Human α-endosulfine, a possible regulator of sulfonylurea-sensitive K(ATP) channel: Molecular cloning, expression and biological properties

Sulfonylureas are a class of drugs commonly used in the management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Their therapeutic action results primarily from their ability to inhibit ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels in the plasma membrane of pancreatic β cells and thereby stimulate insulin release. A key question is whether an endogenous ligand for the K(ATP) channel exists that is able to mimic the inhibitory effects of sulfonylureas. We describe here the cloning of the cDNA encoding human α-endosulfine, a 13-kDa peptide that is a putative candidate for such a role. α-Endosulfine is expressed in a wide range of tissues including muscle, brain, and endocrine tissues. The recombinant protein displaces binding of the sulfonylurea [(3)H]glibenclamide to β cell membranes, inhibits cloned K(ATP) channel currents, and stimulates insulin secretion. We propose that endosulfine is an endogenous regulator of the K(ATP) channel, which has a key role in the control of insulin release and, more generally, couples cell metabolism to electrical activity.