Involvement of a novel fast inward sodium current in the invasion capacity of a breast cancer cell line

This work reports the finding of a unique fast inward sodium current (I_Na) in MDA-MB-231 cells which is missing in MDA-MB-468 cells and in MCF-7 cells. This current is high-voltage-activated and displays a window current at the membrane potential of MDA-MB-231 cells. This current is blocked by high concentrations of tetrodotoxin (TTX). In MDA-MB-231 cells, which are the most invasive cells among the three cell lines tested, proliferation and migration were not sensitive to TTX while invasion was reduced by approximately 30%. These experiments suggest that I_Na is involved in the invasion process, probably through its participation to the regulation of the intracellular sodium homeostasis.