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TISSUE-SPECIFIC STEM CELLS

Ion Channels in Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Rat Bone Marrow

^a Department of Medicine,
^b Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Health Aging,
^c Department of Physiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China

Key Words. Transient outward K⁺ current • Tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na⁺ current • Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ current • Voltage-gated K⁺ current • Rat mesenchymal stem cells

Correspondence: Gui-Rong Li, Ph.D., L8-01, Laboratory Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China. Telephone: 852-2819-2830; Fax: 852-2855-9730; e-mail: grli{at}hkucc.hku.hk

Received July 9, 2005; accepted for publication February 8, 2006.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow are believed to be an ideal cell source for cardiomyoplasty; however, cellular electrophysiology is not understood. The present study was designed to investigate ion channels in undifferentiated rat MSCs. It was found that three types of outward currents were present in rat MSCs, including a small portion of Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channel (I_KCa) sensitive to inhibition by iberiotoxin and/or clotromazole, a delayed rectifier K⁺ current (IK_DR), and a transient outward K⁺ current (I_to). In addition, tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive sodium current (I_Na.TTX) and nifedipine-sensitive L-type Ca²⁺ current (I_Ca.L) were found in a small population of rat MSCs. Moreover, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed the molecular evidence of mRNA for the functional ionic currents, including Slo and KCNN4 for I_KCa; Kv1.4 for I_to; Kv1.2 and Kv2.1 for IK_DR; SCN2a1 for I_Na.TTX; and CCHL2a for I_Ca.L. These results demonstrate for the first time that multiple functional ion channel currents (i.e., I_KCa, I_to, IK_DR, I_Na.TTX, and I_Ca.L) are present in rat MSCs from bone marrow; however, physiological roles of these ion channels remain to be studied.

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