A voltage-dependent ionic channel in the basolateral membrane of late proximal tubules of the rabbit kidney.

The patch-clamp method was applied to the lateral membrane of late proximal tubules of the rabbit kidney. Tubule segments were cannulated on one side by a perfusion system. At the noncannulated end of the tubules, the lateral membrane was accessible to a patch pipette. In cell-attached, as well as cell-excised (presumably inside-out oriented) membrane patches, a voltage sensitive channel was observed. The open-state probability of this channel increased with depolarizing potentials. In cell-excised patches bathed with NaCl-Ringer on both sides, the single channel conductance g was 28.0 +/- 1.2 pS (n = 10). With KCl-Ringer in the pipette and NaCl-Ringer in the bath g was 24.7 +/- 1.3 pS (n = 7) and the current-voltage curve crossed the axis at 0 mV. Therefore, the channel does not discriminate between K+ and Na+ ions. Replacing half of NaCl by mannitol on the bath side yielded a permeability for cations about twice as high as for Cl-. The channel could be reversibly blocked by diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC), whereas its inhibition by SITS was only partially reversible. In cell-attached patches, the channel was nearly inactivated at zero clamp potential, but became active when the membrane patch was depolarized. The significance of this nonselective channel for proximal tubule cell function is still unclear. It could be involved in the contraluminal exit mechanism of various anions. However, it could also play a role in cell volume regulation processes.