J. Biochem, 1987, Vol. 101, No. 4 1025-1032
© 1987 Japanese Biochemical Society
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Voltage-Gated Anion Channel of the Electric Organ of Narke japonica Incorporated into Planar Bilayers1
Department of Biophysical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Science, Osaka University Toyonaka, Osaka 560
Voltage-gated anion channels in vesicles prepared from the electric organ of Narke japonica were studied using two methods. Ionic permeability was measured by the light scattering method, which could be used to measure the ion permeation of whole vesicles but only at a time scale of slower than about 0.1 s. The single channel conductances and permeability ratios for various ions were measured after fusing the vesicles to phospholipid bilayers. Both sets of results coincided, indicating that the anion channels observed with the planar bilayer method are the major route for anion passage in these vesicles. The channels showed anion selectivity and did not allow the permeation of cations such as K+ and choline+. The single channel conductance was 18 pS in 0.1 M Cl. SCN inhibited the conductance in a voltage- dependent reversible manner on both sides of a channel. SCN may bind to the Cl binding site in a channel and thus block it. 4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS) blocked a channel on the cis (extracellular) side irreversibly. The number of anion channels per vesicle was estimated to be about 50. It was also shown that all anion channels in the vesicles were open at the very instance of fusion with planar membranes.
1This work was supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Special Project Research on Molecular Mechanisms of Bioelectrical Responses (No. 61107003) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.