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While there is increasing evidence that Ca2+ plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation, the precise mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated so far. In order to gain insight into how Ca2+ controls cell division, the rate of proliferation, cell volume, viability and attachment to the culture support were measured in NG108-15 neuroblastoma cells in the presence of various extracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]o). Culture medium [Ca2+]o was decreased from 1.8 mmol/l to various values down to 1 micromol/l with EGTA. The rate of cell proliferation was almost independent of [Ca2+]o between 1.8 mmol/l and 45 micromol/l. It was decreased by about 50% at 12 umol/l Ca2+ and was almost zero in the presence of 1 micromol/l Ca2+. As we hawe shown previously (Rouzaire-Dubois and Dubois 1998) long-term hypertonicity increased the cell volume and decreased the rate of proliferation. The effects of hypertonicity and decrease in [Ca2+]o on cell proliferation were synergistic and can be described by cell size-dependent and independent mechanisms, respectively. Relative to control conditions (1.8 mmol/l Ca2+), decreases in [Ca2+]o to 12 and 1 micromol/l decreased the cell viability to 76 and 52% and the cell adhesion to dishes to 16 and 3%, respectively. Altogether, these results indicate that the effects of alteration in [Ca2+]o and cell size on neuroblastoma cell proliferation are independent and act on different signalling pathways controlling cell division.

Recently, we showed that at constant extracellular osmolarity, the volume of NG108-15 cells was dependent on the external NaCl concentration and we assumed that the responsible mechanism was mediated by background channels (Rouzaire-Dubois et al. 1999). In order to confirm this view, the mean cell volume and the background current of NG108-15 cells were measured under different experimental conditions, after blockade of specific volume regulating mechanisms and ion channels. When the external NaCl concentration was decreased, the reversal potential of the background current was shifted toward negative values and the membrane conductance decreased. Opposite effects were observed when the NaCl concentration was increased. Substitution of external Na+ with various monovalent cations altered the mean cell volume by: Rb+, +17%; Cs+, +15%; K+, +10%; Li+, -6%; choline, -9%; N-methylglucamine, -25% . The reversal potential of the background current and the membrane conductance were altered by these Na+ substitutes in such a way that the cell volume increased linearly with the background current at -60 mV. Substitution of external Cl- with various monovalent anions altered the mean cell volume by: I-, +4%; Br-, 0%; NO-, -3%; F-, -5%; isethionate, -30%; gluconate, -50%. Cl- substitutes did not significantly alter the background current at -60 mV, except F- which increased it by 39%. These results suggest that 1. the cell volume is dependent on ion fluxes through background channels; 2. electrogenic cation fluxes are larger than anionic ones and the background current is proportional to the difference between these fluxes; 3. whereas external cations do not interfere with anion fluxes, external anions alter cation fluxes.

1. A variety of studies have suggested that K+ channel activity is a key determinant for cell progression through the G1 phase of mitosis. We have previously proposed that K+ channels control the activity of cell cycle-regulating proteins via regulation of cell volume. In order to test this hypothesis, we measured, with a Coulter counter and under different experimental conditions, the volume and rate of proliferation of neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid NG108-15 cells. 2. The K+ channel blockers TEA (1-10 mM), 4-aminopyridine (0.2-2 mM) and Cs+ (2.5-10 mM) increased the cell volume and decreased the rate of cell proliferation. Proliferation was fully inhibited when cell volume was increased by 25 %. 3. A 40 % increase in the culture medium osmolarity with NaCl induced a 25 % increase in cell volume and an 82 % decrease in the rate of cell proliferation. A 40 % increase in the culture medium osmolarity with mannitol induced a 9 % increase in cell volume and a 60 % decrease in the rate of cell proliferation. 4. The Cl- channel blocker NPPB (5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid; 50 microM) induced a 12 % increase in cell volume and a 77 % decrease in the rate of cell proliferation. 5. A 24 % reduction in the culture medium osmolarity with H2O induced a 21 % decrease in cell volume and a 32 % increase in the rate of cell proliferation. 6. Under whole-cell patch-clamp conditions, antibiotics (penicillin plus streptomycin) decreased the voltage-dependent K+ current. Omission of antibiotics from the culture medium induced a 10 % decrease in the cell volume and a 32 % increase in the rate of cell proliferation. 7. These results suggest that the mechanisms controlling cell proliferation are strongly influenced by the factors which determine cell volume. This could take into account the role in mitogenesis of K+ channels and of other ionic pathways involved in cell volume regulation.

