scholarly journals Inward-rectifier potassium channels in basolateral membranes of frog skin epithelium.

1994 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Urbach ◽  
E van Kerkhove ◽  
B J Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
Ringer Solution ◽  
Inward Rectifier ◽  
Inward Rectification ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Principal Cells ◽  
Kir Channel ◽  
Current Voltage

Inward-rectifier K channel: using macroscopic voltage clamp and single-channel patch clamp techniques we have identified the K+ channel responsible for potassium recycling across basolateral membranes (BLM) of principal cells in intact epithelia isolated from frog skin. The spontaneously active K+ channel is an inward rectifier (Kir) and is the major component of macroscopic conductance of intact cells. The current-voltage relationship of BLM in intact cells of isolated epithelia, mounted in miniature Ussing chambers (bathed on apical and basolateral sides in normal amphibian Ringer solution), showed pronounced inward rectification which was K(+)-dependent and inhibited by Ba2+, H+, and quinidine. A 15-pS Kir channel was the only type of K(+)-selective channel found in BLM in cell-attached membrane patches bathed in physiological solutions. Although the channel behaves as an inward rectifier, it conducts outward current (K+ exit from the cell) with a very high open probability (Po = 0.74-1.0) at membrane potentials less negative than the Nernst potential for K+. The Kir channel was transformed to a pure inward rectifier (no outward current) in cell-attached membranes when the patch pipette contained 120 mM KCl Ringer solution (normal NaCl Ringer in bath). Inward rectification is caused by Mg2+ block of outward current and the single-channel current-voltage relation was linear when Mg2+ was removed from the cytosolic side. Whole-cell current-voltage relations of isolated principal cells were also inwardly rectified. Power density spectra of ensemble current noise could be fit by a single Lorentzian function, which displayed a K dependence indicative of spontaneously fluctuating Kir channels. Conclusions: under physiological ionic gradients, a 15-pS inward-rectifier K+ channel generates the resting BLM conductance in principal cells and recycles potassium in parallel with the Na+/K+ ATPase pump.

scholarly journals The mechanism of inward rectification of potassium channels: "long-pore plugging" by cytoplasmic polyamines.

1995 ◽  
Vol 106 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
A N Lopatin ◽  
E N Makhina ◽  
C G Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
Inward Rectifier ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Inward Rectification ◽  
Voltage Sensitivity ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Time Constants ◽  
Steady State Current ◽  
Activation Phase

The mechanism of inward rectification was examined in cell-attached and inside-out membrane patches from Xenopus oocytes expressing the cloned strong inward rectifier HRK1. Little or no outward current was measured in cell-attached patches. Inward currents reach their maximal value in two steps: an instantaneous phase followed by a time-dependent "activation" phase, requiring at least two exponentials to fit the time-dependent phase. After an activating pulse, the quasi-steady state current-voltage (I-V) relationship could be fit with a single Boltzmann equation (apparent gating charge, Z = 2.0 +/- 0.1, n = 3). Strong rectification and time-dependent activation were initially maintained after patch excision into high [K+] (K-INT) solution containing 1 mM EDTA, but disappeared gradually, until only a partial, slow inactivation of outward current remained. Biochemical characterization (Lopatin, A. N., E. N. Makhina, and C. G. Nichols, 1994. Nature. 372:366-396.) suggests that the active factors are naturally occurring polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine). Each polyamine causes reversible, steeply voltage-dependent rectification of HRK1 channels. Both the blocking affinity and the voltage sensitivity increased as the charge on the polyamine increased. The sum two Boltzmann functions is required to fit the spermine and spermidine steady state block. Putrescine unblock, like Mg2+ unblock, is almost instantaneous, whereas the spermine and spermidine unblocks are time dependent. Spermine and spermidine unblocks (current activation) can each be fit with single exponential functions. Time constants of unblock change e-fold every 15.0 +/- 0.7 mV (n = 3) and 33.3 +/- 6.4 mV (n = 5) for spermine and spermidine, respectively, matching the voltage sensitivity of the two time constants required to fit the activation phase in cell-attached patches. It is concluded that inward rectification in intact cells can be entirely accounted for by channel block. Putrescine and Mg2+ ions can account for instantaneous rectification; spermine and spermidine provide a slower rectification corresponding to so-called intrinsic gating of inward rectifier K channels. The structure of spermine and spermidine leads us to suggest a specific model in which the pore of the inward rectifier channel is plugged by polyamines that enter deeply into the pore and bind at sites within the membrane field. We propose a model that takes into account the linear structure of the natural polyamines and electrostatic repulsion between two molecules inside the pore. Experimentally observed instantaneous and steady state rectification of HRK1 channels as well as the time-dependent behavior of HRK1 currents are then well fit with the same set of parameters for all tested voltages and concentrations of spermine and spermidine.

scholarly journals A conductance maximum observed in an inward-rectifier potassium channel.

