New structure and function in plant K+ channels: KCO1, an outward rectifier with a steep Ca2+ dependency

Potassium (K+) channels mediating important physiological functions are characterized by a common pore-forming (P) domain, We report the cloning and functional analysis of the first higher plant outward rectifying K+ channel (KCO1) from Arabidopsis thaliana. KCO1 belongs to a new class of 'two-pore' K+ channels recently described in human and yeast, KCO1 has four putative transmembrane segments and tandem calcium-binding EF-hand motifs. Heterologous expression of KCO1 in baculovirus-infected insect (Spadoptera frugiperda) cells resulted in outwardly rectifying, K+-selective currents elicited by depolarizing voltage pulses in whole-cell measurements. Activation of KCO1 was strongly dependent on the presence of nanomolar concentrations of cytosolic free Ca2+ [Ca2+](cyt). No K+ currents were detected when [Ca2+](cyt) was adjusted to <150 nM. However, KCO1 strongly activated at increasing [Ca2+](cyt), with a saturating activity observed at similar to 300 nM [Ca2+](cyt). KCO1 single channel analysis on excised membrane patches, resulting in a single channel conductance of 64 pS, confirmed outward rectification as well as Ca2+-dependent activation. These data suggest a direct link between calcium-mediated signaling processes and K+ ion transport in higher plants. The identification of KCO1 as the first plant K+ outward channel opens a new field of structure-function studies in plant ion channels.