RECONSTITUTION OF ISOLATED CA-2+-ACTIVATED K+ CHANNEL PROTEINS FROM BASOLATERAL MEMBRANES OF RABBIT COLONOCYTES

Using calmodulin-affinity chromatography, we have isolated a fraction of proteins from solubilized basolateral membranes of rabbit colonocytes which when reconstituted into planar phospholipid bilayers disclosed Ca2+-activated single K+ channel activities. The properties of the reconstituted channels are identical to those of native membrane vesicles incorporated into these bilayers with respect to their high selectivity for K+ over Cl-, high ("maxi") conductance, voltage gating, and inhibition by trifluoperazine. Two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of these proteins revealed three major protein species with molecular masses of 120, 60, and 35 kDa, which constituted 70, 10, and 20%, respectively, of the total protein. The results of other studies strongly suggest that the 35-kDa protein may be the Ca2+-activated K+ channel protein in these membranes.