Published online Sep 7, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.4150
Revised: July 21, 2009
Accepted: July 28, 2009
Published online: September 7, 2009
AIM: To explore the possibility of using the Non-invasive Micro-test Technique (NMT) to investigate the role of Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 1 (TRPC1) in regulating Ca2+ influxes in HL-7702 cells, a normal human liver cell line.
METHODS: Net Ca2+ fluxes were measured with NMT, a technology that can obtain dynamic information of specific/selective ionic/molecular activities on material surfaces, non-invasively. The expression levels of TRPC1 were increased by liposomal transfection, whose effectiveness was evaluated by Western-blotting and single cell reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS: Ca2+ influxes could be elicited by adding 1 mmol/L CaCl2 to the test solution of HL-7702 cells. They were enhanced by addition of 20 μmol/L noradrenalin and inhibited by 100 μmol/L LaCl3 (a non-selective Ca2+ channel blocker); 5 μmol/L nifedipine did not induce any change. Overexpression of TRPC1 caused increased Ca2+ influx. Five micromoles per liter nifedipine did not inhibit this elevation, whereas 100 μmol/L LaCl3 did.
CONCLUSION: In HL-7702 cells, there is a type of TRPC1-dependent Ca2+ channel, which could be detected via NMT and inhibited by La3+.