AJP - Renal Physiology, Vol 263, Issue 2 262-F267, Copyright © 1992 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Basolateral membrane potassium channels in rabbit cortical thick ascending limb

A. M. Hurst, M. Duplain and J. Y. Lapointe
Membrane Transport Research Group, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The nature of K exit across the basolateral membrane of rabbit cortical thick ascending limb (CTAL) was investigated using the patch clamp technique. The basolateral membrane was exposed by mild collagenase treatment (0.1 U/ml), and a K-selective inwardly rectifying channel was identified. In cell-attached patches (140 mM K pipette) the inward conductance was 35.0 +/- 1.3 pS (n = 9) compared with an outward conductance of 7.0 +/- 0.9 pS (n = 5), and the current reversed at a pipette potential of -63.5 +/- 3.1 mV (n = 9). The channel is strongly voltage dependent, showing an e-fold increase in open probability per 18-mV depolarization. Barium blocked the channel, reducing both mean open probability and single-channel current amplitude; however, the channel was not Ca sensitive. On excision the channel exhibited rundown, which could not be prevented by 0.1 mM ATP or ATP plus 20 U/ml catalytic subunit of protein kinase A. A few excised patch recordings were possible, which confirmed the presence of a highly K-selective channel with a K-to-Na permeability ratio of 100. In conclusion, 1) it is possible to obtain patch clamp recordings from the rabbit CTAL basolateral membrane using a very mild collagenase treatment, and 2) the exit of K across the basolateral membrane is mediated at least in part by the presence of voltage-sensitive K channels.

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