A slowly activating, outwardly rectifying Cl- channel (ORCC) has been described in rat peritoneal mast cells (RPMCs). This channel is activated by intracellular application of cAMP, an effect that might be mediated by a PKA-type serine/threonine protein kinase. To test this hypothesis, whole-cell patch-clamp experiments (nystatin-perforated patch) were performed and 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate, Sp-enantiomer (Sp-8Br-cAMPS), a cell membrane-permeable activator of PKA, and three inhibitors of different serine/threonine protein phosphatases (okadaic acid, cantharidin, calyculin A), were tested. In RPMCs application of repetitive series of step hyper- and depolarizations (holding potential 0 mV, test potentials -80 to +80 mV, step size +20 mV) induced a slowly increasing, [half-maximal activation time ( t0.5) 11.0+/-1.1 min, Imax (at +80 mV) 18.7+/-3.1 pA pF-1], DIDS-sensitive, outwardly rectifying Cl- current I(Cl,OR). The activation of this current could be accelerated by Sp-8Br-cAMPS, okadaic acid or cantharidin in the extracellular solution. Co-application of Sp-8Br-cAMPS and okadaic acid increased Imax supra-additively. Calyculin A and higher concentrations of cantharidin inhibited the Cl- current via unknown mechanisms. Our findings suggest that I(Cl,OR) in RPMCs is activated by a PKA-type protein kinase, a process which is antagonized functionally by okadaic acid- and cantharidin-sensitive protein phosphatases.
8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Animals