Trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin treatment abolishes glibenclamide sensitivity of KATP channels in rat ventricular myocytes.

Cytoplasmic trypsin-treatment of voltage-sensitive potassium channels has been shown to cleave domains of the channel responsible for inactivation of the channel. Trypsin has also been reported to remove slow, irreversible inactivation, or run-down in ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. Cytoplasmic treatment of rat ventricular KATP channels with either crude, or pure trypsin (1-2 mg/ml) failed to prevent a slow run-down of channel activity. However, trypsin (porcine pancreatic type IX, or type II (Sigma Chem. Co.), or alpha-chymotrypsin (Sigma Chem. Co.) rapidly and irreversibly removed, or substantiallly decreased glibenclamide and tolbutamide-sensitivity of the channels without removing sensitivity to ATP. We conclude that glibenclamide must bind to either a separate protein, or to a separate domain on the channel in order to effect channel inhibition, and this domain is functionally disconnected from the channel by trypsin-, or alpha-chymotrypsin treatment.