How many types of large conductance Ca⁺²-activated potassium channels exist in brain mitochondrial inner membrane: evidence for a new mitochondrial large conductance Ca²âº-activated potassium channel in brain mitochondria.

Recently, we have reported electropharmacological properties of a charybdotoxin (ChTx)- and ATP-insensitive-iberiotoxin (IbTx)-sensitive large conductance Ca⁺²-activated potassium (BKCa) channel in almost purified brain mitochondrial inner membrane vesicles. In this work, we report the single-channel characterization of a new BK channel from rat brain mitochondrial inner membrane (mitochondrial large conductance Ca²âº-activated potassium channel, mitoBKCa channel) incorporated into a planar lipid bilayer. The channel conductance was 565 pS in 200 mM KCl cis/50 mM KCl trans. The channel open probability appeared voltage-independent at -40 to +40 mV. Adding 10 mM 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) at positive and negative potentials and 2.5 mM ATP at positive voltages inhibited the channel activities. Notably, addition of 70 µM glibenclamide to the cis side had no effect on the channel behavior. Hence, it can be concluded that there are, at least, two different types of mitoBKCa channels in brain mitochondrial membrane, and the IbTx-, ChTx-, and ATP-sensitive mitoBKCa channels may be activated during the decline of cell metabolism.

Electro-pharmacological profile of a mitochondrial inner membrane big-potassium channel from rat brain.

Recent studies have indicated a calcium-activated large conductance potassium channel in rat brain mitochondrial inner membrane (mitoBK channel). Accordingly, we have characterized the functional and pharmacological profile of a BK channel from rat brain mitochondria in the present study. Brain mitochondrial inner membrane preparations were subjected to SDS-PAGE analysis and channel protein reconstitution into planar lipid bilayers. Western blotting and antibodies directed against various cellular proteins revealed that mitochondrial inner membrane fractions did not contain specific proteins of the other subcellular compartments except a very small fraction of endoplasmic reticulum. Channel incorporation into planar lipid bilayers revealed a voltage dependent 211 pS potassium channel with a voltage for half activation (V(1/2)) of 11.4±1.1mV and an effective gating charge z(d) of 4.7±0.9. Gating and conducting behaviors of this channel were unaffected by the addition of 2.5mM ATP, and 500 nM charybdotoxin (ChTx), but the channel appeared sensitive to 100 nM iberiotoxin (IbTx). Adding 10mM TEA at positive potentials and 10mM 4-AP at negative or positive voltages inhibited the channel activities. These results demonstrate that the mitoBK channel, present in brain mitochondrial inner membrane, displays different pharmacological properties than those classically described for plasma membrane, especially in regard to its sensitivity to iberiotoxin and charybdotoxin sensitivity.