The growth regulatory fibroblast IK channel is the prominent electrophysiological feature of rat prostatic cancer cells.

Physiological effectors for mitogenic cell growth control remain to be determined for mammalian tumor cells, particularly those derived from prostatic tissue. One such effector for mitogenic Ras/MAPK signaling in fibroblasts is an intermediate-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channel (FIK). In this study patch-clamp electrophysiology was used to show that both AT2.1 and MatLyLu rat prostate cancer cell lines express high levels of a current identified as FIK, based on the following criteria: activation by elevation of intracellular calcium, voltage independence, potassium selectivity, and block by charybdotoxin (ChTX) and the Stichodactyla helianthus potassium channel neurotoxin (StK). FIK current densities in AT2.1 and MatLyLu cells were comparable to the high levels seen in fibroblasts transfected with oncogenic Ras or Raf, suggesting hyperactivity of the Ras/MAPK pathway in prostatic cancer cells. Voltage-gated sodium current was present in most MatLyLu cells but absent from AT2.1 cells, and all AT2.1 cells had voltage-gated potassium currents. Thus, FIK is the main electrophysiological feature of rat prostatic cancer cells as it is for mitogenically active fibroblasts, suggesting it may play a similar growth regulatory role in both.