Loss of IP3R-BK(Ca) Coupling Is Involved in Vascular Remodeling in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Mechanisms by which BK(Ca) (large-conductance calcium-sensitive potassium) channels are involved in vascular remodeling in hypertension are not fully understood. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and vascular morphology were compared between hypertensive and normotensive rats. BK(Ca) channel activity, protein expression, and interaction with IP3R (inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor) were examined using patch clamp, Western blot analysis, and coimmunoprecipitation. On inside-out patches of VSMCs, the Ca(2+)-sensitivity and voltage-dependence of BK(Ca) channels were similar between hypertensive and normotensive rats. In whole-cell patch clamp configuration, treatment of cells with the IP3R agonist, Adenophostin A (AdA), significantly increased BK(Ca) channel currents in VSMCs of both strains of rats, suggesting IP3R-BK(Ca) coupling; however, the AdA-induced increases in BK(Ca) currents were attenuated in VSMCs of hypertensive rats, indicating possible IP3R-BK(Ca) decoupling, causing BK(Ca) dysfunction. Co-immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis demonstrated that BK(Ca) and IP3R proteins were associated together in VSMCs; however, the association of BK(Ca) and IP3R proteins was dramatically reduced in VSMCs of hypertensive rats. Genetic disruption of IP3R-BK(Ca) coupling using junctophilin-2 shRNA dramatically augmented Ang II-induced proliferation in VSMCs of normotensive rats. Subcutaneous infusion of NS1619, a BK(Ca) opener, to reverse BK(Ca) dysfunction caused by IP3R-BK(Ca) decoupling significantly attenuated vascular hypertrophy in hypertensive rats. In summary, the data from this study demonstrate that loss of IP3R-BK(Ca) coupling in VSMCs induces BK(Ca) channel dysfunction, enhances VSMC proliferation, and thus, may contribute to vascular hypertrophy in hypertension.