1994 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z Lu ◽  
R MacKinnon
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
Inward Rectifier ◽  
Ion Concentration ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Single Channels ◽  
Ligand Interaction ◽  
Membrane Biology ◽  
Maximum Value ◽  
Conduction Pathway

One prediction of a multi-ion pore is that its conductance should reach a maximum and then begin to decrease as the concentration of permeant ion is raised equally on both sides of the membrane. A conductance maximum has been observed at the single-channel level in gramicidin and in a Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel at extremely high ion concentration (> 1,000 mM) (Hladky, S. B., and D. A. Haydon. 1972. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 274:294-312; Eisenmam, G., J. Sandblom, and E. Neher. 1977. In Metal Ligand Interaction in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. 1-36; Finkelstein, P., and O. S. Andersen. 1981. Journal of Membrane Biology. 59:155-171; Villarroel, A., O. Alvarez, and G. Eisenman. 1988. Biophysical Journal. 53:259a. [Abstr.]). In the present study we examine the conductance-concentration relationship in an inward-rectifier K+ channel, ROMK1. Single channels, expressed in Xenopus oocytes, were studied using inside-out patch recording in the absence of internal Mg2+ to eliminate blockade of outward current. Potassium, at equal concentrations on both sides of the membrane, was varied from 10 to 1,000 mM. As K+ was raised from 10 mM, the conductance increased steeply and reached a maximum value (39 pS) at 300 mM. The single-channel conductance then became progressively smaller as K+ was raised beyond 300 mM. At 1000 mM K+, the conductance was reduced to approximately 75% of its maximum value. The shape of the conductance-concentration curve observed in the ROMK1 channel implies that it has multiple K(+)-occupied binding sites in its conduction pathway.

scholarly journals Functional Roles of Charged Amino Acid Residues on the Wall of the Cytoplasmic Pore of Kir2.1

2006 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichiro Fujiwara ◽  
Yoshihiro Kubo
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Negative Charge ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
Channel Noise ◽  
Inward Rectification ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Patch Clamp Recording ◽  
Charged Amino Acids ◽  
Charged Residues

It is known that rectification of currents through the inward rectifier K+ channel (Kir) is mainly due to blockade of the outward current by cytoplasmic Mg2+ and polyamines. Analyses of the crystal structure of the cytoplasmic region of Kir2.1 have revealed the presence of both negatively (E224, D255, D259, and E299) and positively (R228 and R260) charged residues on the wall of the cytoplasmic pore of Kir2.1, but the detail is not known about the contribution of these charged residues, the positive charges in particular, to the inward rectification. We therefore analyzed the functional significance of these charged amino acids using single/double point mutants in order to better understand the structure-based mechanism underlying inward rectification of Kir2.1 currents. As a first step, we used two-electrode voltage clamp to examine inward rectification in systematically prepared mutants in which one or two negatively or positively charged amino acids were neutralized by substitution. We found that the intensity of the inward rectification tended to be determined by the net negative charge within the cytoplasmic pore. We then used inside-out excised patch clamp recording to analyze the effect of the mutations on blockade by intracellular blockers and on K+ permeation. We observed that a decrease in the net negative charge within the cytoplasmic pore reduced both the susceptibility of the channel to blockade by Mg2+ or spermine and the voltage dependence of the blockade. It also reduced K+ permeation; i.e., it decreased single channel conductance, increased open-channel noise, and strengthened the intrinsic inward rectification in the total absence of cytoplasmic blockers. Taken together, these data suggest that the negatively charged cytoplasmic pore of Kir electrostatically gathers cations such as Mg2+, spermine, and K+ so that the transmembrane pore is sufficiently filled with K+ ions, which enables strong voltage-dependent blockade with adequate outward K+ conductance.

