 1200, Axon Instruments).
Cell membrane capacitance was determined according to Momtaz et al.20 Cell membrane capacitance was 47.9±2.4 pF (n=113 cells, from 68 donors). Series resistance was compensated at 80% to 95%, resulting in voltage errors of <3 mV, whereas neither cell membrane capacitive current nor leakage current was compensated. In sodium current (INa) recording media, the average holding current densities at a holding potential (HP) of -100 mV were -1.8±0.5 pA/pF in control, -1.9±0.4 pA/pF under 32 U/mL thrombin, -2.0±0.4 pA/pF under tetrodotoxin, and -1.9±0.4 pA/pF after washout (not significant respective to control [n=17]). Peak INa amplitude was monitored according to a steady-state pulse protocol: a 300-ms depolarizing pulse to -30 mV from a HP of -100 mV at 0.2 Hz. An equilibration period was allowed until peak INa reached steady state and remained stable without evidence of a leftward shift of the availability-voltage relationship (h
-Vm). This protocol was designed to detect any such shifts. After each sequence of 5 depolarizing pulses, HP was set to -140 mV. Consequently, during the stabilization period when peak current amplitude was higher after a HP at -140 mV compared with -100 mV, the recording was discarded. Similarly, because many cells showed no effect of thrombin on the h
-Vm relationship, recordings showing an irreversible hyperpolarizing shift of h
-Vm after thrombin application were also discarded.
The steady-state pulse protocol was applied before activation-Vm, availability-Vm, and reactivation protocols in control, thrombin and washout. For the activation-Vm protocol, currents were elicited by 100-ms depolarizing pulses applied at 0.2 Hz from HP -140 mV, in 5- or 10-mV increments between -100 and +50 mV. The steady-state availability-Vm protocol was from a HP of -100 mV; a 2-s conditioning prepulse was applied in 5- or 10-mV increments between -140 and -30 mV followed by a 300-ms test pulse to -20 mV at 0.2 Hz.
The recovery from inactivation protocol was from a HP of -100 mV; a 500-ms pulse followed by a 30-ms pulse was applied to -10 mV. The interval between the two pulses varied from 3 to 1000 ms.
APs were recorded in the whole-cell current-clamp configuration. The recording pipette had a resistance of 1 to 3 M
. Under control conditions, cells were current-clamped to a resting potential of -80 mV. APs were then elicited by a 2-ms hyperpolarizing current pulse (to reach a Vm of
-100 mV), followed by a 2-ms depolarizing pulse of twice diastolic threshold at 0.2 Hz.
Experiments were carried out at room temperature (22° to 25°C).
Statistics and Data Analysis
Data are expressed as mean±SEM of n determinations or myocytes, and when relevant, the number (N) of preparations was specified. Statistical significance was estimated by paired or unpaired Students t test or ANOVA, as appropriate. P<0.05 was considered significant.
Data for activation-Vm and steady-state availability-Vm relationships of INa were fitted to the Boltzmann equation: equation
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where Vm is the membrane potential, V0.5 is the half-activation or half-availability potential, and k is the inverse slope factor. For activation-Vm curves, Y represents the relative conductance and k is >0. For availability-Vm curves, Y represents the relative current (INa/INamax) and k is <0.
The same algorithm was applied to the Hill form (see legend to Figure 2) of the thrombin activity-response relationship and to the 2-exponential model for the time course of recovery from inactivation of INa (see legend to Figure 5).
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| Results |
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Activity-Response Relationship
Thrombin increased peak INa in an activity-dependent manner as shown in Figure 2. The maximal effect was reached at 100 U/mL thrombin because higher concentrations elicited myocyte hypercontracture. Thrombin (100 U/mL) doubled peak INa compared with controls, indicating an unusually large augmentation of INa.
Current Density-Voltage Relationships
Figure 3A shows typical examples of INa recordings obtained in the absence and presence of 32 U/mL of thrombin with incremental test pulses of the activation-Vm protocol. The current density-voltage relationships obtained are presented in Figure 3B. The peak INa density obtained with a depolarizing test pulse to -40 mV was significantly increased from -64.7±6.6 pA/pF in controls to -132.4±12.2 pA/pF (P<0.001) by thrombin. Membrane potential values (Vm) associated with maximal amplitude of peak current were -20 mV in controls and
-40 mV with thrombin. The activation-Vm relationship was displaced toward more negative membrane potentials. The V0.5 (Vm at which half-activation occurs) was significantly shifted by -9.2 mV (Table and Figure 4B). This effect was reversible on thrombin washout (Table and Figure 4B). Finally, thrombin (32 U/mL) was devoid of significant effect on the INa reversal membrane potential (+34 versus +36 mV in control, NS; Figure 3B) indicating that sodium channel selectivity was unaffected.
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Steady-State Availability-Voltage Relationships
Figure 4A shows typical examples of INa recordings obtained in absence and presence of thrombin (32 U/mL) according to the steady-state availability-Vm protocol. Figure 4B and the Table demonstrate that thrombin (32 U/mL) was devoid of significant effect on steady-state availability relationships (Table).
INa Window
The overlap of the steady-state availability-Vm curve and the activation-Vm curve in the potential range -85 to -40 mV determines the sodium window current amplitude as depicted in Figure 4B and 4C. Because sodium channels are not totally inactivated, a small fraction of these channels remain open and mediate window current. In the presence of thrombin, the INa activation curve was displaced toward hyperpolarizing potentials, which gave rise to large increases in window current amplitude in the -95 to -40 mV range of potentials (Figure 4C).
Reactivation
The time course of INa reactivation was assessed at a HP of -100 mV by the conventional double-pulse method (Figure 5). Time courses of relative current in control and thrombin (32 U/mL) were fitted by a double exponential function (Methods). The data in the Table confirm that there was no difference between the two constants of reactivation in controls versus thrombin.
