Trabecular Meshwork TREK-1 Channels Function as Polymodal Integrators of Pressure and pH

PURPOSE: The concentration of protons in the aqueous humor (AH) of the vertebrate eye is maintained close to blood pH; however, pathologic conditions and surgery may shift it by orders of magnitude. We investigated whether and how changes in extra- and intracellular pH affect the physiology and function of trabecular meshwork (TM) cells that regulate AH outflow. METHODS: Electrophysiology, in conjunction with pharmacology, gene knockdown, and optical recording, was used to track the pH dependence of transmembrane currents and mechanotransduction in primary and immortalized human TM cells. RESULTS: Extracellular acidification depolarized the resting membrane potential by inhibiting an outward K(+)-mediated current, whereas alkalinization hyperpolarized the cells and augmented the outward conductance. Intracellular acidification with sodium bicarbonate hyperpolarized TM cells, whereas removal of intracellular protons with ammonium chloride depolarized the membrane potential. The effects of extra- and intracellular acid and alkaline loading were abolished by quinine, a pan-selective inhibitor of two-pore domain potassium (K2(P)) channels, and suppressed by shRNA-mediated downregulation of the mechanosensitive K2(P) channel TREK-1. Extracellular acidosis suppressed, whereas alkalosis facilitated, the amplitude of the pressure-evoked TREK-1–mediated outward current. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that TM mechanotransduction mediated by TREK-1 channels is profoundly sensitive to extra- and intracellular pH shifts. Intracellular acidification might modulate aqueous outflow and IOP by stimulating TREK-1 channels.