Increasing extracellular potassium causes calcium-dependent shape change and facilitates concanavalin A capping in human neutrophils.

Stimulation of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) by chemoattractants is associated with changes in membrane potential, and it has been speculated that these changes are important in PMN function. In the present study, human PMN isolated on Percoll gradients were exposed to extracellular K+ concentrations, which have been shown to depolarize PMN. Incubation of PMN at 37 degrees C for 15 min in 125 mM K+ increased the number that capped fluoresceinated concanavalin A (Con A) to 78% +/- 5.1 with 6.9% +/- 0.8 forming Con A caps in 5 mM K+ (p less than 0.001). In the absence of lectins, high K+ induced polarization of PMN shape with pseudopod and uropod formation (2.4% +/- 0.1 polarized in 5 mM K+ vs 83.4% +/- 1.0 polarized in 125 mM K+ p less than 0.001). Control studies, in which Na+ was decreased by substituting choline chloride or sucrose, indicated that the K+ effects were specific and not due to lowering of Na+. Increasing K+ also stimulated preferential secretion of the specific (secondary) granule constituents, caused significant mobilization of receptors for the peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fmet-leu-phe), and increased the number of PMN migrating in chemotactic assays. Unlike the capping of Con A and shape change, however, the increase in fmet-leu-phe binding, degranulation, and locomotion was not specific for raising extracellular K+ and occurred when choline chloride was substituted for sodium chloride, suggesting that these effects may be due to the lowering of Na+ or the changing of the Na+ to K+ ratio. In related studies designed to examine the mechanism of these K+-induced effects, shape change and Con A cap formation were inhibited by the absence of extracellular calcium or the presence of the calcium channel blockers, methoxyverapamil (100 microM), manganese (2 mM), or cobalt (2 mM), suggesting that the K+-induced changes depend on an influx of calcium. Thus, the increase of extracellular K+ induces calcium-dependent membrane changes in PMN similar to those seen when PMN are stimulated by a chemoattractant.