A population of NG108-15 neuroblastoma cells resistant to doxorubicin (NG/DOXR) was established. The cells exhibited a multidrug resistance phenotype with cross-resistance to vinblastin and colchicine, overexpression of a 170 kDa membrane protein identified as P-glycoprotein and reversal of resistance by verapamil and quinine. Compared with NG108-15 cells, NG/DOXR cells showed an increase in Na+ current density and a decrease in cyclic-AMP-activated Cl- current density with no change in K+- and volume-sensitive Cl- current densities. As previously observed in NG108-15 cells, the vacuolar-type H+-ATPase inhibitors bafilomycin A1 and nitrate induced membrane depolarizations in NG/DOXR cells. The resting potentials of sensitive and resistant cells were not significantly different, but the depolarizations evoked by these agents were significantly larger in NG/DOXR than in NG108-15 cells. The resting membrane potential of NG/DOXR cells, but not that of NG108-15 cells, was depolarized by verapamil, and this effect was abolished by bafilomycin. The volume-sensitive Cl- currents of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells were inhibited by a decrease in intracellular pH from 7.3 to 6.8. Whereas bafilomycin prevents activation of Cl- currents in both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells, verapamil inhibited the Cl- current only in NG/DOXR cells. The results are discussed in terms of the roles of cytoplasmic pH and membrane potential in multidrug resistance.

The contribution of an electrogenic proton pump to the membrane potential of neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid NG 108-15 cells was determined with whole-cell voltage and current recordings and cell volume measurements with the preparation bathed in symmetrical 140 mM KCl solutions. The effects of the K+ channel blockers tetraethylammonium and 4-aminopyridine and of the H+-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A1 on the membrane potential and input resistance revealed that the membrane potential is generated by an outward H+ pump current of 5-15 pA in equilibrium with an inward passive current. This conclusion is supported by both current- and voltage-clamp results obtained when the preparation was bathed in a Na+-containing external solution after K+ channel blockade with Cs+ in the pipette. Additional support was obtained by measurement of the volume of cells incubated in solutions containing 140 mM KCl. Tetraethylammonium induced a bafilomycin-sensitive increase in inward K+ current and an increase in cell volume of 76% which we believe to be a consequence of the K+ influx. Finally, comparison of membrane potentials obtained in experiments using Na+-containing external, and K+-containing pipette solutions and after K+ channel blockade with Cs+ in the pipette also showed that, under normal physiological conditions, the resting membrane potential is essentially determined by an electrogenic H+ pump.

The aim of this work was to examine the effects of changes in external K+ concentration (Ko) around its physiological value, of various K+ channels blockers, including internal Cs+, of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase inhibitors and of the protonophore CCCP on the resting potential and the voltage-dependent K+ current of differentiated neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid NG108-15 cells using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The results are as follows: (i) under standard conditions (Ko = 5 mM) the membrane potential was -60 +/- 1 mV. It was unchanged when Ko was decreased to 1 mM and was depolarized by 4 +/- 1 mV when Ko was increased to 10 mM. (ii) Internal Cs+ depolarized the membrane by 21 +/- 3 mV. (iii) The internal application of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase inhibitors N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), NO3- and bafilomycin A1 (BFA) depolarized the membrane by 15 +/- 2, 18 +/- 2 and 16 +/- 2 mV, respectively. (iv) When NEM or BFA were added to the internal medium containing Cs+, the membrane was depolarized by 45 +/- 1 and 42 +/- 2 mV, respectively. (v) The external application of CCCP induced a transient depolarization followed by a prolonged hyperpolarization. This hyperpolarization was absent in BFA-treated cells. The voltage-dependent K+ current was increased at negative voltages and decreased at positive voltages by NEM, BFA and CCCP. Taken together, these results suggest that under physiological conditions, the resting potential of NG108-15 neuroblastoma cells is maintained at negative values by both voltage-dependent K+ channels and an electrogenic vacuolar type H(+)-ATPase.