Effects of Hirudin and HELSS
Figure 6 shows a typical recording of a relatively high concentration of hirudin (320 U/mL), a direct thrombin inhibitor,21 on thrombin-increased INa elicited according to the steady-state pulse protocol (see Methods). Hirudin (320 U/mL) per se failed to significantly affect peak INa (-58.7±13.4 pA/pF in controls versus -60.1±17.3 pA/pF with hirudin; n=6, NS). Even at this high concentration, hirudin failed to affect thrombin-induced increases in peak INa (-122.5±22.4 pA/pF under thrombin, -100.4±21.6 pA/pF after thrombin plus hirudin, n=7, NS). HELSS (10 µmol/L), an inhibitor of calcium-independent phospholipase A2,8 was unable to inhibit the effects of thrombin on peak INa (-79.1±16.3 pA/pF after a 30-minute preincubation with HELSS versus -120.6±20.3 pA/pF under thrombin plus HELSS, n=6; N=6; P<0.01).
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Single-Cell AP
As thrombin markedly increased INa window, sarcolemmal depolarization is an expected consequence. Figure 7 shows the effect of thrombin (32 U/mL) on averaged APs recorded from current-clamped single myocytes. Resting membrane potential was significantly shifted to depolarized potentials, and maximum upstroke velocity and AP amplitude were significantly and reversibly decreased by thrombin (Table).
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| Discussion |
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INa Facilitation by Thrombin
Thrombin is considered to play a role in mediating ischemic injury and ventricular arrhythmias during coronary occlusion.25 However, the mechanisms underlying these deleterious effects are not well understood. In cardiomyocytes, thrombin increases [Na+]i by Na+-H+ exchange activation7 or via lysophosphatidylcholine production, 4,5 but no consideration has been given to putative activation of VGSCs by the serine protease. The present study therefore attempted to determine whether VGSC activation by thrombin occurred in human cardiomyocytes.
Thrombin induced an increase in peak INa amplitude caused by a marked hyperpolarizing shift of the current activation curve. Consequently, thrombin potentiates the Na+ window current, generated by overlap of activation- and steady-state voltage-inactivation INa curves.18 In the presence of thrombin, the marked activation shift to more negative potentials produced abnormally large increases in window current amplitude. This generates a large, sustained depolarizing current and potentially massive Na+ influx at the resting membrane potential during ischemia. The consequences are a depolarization of resting membrane potential associated with a decrease in AP maximum upstroke velocity. Persistent Na+ current is caused by sustained VGSC openings.15 These late channel reopenings and bursting behavior occur with INa in animal22,23 and human24 ventricular cardiomyocytes. This increase in steady-state Na+ window current resulting from a prolongation of VGSC opening directly increases free [Na+]i.9 The present results suggest that thrombin, by facilitating Na+ channel activation causing abnormally large increases in window current, may amplify Na+ accumulation during ischemia, leading to elevated [Ca2+]i through reverse Na+-Ca2+ exchange.
Because the large, sustained sodium window current increase elicited by thrombin occurred in the voltage range -95 to -40 mV, this inward current will be further augmented by sarcolemmal depolarization during ischemia.15,17,24 Thus, the current- clamp data demonstrate that thrombin depolarized resting membrane potential by 10 mV, which could be a direct consequence of sodium window current amplification. These results corroborate those reported2 in depolarized ventricular fibers, in which thrombin increased automaticity. Depolarized fibers are thought to provide a substrate for arrhythmogenesis resulting from abnormal automaticity in myocardial infarction.18,2 Human atrial cardiomyocytes express Na+ window current25 with operational characteristics similar to their ventricular counterparts,24 although we acknowledge that possible electrophysiological differences between atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes may exist. The mechanism for thrombin-evoked automaticity could therefore be explained by the markedly increased sodium window current, which depolarizes resting membrane potential and which in addition may promote triggered activity.14,18,24
Thrombin Access to VGSCs
Thrombin concentrations that activated VGSCs in the present study correspond to those that are found during clotting26 and thrombosis.27 Nevertheless, in order to activate VGSCs, the enzyme must access cardiomyocytes across the capillary wall of the coronary microcirculation. Available evidence would indicate this to be highly likely to occur.28,29
Mechanism of Action
Because the direct thrombin inhibitor, hirudin, failed to affect thrombin activation of VGSCs, proteolytic cleavage was not required. Consequently, an involvement of protease-activated receptors1 can be excluded. Thrombin may also increase [Na+]i by calcium-independent phospholipase A2dependent production of lysophosphatidylcholine.4,5,8 However, HELSS, an inhibitor of cardiomyocyte phospholipase A2, failed to significantly affect thrombin increases in peak INa in the present study, which is suggestive of another mechanism. This issue merits further study, because the phospholipase A2dependent4,5,8 and presently unidentified mechanism of thrombin-induced cardiomyocyte sodium loading are complementary and may well occur concomitantly. The precise molecular mechanism of thrombin increases in peak INa therefore remains to be elucidated. A direct nonproteolytic effect on VGSC
or ß subunits or unidentified G proteincoupled receptors cannot be excluded at present.
In conclusion, thrombin has been shown for the first time to be a powerful activator of cardiac VGSCs by selectively shifting the INa voltage-activation relationship to hyperpolarized potentials. The consequences of such an effect are 2-fold: amplified ischemic sodium loading and arrhythmogenesis. These effects of thrombin are not dependent on proteolytic activity. Facilitation of VGSC activation may therefore be considered as a key molecular mechanism by which thrombin mediates ischemic injury.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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Received May 29, 2002; revision received July 29, 2002; accepted August 6, 2002.
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