The regulation of ATP-sensitive K+ channel activity in intact and permeabilized rat ventricular myocytes.

1. In isolated rat heart ventricular myocytes exposed to 2 mM-cyanide in the presence of 10 mM-2-deoxyglucose (complete metabolic blockade), there is a time-dependent increase in ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel activity. The increase in KATP channel activity accompanies the decline of twitch amplitude. Channel activation and decline of the twitch amplitude precede the development of a 'rigor' contracture. 2. We measured KATP channel activity in permeabilized cells using the open-cell attached (O-C-A) patch configuration (by establishing a cell-attached patch and then permeabilizing the cell by exposure to saponin). The apparent ATP dependence of KATP channel activity could be described by a sigmoid curve with ki, ATP (ATP concentration required for half-maximum inhibition of channel activity) = 122 microM and H (Hill coefficient) = 1.225. 3. In the O-C-A patch configuration, 10 mM-creatine phosphate (CrP) decreased the apparent ki, ATP from 122 microM to about 10 microM, and the maximal activity (in zero ATP) was decreased to about 30% of the maximal activity in the absence of CrP. 4. In isolated inside-out (I-O) patches, ATP inhibited KATP channel activity at much lower [ATP] than in the O-C-A patch configuration (ki, ATP = 25 microM, H = 2). CrP was without effect on I-O patches. 5. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the difference in the ATP dependence of KATP channel activity in the O-C-A and I-O patch configurations arises because of ATP consumption in the O-C-A patch configuration. The results suggest that hydrolysis of ATP to ADP by endogenous ATPases leads to the development of gradients of [ATP] and [ADP] between the bath and the 'inside' of the open cell. By re-phosphorylating ADP, CrP is able to dissipate these gradients, revealing the 'true' ATP dependence of channel activity, which is the same as that in the I-O patch configuration. 6. In order to estimate the contribution of KATP channel activity to the rat cardiac action potential at different [ATP] we have made the following measurements. Using electrodes of resistance 2-8 M omega the density of KATP channels was 10.3 +/- 0.1 channels per patch (n = 162).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)