Cl- and nonselective cation channels in the basolateral membrane of strial marginal cells in the cochlea.

The mechanisms underlying the marginal cells' ion transport and endocochlear potential (EP) generation are still controversial. Conductive pathways in the basolateral membrane of isolated strial marginal cells of the gerbil have been investigated by the patch-clamp technique. Two types of ion channel, 80 pS Cl- and 25 pS Ca(2+)-activated nonselective cation, were identified frequently. The abundance of these two channels as the conductive pathways for Na+, K+, and Cl- in the basolateral membrane must be taken into account when addressing the role of strial marginal cells in generating EP.