Acetylcholine-sensitive muscarinic K+ channels in mammalian ventricular myocytes

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (5) ◽  
pp. H1812-H1821 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Koumi ◽  
J. A. Wasserstrom
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Ventricular Myocytes ◽  
Inward Rectification ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Channel Activity ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Current Voltage ◽  
S 100 ◽  
Relationship Of

Acetylcholine (ACh) is known to increase K+ conductance in the atrium and in pacemaker tissues in the heart. This effect has not been well defined in mammalian ventricular tissues. We have identified and characterized the ACh-sensitive muscarinic K+ channel [IK(ACh)] activity in isolated human, cat, and guinea pig ventricular myocytes using the patch-clamp technique. Application of ACh increased whole cell membrane current in human ventricular myocytes. Current-voltage relationship of the ACh-induced current in ventricle exhibited inward-rectification whose slope conductance was smaller than that in atrium. In single-channel recording from cell-attached patches, IK(ACh) activity was observed when ACh was included in the solution. The channel exhibited a slope conductance of 43 +/- 2 pS. Open times were distributed according to a single exponential function with mean open lifetime of 1.8 +/- 0.3 ms. The channel had conductance and kinetic characteristics similar to human atrial IK(ACh), which had a slope conductance of 43 +/- 3 pS and mean open lifetime of 1.6 +/- 0.3 ms. However, concentration of ACh at half-maximal stimulation (KD) of the channel in ventricle was greater (KD = 0.13 microM) than that in atrium (KD = 0.03 microM). Adenosine caused activation of the same K+ channel. After formation of an excised inside-out patch, channel activity disappeared. Application of GTP (100 microM) or GTP gamma S (100 microM) to the solution caused reactivation of the channel. When myocytes were preincubated with pertussis toxin (PTX), ACh failed to activate these channels, indicating that the PTX-sensitive G protein, Gi, is essential for activation of IK(ACh). IK(ACh) channel activity was also found in cat and guinea pig ventricular myocytes. We conclude that ACh directly activates the IK(ACh) in mammalian ventricular myocytes via Gi in a fashion almost identical to atrial myocytes.

scholarly journals Effect of Auxin (IAA) on the Fast Vacuolar (FV) Channels in Red Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Taproot Vacuoles

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4876
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Burdach ◽  
Agnieszka Siemieniuk ◽  
Waldemar Karcz
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Single Channels ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Inward Current ◽  
Bath Solution ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Inward Currents

In contrast to the well-studied effect of auxin on the plasma membrane K+ channel activity, little is known about the role of this hormone in regulating the vacuolar K+ channels. Here, the patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the effect of auxin (IAA) on the fast-activating vacuolar (FV) channels. It was found that the macroscopic currents displayed instantaneous currents, which at the positive potentials were about three-fold greater compared to the one at the negative potentials. When auxin was added to the bath solution at a final concentration of 1 µM, it increased the outward currents by about 60%, but did not change the inward currents. The imposition of a ten-fold vacuole-to-cytosol KCl gradient stimulated the efflux of K+ from the vacuole into the cytosol and reduced the K+ current in the opposite direction. The addition of IAA to the bath solution with the 10/100 KCl gradient decreased the outward current and increased the inward current. Luminal auxin reduced both the outward and inward current by approximately 25% compared to the control. The single channel recordings demonstrated that cytosolic auxin changed the open probability of the FV channels at the positive voltages to a moderate extent, while it significantly increased the amplitudes of the single channel outward currents and the number of open channels. At the positive voltages, auxin did not change the unitary conductance of the single channels. We suggest that auxin regulates the activity of the fast-activating vacuolar (FV) channels, thereby causing changes of the K+ fluxes across the vacuolar membrane. This mechanism might serve to tightly adjust the volume of the vacuole during plant cell expansion.

scholarly journals Block of the cyclic GMP-gated channel of vertebrate rod and cone photoreceptors by l-cis-diltiazem.

