Beta-adrenergic stimulation does not activate Na+/Ca2+ exchange current in guinea pig, mouse, and rat ventricular myocytes

The effect of -adrenergic stimulation on cardiac Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange has been controversial. To clarify the effect, we measured Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange current (I_NCX) in voltage-clamped guinea pig, mouse, and rat ventricular cells. When I_NCX was defined as a 5 mM Ni²⁺-sensitive current in guinea pig ventricular myocytes, 1 µM isoproterenol apparently augmented I_NCX by 32%. However, this increase was probably due to contamination of the cAMP-dependent Cl^– current (CFTR-Cl^– current, I_CFTR-Cl), because Ni²⁺ inhibited the activation of I_CFTR-Cl by 1 µM isoproterenol with a half-maximum concentration of 0.5 mM under conditions where I_NCX was suppressed. Five or ten millimolar Ni²⁺ did not inhibit I_CFTR-Cl activated by 10 µM forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, suggesting that Ni²⁺ acted upstream of adenylate cyclase in the -adrenergic signaling pathway. Furthermore, in a low-extracellular Cl^– bath solution, 1 µM isoproterenol did not significantly alter the amplitude of Ni²⁺-sensitive I_NCX at +50 mV, which is close to the reversal potential of I_CFTR-Cl. No change in I_NCX amplitude was induced by 10 µM forskolin. When I_NCX was activated by extracellular Ca²⁺, it was not significantly affected by 1 µM isoproterenol in guinea pig, mouse, or rat ventricular cells. We concluded that -adrenergic stimulation does not have significant effects on I_NCX in guinea pig, mouse, or rat ventricular myocytes. cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator; nickel ion