Abstract
IT has been demonstrated that the apical and the basolateral cell membrane of the gallbladder have a high K+ permeability1,2 and that the electrochemical potential for potassium in the cytosol is about 50 mV more positive than that in the bathing solutions3. Because of the existence of an (Na+, K+)ATPase4 which is located on the basal lateral surface of the epithelial cells5, it is possible that K+ is actively transported in the cells at the serosal side and partially leaves the cellular compartment through the apical membrane under the influence of its electrochemical gradient. In the present study we have investigated this hypothesis by analysis of the current fluctuations recorded in voltage-clamp conditions. This method has been shown to be very useful for the investigation of the kinetic properties of ion transport in such different biological tissues as nerve, postsynaptic membranes6,7 and epithelia8. We have found K+-selective channels which open and close randomly in the apical membrane of the toad gallbladder. However, this study did not reveal the presence of fluctuating ionic channels in the serosal membrane.
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DRIESSCHE, W., GÖGELEIN, H. Potassium channels in the apical membrane of the toad gallbladder. Nature 275, 665–667 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/275665a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/275665a0
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