Properties and molecular determinants of the natural flavone acacetin for blocking hKv4.3 channels

PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e57864. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057864. Epub 2013 Mar 20.

Abstract

The natural flavone acacetin has been demonstrated to inhibit transient outward potassium current (Ito) in human atrial myocytes. However, the molecular determinants of acacetin for blocking Ito are unknown. The present study was designed to investigate the properties and molecular determinants of this compound for blocking hKv4.3 channels (coding Ito) stably expressed in HEK 293 cells using the approaches of whole-cell patch voltage-clamp technique and mutagenesis. It was found that acacetin inhibited hKv4.3 current by binding to both the closed and open channels, and decreased the recovery from inactivation. The blockade of hKv4.3 channels by acacetin was use- and frequency-dependent, and IC50s of acacetin for inhibiting hKv4.3 were 7.9, 6.1, 3.9, and 3.2 µM, respectively, at 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 3.3 Hz. The mutagenesis study revealed that the hKv4.3 mutants T366A and T367A in the P-loop helix, and V392A, I395A and V399A in the S6-segment had a reduced channel blocking efficacy of acacetin (IC50, 44.5 µM for T366A, 25.8 µM for T367A, 17.6 µM for V392A, 16.2 µM for I395A, and 19.1 µM for V399A). These results demonstrate the novel information that acacetin may inhibit the closed channels and block the open state of the channels by binding to their P-loop filter helix and S6 domain. The use- and rate-dependent blocking of hKv4.3 by acacetin is likely beneficial for managing atrial fibrillation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Binding Sites / genetics
  • Flavones / metabolism
  • Flavones / pharmacology*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Potassium Channel Blockers / metabolism
  • Potassium Channel Blockers / pharmacology*
  • Recombinant Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Shal Potassium Channels / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Shal Potassium Channels / genetics
  • Shal Potassium Channels / metabolism

Substances

  • Flavones
  • KCND3 protein, human
  • Potassium Channel Blockers
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Shal Potassium Channels
  • acacetin

Grants and funding

The study was supported in part by Sun Cheh Yeh Heart Foundation of Hong Kong and a grant (ITS/339/09) from Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Hui-Jun Wu, Wei Wu, and Yan-Hui Zhang were supported by a postgraduate scholarship from the University of Hong Kong. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.