Short- and long-term roles of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate PIP2 on Cav3.1- and Cav3.2-T-type calcium channel current

T-type calcium (Ca²⁺) channels play important physiological functions in excitable cells including cardiomyocyte. Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂) has recently been reported to modulate various ion channels’ function. However the actions of PIP₂ on the T-type Ca²⁺ channel remain unclear. To elucidate possible effects of PIP₂ on the T-type Ca²⁺ channel, we applied patch clamp method to investigate recombinant Ca_V3.1- and Ca_V3.2-T-type Ca²⁺ channels expressed in mammalian cell lines with PIP₂ in acute- and long-term potentiation. Short- and long-term potentiation of PIP₂ shifted the activation and the steady-state inactivation curve toward the hyperpolarization direction of Ca_V3.1-I_Ca.T without affecting the maximum inward current density. Short- and long-term potentiation of PIP₂ also shifted the activation curve toward the hyperpolarization direction of Ca_V3.2-I_Ca.T without affecting the maximum inward current density. Conversely, long-term but not short-term potentiation of PIP₂ shifted the steady-state inactivation curve toward the hyperpolarization direction of Ca_V3.2-I_Ca.T. Long-term but not short-term potentiation of PIP₂ blunted the voltage-dependency of current decay Ca_V3.1-I_Ca.T. PIP₂ modulates Ca_V3.1- and Ca_V3.2-I_Ca.T not by their current density but by their channel gating properties possibly through its membrane-delimited actions.