title: Properties of two multisubstate Cl- channels from human syncytiotrophoblast reconstituted on planar lipid bilayers.
abstract: We describe the first successful reconstitution of placental ionic channels on planar lipid bilayers. An apical plasma membrane-enriched vesicle fraction from human syncytiotrophoblast at term was prepared by following isotonic agitation, differential centrifugation, and Mg2+-induced selective precipitation of nonapical membranes, and its purity was assessed by biochemical and morphological marker analysis. We have already reported that, unlike previous patch-clamp studies, nonselective cation channels were incorporated in most cases, a result consistent with the higher permeability for cations as compared with Cl- and with the low apical membrane potential difference at term revealed by fluorescent probe partition studies, and microelectrode techniques. In this paper, we report that Cl--selective channels were incorporated in 4% of successful reconstitutions (14 out of 353) and that their analysis revealed two types of activity. One of them was consistent with a voltage-dependent, 100-pS channel while the other was consistent with the lateral association of 47-pS conductive units, giving rise to multibarrelled, DIDS-sensitive channels of variable conductance (300 to 650 pS). The latter displayed a very complex behavior which included cooperative gating of conductive units, long-lived substates, voltage-dependent entry into an apparent inactivated state, and flickering activity. The role of the reported Cl- channels in transplacental ion transport and/or syncytium homeostasis remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Analítica y Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956 (1113), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grosman
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Mariano
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bozzini
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Reisin
mesh_terms: D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018118:Chloride Channels; D008051:Lipid Bilayers