We report expression system-dependent effects of heterozygous mutations (P769L and A1059S) in the Cav3.2 CACNA1H gene identified in a pediatric patient with chronic pain and absence seizures. The mutations were introduced individually into recombinant channels and then analyzed by means of electrophysiology. When both mutants were co-expressed in tsA-201 cells, we observed a loss of channel function, with significantly smaller current densities across a wide range of voltages (-40 to +20 mV). In addition, when both mutant channels were co-expressed, the channels opened at a more depolarizing potential with a ~5-mV right shift in the half-activation potential, with no changes in half-inactivation potential and the rate of recovery from inactivation. Interestingly, when both mutants were co-expressed in the neuronal-derived CAD cells in a different extracellular milieu, the effect was remarkably different. Although not statistically significant (p < 0.07), current densities appeared augmented compared to wild-type channels and the difference in the half-activation potential was lost. This could be attributed to the replacement of extracellular sodium and potassium with tetraethylammonium chloride. Our results show that experimental conditions can be a confounding factor in the biophysical effects of T-type calcium channel mutations found in certain neurological disorders.
Keywords: Calcium channel; Epilepsy; HEK cells; Mutation; Pain; T-type.