Differences in TRPC3 and TRPC6 channels assembly in mesenteric vascular smooth muscle cells in essential hypertension

Key points Canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC)3 and TRPC6 channels of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) mediate stretch‐ or agonist‐induced cationic fluxes, contributing to membrane potential and vascular tone. Native TRPC3/C6 channels can form homo‐ or heterotetrameric complexes, which can hinder individual TRPC channel properties. The possibility that the differences in their association pattern may change their contribution to vascular tone in hypertension is unexplored. Functional characterization of heterologously expressed channels showed that TRPC6‐containing complexes exhibited Pyr3/Pyr10‐sensitive currents, whereas TRPC3‐mediated currents were blocked by anti‐TRPC3 antibodies. VSMCs from hypertensive (blood pressure high; BPH) mice have larger cationic basal currents insensitive to Pyr10 and sensitive to anti‐TRPC3 antibodies. Consistently, myography studies showed a larger Pyr3/10‐induced vasodilatation in BPN (blood pressure normal) mesenteric arteries. We conclude that the increased TRPC3 channel expression in BPH VSMCs leads to changes in TRPC3/C6 heteromultimeric assembly, with a higher TRPC3 channel contribution favouring depolarization of hypertensive VSMCs. Increased vascular tone in essential hypertension involves a sustained rise in total peripheral resistance. A model has been proposed in which the combination of membrane depolarization and higher L‐type Ca2+ channel activity generates augmented Ca2+ influx into vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), contraction and vasoconstriction. The search for culprit ion channels responsible for membrane depolarization has provided several candidates, including members of the canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) family. TRPC3 and TRPC6 are diacylglycerol‐activated, non‐selective cationic channels contributing to stretch‐ or agonist‐induced depolarization. Conflicting information exists regarding changes in TRPC3/TRPC6 functional expression in hypertension. However, although TRPC3‐TRPC6 channels can heteromultimerize, the possibility that differences in their association pattern may change their functional contribution to vascular tone is largely unexplored. We probe this hypothesis using a model of essential hypertension (BPH mice; blood pressure high) and its normotensive control (BPN mice; blood pressure normal). First, non‐selective cationic currents through homo‐ and heterotetramers recorded from transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells indicated that TRPC currents were sen