1992 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 783-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
L W Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Inward Rectification ◽  
Pipette Solution ◽  
Current Voltage ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Extracellular Side ◽  
Current Voltage Relation ◽  
Cytoplasmic Side

Inside-out patches were excised from catfish rod or cone outer segments. Single channel and macroscopic currents were recorded from GMP-gated channels activated by 1 mM cGMP in low divalent buffered saline. Currents were blocked by the application of micromolar concentrations of l-cis-diltiazem to the cytoplasmic side of the patch. The concentration dependence of block indicated that a single molecule was sufficient to block a channel and that all channels were susceptible to block. The dissociation constant for the rod channel was an order of magnitude smaller than for the cone channel, but the voltage dependence of block was nearly identical. The macroscopic current-voltage relation in the presence of blocker was inwardly rectifying and superficially resembled voltage-dependent block by an impermeant blocker occluding the ion-conducting pore of the channel. Block by diltiazem acting from the extracellular side of the channel was investigated by including 5 microM diltiazem in the recording pipette solution. The macroscopic current-voltage relation again showed inward rectification, inconsistent with the idea that diltiazem acts by occluding the pore at the external side. The kinetics of block by diltiazem applied to the intra- and extracellular side were measured in cone patches containing only a single channel. The unbinding rates were similar in both cases, suggesting a single binding site. Differences in the binding rate were consistent with greater accessibility to the binding site from the cytoplasmic side. Block from the cytoplasmic side was independent of pH, suggesting that the state of ionization of diltiazem was not related to its ability to block the channel in a voltage-dependent fashion. These observations are inconsistent with a pore-occluding blocker, but could be explained if the hydrophobic portion of diltiazem partitioned into the hydrophobic core of the channel protein, perhaps altering the gating of the channel.

Acetylcholine reduces inward rectification on thymus-derived macrophage cells in culture

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Moody-Corbett ◽  
P. Brehm
Keyword(s):  
Outward Current ◽  
Inward Rectifier ◽  
Cholinergic Innervation ◽  
Equilibrium Potential ◽  
Inward Rectification ◽  
Inward Current ◽  
Carbon Particles ◽  
Macrophage Cells ◽  
Anomalous Rectifier ◽  
Cell Current

Cultures prepared from dissociated rat thymus were examined 1–2 weeks after plating. Macrophage cells were identified by their adherence, morphological appearance, and ability to phagocytize carbon particles or heat-inactivated Staphylococcus aureus. Whole cell current recordings from macrophage cells revealed an inward current at potentials more negative than the equilibrium potential for potassium and an outward current at potentials more positive than −40 mV in normal recording solution. Acetylcholine or muscarine caused a reduction in inward current but did not alter the outward current. The inward current and acetylcholine effect were seen at less negative potentials by decreasing the potassium equilibrium potential and both were blocked by the addition of cesium to the external recording solution. These results indicated that the inward current was mediated by potassium through the inward or anomalous rectifier. Physiologically, the action of acetylcholine on the inward rectifier of these macrophage cells may be mediated by cholinergic innervation of the thymus.

scholarly journals KirBac1.1: It's an Inward Rectifying Potassium Channel

2009 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayland W.L. Cheng ◽  
Decha Enkvetchakul ◽  
Colin G. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Clamp ◽  
Negative Charge ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Kir Channels ◽  
Equivalent Position ◽  
Kir Channel ◽  
Marked Variability ◽  
Conductance States ◽  
In Silico Models

KirBac1.1 is a prokaryotic homologue of eukaryotic inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels. The crystal structure of KirBac1.1 and related KirBac3.1 have now been used extensively to generate in silico models of eukaryotic Kir channels, but functional analysis has been limited to 86Rb+ flux experiments and bacteria or yeast complementation screens, and no voltage clamp analysis has been available. We have expressed pure full-length His-tagged KirBac1.1 protein in Escherichia coli and obtained voltage clamp recordings of recombinant channel activity in excised membrane patches from giant liposomes. Macroscopic currents of wild-type KirBac1.1 are K+ selective and spermine insensitive, but blocked by Ba2+, similar to “weakly rectifying” eukaryotic Kir1.1 and Kir6.2 channels. The introduction of a negative charge at a pore-lining residue, I138D, generates high spermine sensitivity, similar to that resulting from the introduction of a negative charge at the equivalent position in Kir1.1 or Kir6.2. KirBac1.1 currents are also inhibited by PIP2, consistent with 86Rb+ flux experiments, and reversibly inhibited by short-chain di-c8-PIP2. At the single-channel level, KirBac1.1 channels show numerous conductance states with two predominant conductances (15 pS and 32 pS at −100 mV) and marked variability in gating kinetics, similar to the behavior of KcsA in recombinant liposomes. The successful patch clamping of KirBac1.1 confirms that this prokaryotic channel behaves as a bona fide Kir channel and opens the way for combined biochemical, structural, and electrophysiological analysis of a tractable model Kir channel, as has been successfully achieved for the archetypal K+ channel KcsA.

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