Voltage Dependent Potassium Channel Remodeling in Murine Intestinal Smooth Muscle Hypertrophy Induced by Partial Obstruction

Partial obstruction of the small intestine causes obvious hypertrophy of smooth muscle cells and motility disorder in the bowel proximate to the obstruction. To identify electric remodeling of hypertrophic smooth muscles in partially obstructed murine small intestine, the patch-clamp and intracellular microelectrode recording methods were used to identify the possible electric remodeling and Western blot, immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation were utilized to examine the channel protein expression and phosphorylation level changes in this research. After 14 days of obstruction, partial obstruction caused obvious smooth muscle hypertrophy in the proximally located intestine. The slow waves of intestinal smooth muscles in the dilated region were significantly suppressed, their amplitude and frequency were reduced, whilst the resting membrane potentials were depolarized compared with normal and sham animals. The current density of voltage dependent potassium channel (K(V)) was significantly decreased in the hypertrophic smooth muscle cells and the voltage sensitivity of K(V) activation was altered. The sensitivity of K(V) currents (IK(V)) to TEA, a nonselective potassium channel blocker, increased significantly, but the sensitivity of IKv to 4-AP, a K(V) blocker, stays the same. The protein levels of K(V)4.3 and K(V)2.2 were up-regulated in the hypertrophic smooth muscle cell membrane. The serine and threonine phosphorylation levels of K(V)4.3 and K(V)2.2 were significantly increased in the hypertrophic smooth muscle cells. Thus this study represents the first identification of K(V) channel remodeling in murine small intestinal smooth muscle hypertrophy induced by partial obstruction. The enhanced phosphorylations of K(V)4.3 and K(V)2.2 may be involved in this process.