An ATP-sensitive K+ current that regulates progression through early G1 phase of the cell cycle in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Whole-cell recordings were used to identify in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells the ion current(s) required for progression through G1 phase of the cell cycle. Macroscopic current-voltage curves were fitted by the sum of three currents, including linear hyperpolarized, linear depolarized and outwardly rectifying currents. Both linear currents, but not the outwardly rectifying current, were increased by 1 mu M intracellular Ca2+ and blocked by 2 mM intracellular ATP. When tested at concentrations previously shown to inhibit proliferation by 50%, linogliride, glibenclamide and quinidine inhibited the linear hyperpolarized current, and quinidine and linogliride inhibited the linear depolarized current; none of these agents affected the outwardly rectifying current. In contrast, tetraethylammonium completely inhibited the outwardly rectifying current, but did not inhibit either linear current. Changing the bath solution to symmetric K+ shifted the reversal potential of the linear hyperpolarized current from near the K+ equilibrium potential (-84 mV) to -4 mV. Arrest of the cell cycle in early G1 by quinidine was associated with significantly smaller linear hyperpolarized currents, without a change in the linear depolarized or outwardly rectifying currents, but this reduction was not observed with arrest by lovastatin at a site approximate to 6 hr later in G1. The linear hyperpolarized current was significantly larger in ras-transformed than in untransformed cells. We conclude that the linear hyperpolarized current is an ATP-sensitive K+ current required for progression of MCF-7 cells through G1 phase.