[Upregulated voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 on the CD4+CD28null T lymphocyte from patients with acute coronary syndrome].

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study is to observe the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 expression on CD4+CD28null T cells from the peripheral blood of ACS patients by the patch clamp technique. METHODS Kv1.3 potassium channels expression from 17 patients with ACS and 11 healthy age-matched normal controls was detected in single cell (CD4+CD28null T cells and CD4+CD28+ T cells) by fluorescence microscopy and patch clamp. RESULTS The percent of CD4+CD28nullT cells are higher in the ACS (6.97% +/- 2.05%) than that in the controls (1.38% +/- 0.84%, P < 0.05). The concentration of hsCRP is directly correlated with the number of the CD4+CD28null T cells in the ACS (r = 0.52, P < 0.05). The conductance [(6.89 +/- 1.17) nS vs. (3.36 +/- 0.66) nS], dens [(1.95 +/- 0.80) n/microm2 vs. (1.13 +/- 0.57) n/microm2] and numbers [(574.5 +/- 97.6) n/cell vs. (280.3 +/- 55.3) n/cell] of the Kv1.3 channels on the CD4+CD28null T cells are significantly higher than those on the CD4+CD28+ T cells (all P < 0.01) in ACS patients, but were similar on CD4+CD28+ T cells between ACS patients and controls. CONCLUSION The CD4+CD28null T cells in the ACS and the numbers of Kv1.3 channels on the CD4+CD28null T cells from the ACS patients are significantly upregulated and might contribute to the pathogenesis of ACS.