Cultured Chick Heart Cells

Growth of cultured cells in low potassium medium has been shown to result in an increase in the number of Na,K-ATPase sites. This phenomenon and its physiological and pharmacological consequences were examined in spontaneously beating monolayers of cultured chick heart cells. Growth of cells in 1 mM extracellular potassium, 2 ^M ouabain, or 1 /*M veratridine for 48 hours caused 60%, 40%, or 20% increases, respectively, in the total number of specific ouabain binding sites measurable in intact cells. Acute exposure of control cells grown in 4 mM to 1 mM extracellular potassium caused elevation of steady state [Na]i by 37%, while 1 HM veratridine exposure increased [Na]i by 12%. After 48 hours of growth in 1 mM extracellular potassium, intracellular sodium concentrations declined to near-control levels. In cells grown in low extracellular potassium and then equilibrated with 4 mM potassium for 30 minutes, the positive inotropic effects of 1 mM extracellular potassium and 0.3 /XM isoproterenol, expressed as a percent of contractile response to 3.6 mM calcium, were 40 ± 6% and 37 ± 5% (means ± SEM), respectively, in low potassium-grown cells, compared with 63 ± 8% and 35 ± 4% in control cells. Growth of cells in low potassium shifted the concentration-effect curve for ouabain to the right. The rapid component of calcium uptake in zero extracellular sodium was significantly lower in low potassium-grown cells than in control cells after equilibration in 1 mM extracellular potassium for 30 minutes. These findings demonstrate that prolonged exposure of cultured heart cells to 1 mM extracellular potassium or ouabain causes induction of additional functional sarcolemmal sodium pump sites. The increased levels of intracellular sodium caused by these interventions appear to be an important determinant of sodium pump site density. The reduced contractile response of cells grown in 1 mM extracellular potassium and ouabain (but not isoproterenol) supports the view that elevated intracellular sodium due to Na,K-ATPase inhibition mediates the positive inotropic response to low extracellular potassium and ouabain, probably via augmented transsarcolemmal sodium-calcium exchange. In addition, our results support a mechanism of inotropic action of digitalis glycosides based on inhibition of the sodium pump rather than altered calcium binding properties of sarcolemmal sites due to cardiac glycoside binding to Na,K-ATPase. (Circ Res 55: 39-48, 1984)