Ancillary subunits altered the potency of the KCNQ1 blocker chromanol 293B up to 100-fold, with IC50 values of 65.4 µM for KCNQ1, 15.1 µM for KCNQ1/KCNE1, and 0.54 µM for KCNQ1/KCNE3.
Ancillary subunits significantly alter the pharmacology and drug sensitivity of the KCNQ1 potassium channel, suggesting that mutations in these subunits could predispose to acquired long QT syndrome.
KCNQ1 (Kv7.1 or KvLQT1) encodes the alpha-subunit of a voltage-gated potassium channel found in tissues including heart, brain, epithelia and smooth muscle. Tissue-specific characteristics of KCNQ1 current are diverse, due to modification by ancillary subunits. In heart, KCNQ1 associates with KCNE1 (MinK), producing a slowly activating voltage-dependent channel. In epithelia, KCNQ1 co-assembles with KCNE3 (Mirp2) producing a constitutively open channel. Chromanol 293B is a selective KCNQ1 blocker. We studied drug binding and frequency dependence of 293B on KCNQ1 and ancillary subunits expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Ancillary subunits altered 293B potency up to 100-fold (IC(50) for KCNQ1 = 65.4 +/- 1.7 microm; KCNQ1/KCNE1 = 15.1 +/- 3.3 microm; KCNQ1/KCNE3 = 0.54 +/- 0.18 microm). Block of KCNQ1 and KCNQ1/KCNE3 was time independent, but 293B altered KCNQ1/KCNE1 activation. We therefore studied frequency-dependent block of KCNQ1/KCNE1. Repetitive rapid stimulation increased KCNQ1/KCNE1 current biphasically, and 293B abolished the slow component. KCNQ1/KCNE3V72T activates slowly with a KCNQ1/KCNE1-like phenotype, but retains the high affinity binding of KCNQ1/KCNE3, demonstrating that subunit-mediated changes in gating can be dissociated from subunit-mediated changes in affinity. This study demonstrates the KCNQ1 pharmacology is significantly altered by ancillary subunits. The response of KCNQ1 to specific blockers will therefore be critically dependent on the electrical stimulation pattern of the target organ. Furthermore, the dissociation between gating and overall affinity suggests that mutations in ancillary subunits can potentially strongly alter drug sensitivity without obvious functional changes in gating behaviour, giving rise to unexpected side-effects such as a predisposition to acquired long QT syndrome.
Bett et al. (Fri,) conducted a other in KCNQ1 potassium channel pharmacology. Chromanol 293B was evaluated on Drug binding and frequency dependence (IC50). Ancillary subunits altered the potency of the KCNQ1 blocker chromanol 293B up to 100-fold, with IC50 values of 65.4 µM for KCNQ1, 15.1 µM for KCNQ1/KCNE1, and 0.54 µM for KCNQ1/KCNE3.
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