Voltage-dependent antagonist/agonist actions of taurine on Ca2+-activated potassium channels of rat skeletal muscle fibers

Emerging evidence supports the idea that taurine exerts some of its actions through inhibition of inward rectifier K(+) channels, ATP-sensitive K(+) channels, and voltage-dependent K(+) channels. However, to date not much is known about the effects of this sulfonic amino acid on Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (K(Ca(2+))) channels, which are widely expressed in various tissues, including skeletal muscle. In the present work, the effects of taurine on K(Ca(2+)) channels of rat skeletal muscle fibers were investigated using the patch-clamp technique. The application of the amino acid to the internal side of the excised macropatches induced a dose-dependent decrease in the outward K(Ca(2+)) currents recorded at positive membrane potentials in the presence of 8 to 16 microM concentrations of free Ca(2+) ions in the bath with an IC(50) of 31.9. 10(-3) +/- 1 M (slope factor = 1.2) (n = 11 patches). In contrast, at negative membrane potentials taurine caused an enhancement of the muscular inward K(Ca(2+)) currents with a DE(50) (drug concentration needed to enhance the current by 50%) of 46.7. 10(-3) +/- 2 M (slope factor = 1.3) (n = 9 patches). Single channel analysis revealed that this effect was mediated by changes in the reversal potential of the K(Ca(2+)) channel for K(+) ions with no changes in the gating properties or in the sensitivity of the channel to Ca(2+) ions. Taurine also did not affect the single channel conductance. In conclusion, taurine shows a voltage-dependent dualistic action on K(Ca(2+)) channels, being an inhibitor of the channel at positive membrane potentials and an activator at negative membrane potentials.