Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Using single-channel recording techniques, we have detected two types of outwardly rectifying chloride channel on epithelial cells cultured from human fetal epididymis. A small-conductance channel (2.8-5.0 pS) was spontaneously active in 29% of cell-attached patches but rapidly disappeared on patch excision. This channel often occurred in clusters and exhibited slow kinetics with open and closed times of the order of tens or hundreds of msec; an open-state probability that was essentially independent of voltage; and a very low permeability to bicarbonate relative to chloride. Exposing epididymal cells to either forskolin (3 microM) or adrenaline (1 microM) activated this channel (up to 350-fold), suggesting that it may be involved in cyclic AMP-mediated anion secretion by the male reproductive tract. The large-conductance channel (14 to 29 pS) was never detected in cell-attached patches but could be activated by depolarization (40 mV) in 3% of excised, inside-out patches. Once activated, opening of this 'large' channel was voltage independent, and it had a relatively high permeability to both gluconate (Pgluconate/Pchloride = 0.24) and bicarbonate (Pbicarbonate/Pchloride = 0.4). The proportion of excised patches that contained this channel was increased 2.5-fold by prior stimulation of the epididymal cells; however, because the channel was never observed in cell-attached patches its physiological role must remain uncertain.

Original publication

DOI

10.1007/BF01994360

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Membr Biol

Publication Date

12/1991

Volume

124

Pages

275 - 284

Keywords

Cells, Cultured, Chloride Channels, Chlorides, Electric Conductivity, Epididymis, Epithelial Cells, Epithelium, Fetus, Humans, Ion Channels, Male, Membrane Potentials, Membrane Proteins