Heteromultimeric Kv1.2-Kv1.5 channels underlie 4-aminopyridine-sensitive delayed rectifier K(+) current of rabbit vascular myocytes.

The molecular identity of vascular delayed rectifier K(+) channels (K(DR)) is poorly characterized. Inhibition by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) of K(DR) of rabbit portal vein (RPV) myocytes was studied by patch clamp and compared with that of channels composed of Kv1.5 and/or Kv1.2 subunits cloned from the RPV and expressed in mammalian cells. 4-AP block of K(DR) was pulse-frequency dependent, required channel activation, and was associated with a positive shift in voltage dependence of activation. 4-AP caused a voltage-dependent reduction in mean open time of K(DR). Relief of 4-AP block of whole cell currents during washout required channel activation and was unaffected by voltage. Homotetrameric Kv1.5 channels did not exhibit the shift in voltage dependence of activation exhibited by the native channels. In contrast, Kv1.2 channels displayed a shift in voltage dependence of activation, and this characteristic was also evident during 4-AP treatment when Kv1.2 was coexpressed with Kv1.5 or coupled to Kv1.5 in a tandem construct to produce heterotetrameric [Kv1.5/Kv1.2](2) channels. K(DR) currents were not sensitive to charybdotoxin, which blocks homotetrameric Kv1.2 channels. The findings of this study (1) indicate that vascular K(DR) are inhibited by 4-AP via an open-state block mechanism and trapping of the drug within the pore on channel closure and (2) provide novel evidence based on a comparison of functional characteristics that indicate the dominant form of vascular K(DR) channel complex in RPV involves the heteromultimeric association of Kv1.2 and Kv1.5 subunits.