Single-channel analysis of a K channel at basolateral membrane of rabbit proximal convoluted tubule.

The basolateral membrane of the rabbit proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) is known to be largely permeable to K ions. The patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the molecular basis of this K permeability. At room temperature and with a high-K solution (127 mM) in both the bathing medium and the patch pipette, current jumps associated with an inward-rectifying channel could be detected in every active cell-attached experiment. When the K concentration in the pipette was changed from 200 to 5 mM KCl (NaCl replacement), the single-channel conductance for inward currents changed from 54 to 10 pS. The observed shift in the zero current potential measured as a function of the patch pipette K concentration could be fitted using the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation with a permeability ratio PNa/PK = 0.06. The channel was found to be moderately voltage dependent (e-fold per 56 mV depolarization). For instance, the open-channel probability (Po) increased from 0.06 to 0.16 following a membrane depolarization from -50 to +50 mV. A time interval distribution analysis showed for the open state a dominant single time constant of 14 and 10 ms at 50 and -50 mV, respectively. Two time constants equal to 1 (flickering) and 26 ms at +50 mV and to 0.6 and 300 ms at -50 mV were obtained for the closed-state interval distribution. Based on this analysis, it was concluded that the decrease of Po at negative potentials was due more to the appearance of prolonged silent periods than from a change in the channel mean open time.