A GTP-binding protein inhibits a gastric housekeeping chloride channel via intracellular production of superoxide.

A housekeeping basolateral Cl- channel of rabbit gastric parietal cells, the single channel conductance of which is about 0.3 picosiemens, is opened by prostaglandin E2 and closed by intracellular application of guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S). In the present patch clamp study, we found a novel GTP gamma S-dependent regulatory mechanism of the Cl- channel. GTP gamma S significantly decreased the open probability of the single Cl- channel without altering unit conductance. An intracellular application of superoxide dismutase (SOD; 100 units/ml) inhibited the GTP gamma S (50 microM)-induced closure of the Cl- channel. SOD plus catalase (100 units/ml) also inhibited the GTP gamma S-induced effect, while catalase alone did not inhibit it. In the absence of GTP gamma S, an intracellular application of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2; 30 microM) did not affect the Cl- channel current. Desferrioxamine (50 microM) which inhibits hydroxyl radical (.OH) production was without effect on the GTP gamma S-induced closure. These results suggest that the GTP gamma S-induced closure of the Cl- channel was due to intracellular production of superoxide (O2.-), but not due to .OH or H2O2. Furthermore, an artificial production of O2.- inside the cell by lumazine (50-100 microM) plus xanthine oxidase (0.5-1 milliunit/ml) in the absence of GTP gamma S also closed the channel. The lumazine/xanthine oxidase-induced closure of the channel was inhibited by SOD, but not by catalase or desferrioxamine. We conclude from these results that GTP-binding protein-coupled production of O2.- leads to closure of the Cl- channel in rabbit gastric parietal cells.