Electrophysiology of human cardiac atrial and ventricular telocytes

Telocytes (TCs) with exceptionally long cellular processes of telopodes have been described in human epicardium to act as structural supporting cells in the heart. We examined myocardial chamber‐specific TCs identified in atrial and ventricular fibroblast culture using immunocytochemistry and studied their electrophysiological property by whole‐cell patch clamp. Atrial and ventricular TCs with extended telopodes and alternating podoms and podomers that expressed CD34, c‐Kit and PDGFR‐β were identified. These cells expressed large conductance Ca²⁺‐activated K⁺ current (BK_Ca) and inwardly rectifying K⁺ current (IK_ir), but not transient outward K⁺ current (I_to) and ATP‐sensitive potassium current (K_ATP). The active channels were functionally competent with demonstrated modulatory response to H₂S and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 whereby H₂S significantly inhibited the stimulatory effect of TGF‐β1 on current density of both BK_Ca and IK_ir. Furthermore, H₂S attenuated TGF‐β1‐stimulated KCa1.1/Kv1.1 (encode BK_Ca) and Kir2.1 (encode IK_ir) expression in TCs. Our results show that functionally competent K⁺ channels are present in human atrial and ventricular TCs and their modulation may have significant implications in myocardial physiopathology.