Silencing of hSlo potassium channels in human osteosarcoma cells promotes tumorigenesis

Potassium channels, the most diverse superfamily of ion channels, have recently emerged as regulators of carcinogenesis, thus introducing possible new therapeutic strategies in the fight against cancer. In particular, the large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels, often referred to as BK channels, are at the crossroads of several tumor-associated processes such as cell proliferation, survival, secretion and migration. Despite the high BK channel expression in osteosarcoma (OS), their function has not yet been investigated in this malignant bone pathology. Here, using stable RNA interference to reduce the expression of hSlo, the human pore-forming alpha-subunit of the BK channel, in human Ca172 OS cells, we show that BK channels play a functional role in carcinogenesis. Our results reveal for the first time that BK channels exhibit antitumoral properties in OS in vivo and affect the tumor microenvironment through the modulation of both chemokine expression and leukocyte infiltration. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.