The effects of the flavonoid quercetin on cell proliferation and voltage-dependent K+ current were studied on mouse neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cells. In the presence of 1% fetal calf serum, quercetin inhibited both cell proliferation and K+ current with effective doses inducing half-maximum effects of 10 microM and 70 microM respectively. Valinomycin (1 nM) antagonized 80% of the growth-inhibitory effects of 10 microM quercetin. The results suggest that at least a part of the anti-proliferative effect of quercetin is mediated by a K+ channel blockade. They further confirm a role for K+ channels in mitogenesis and cell proliferation.

The steady-state effects and rate of action of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on normal and chloramine-T (CL-T)-modified voltage-dependent potassium (K) currents were studied in neuroblastoma cells with the whole-cell voltage-clamp current recording technique. 4-AP apparently slows both the activation and inactivation of the normal current but does not modify the time course of the CL-T-modified current. These differential effects of 4-AP are interpreted as resulting from the existence of two types of K channels with different 4-AP sensitivities under normal conditions and similar 4-AP sensitivities after CL-T, which furthermore slows their inactivation [8, 9]. While the onset of 4-AP action on the normal current is delayed and can be described by the difference of two exponentials, the onset of 4-AP action on CL-T-modified current starts immediately after the external application of the drug and can be described by the sum of two exponentials. The 4-AP-induced block of the normal current exhibits use-dependent features and is relieved by long conditioning depolarizations. In contrast, the block of the CL-T-modified current is not use-dependent. At high 4-AP concentrations (1-10 mM), the steady-state block of the normal current reaches a saturating value of 95%, while the steady-state block of the CL-T-modified current and the "unblocked" normal current only reaches a saturating value of 35%. The results suggest that CL-T inhibits a channel or membrane constituent which contributes to the inactivation of channels and increases their apparent affinity for 4-AP when they are in closed or open states.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effects of chloramine-T (CL-T) on voltage-dependent potassium channels in neuroblastoma cells were analysed using the whole-cell current recording technique. CL-T irreversibly decreased the peak whole-cell K current, considerably slowed its inactivation and shifted its activation-voltage curve towards positive voltages by 6 mV. Under control conditions, the inactivation of the whole-cell K current could be described by the sum of two exponentials, F and S, whose time constants at +50 mV were tau F = 1.00 +/- 0.15 S and tau S = 5.72 +/- 0.47 S respectively. After CL-T, it could be described by the sum of two (S1 and S2) or three (F, S1 and S2) exponentials whose time constants at +50 mV were: tau F = 0.81 +/- 0.22 S, tau S1 = 6.46 +/- 0.60 S and tau S2 = 48.56 +/- 3.64 S. Under control conditions, F and S inactivating components of the whole-cell K current were blocked by 4-aminopyridine, with a Hill coefficient of 1 and apparent dissociation constants of 0.04 and 0.7 mM respectively. After CL-T, both S1 and S2 components were equally blocked by 4-aminopyridine with a Hill coefficient of 0.25, being reduced to 64% of their control values by 10 mM. CL-T is known to slow the inactivation of sodium channels and to oxidize sulphydryl amino acids and unsaturated lipids. It is concluded that the inactivation gates of voltage-dependent sodium and potassium channels are either constituted of the same amino acid residues or are controlled by unsaturated lipid surrounding or bound to the channel proteins.