ATP Dependence of the I(Cl, swell) Channel Varies with Rate of Cell Swelling : Evidence for Two Modes of Channel Activation

Swelling-induced activation of the outwardly rectifying anion current, I(Cl, swell), is modulated by intracellular ATP. The mechanisms by which ATP controls channel activation, however, are unknown. Whole cell patch clamp was employed to begin addressing this issue. Endogenous ATP production was inhibited by dialyzing N1E115 neuroblastoma cells for 4–5 min with solutions containing (μM): 40 oligomycin, 5 iodoacetate, and 20 rotenone. The effect of ATP on current activation was observed in the absence of intracellular Mg(2+), in cells exposed to extracellular metabolic inhibitors for 25–35 min followed by intracellular dialysis with oligomycin, iodoacetate, and rotenone, after substitution of ATP with the nonhydrolyzable analogue AMP-PNP, and in the presence of AMP-PNP and alkaline phosphatase to dephosphorylate intracellular proteins. These results demonstrate that the ATP dependence of the channel requires ATP binding rather than hydrolysis and/or phosphorylation reactions. When cells were swollen at 15–55%/min in the absence of intracellular ATP, current activation was slow (0.3–0.8 pA/pF per min). ATP concentration increased the rate of current activation up to maximal values of 4–6 pA/pF per min, but had no effect on the sensitivity of the channel to cell swelling. Rate of current activation was a saturable, hyperbolic function of ATP concentration. The EC(50) for ATP varied inversely with the rate of cell swelling. Activation of current was rapid (4–6 pA/pF per min) in the absence of ATP when cells were swollen at rates ≥65%/min. Intracellular ATP concentration had no effect on current activation induced by high rates of swelling. Current activation was transient when endogenous ATP was dialyzed out of the cytoplasm of cells swollen at 15%/min. Rundown of the current was reversed by increasing the rate of swelling to 65%/min. These results indicate that the channel and/or associated regulatory proteins are capable of sensing the rate of cell volume increase. We suggest that channel activation occurs via ATP-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Increasing the rate of cell swelling appears to increase the proportion of channels activating via the ATP-independent pathway. These findings have important physiological implications for understanding I(Cl, swell) regulation, the mechanisms by which cells sense volume changes, and volume homeostasis under conditions where cell metabolism is compromised.