Direct Measurement of K+ Channels in Thylakoid Membranes by Incorporation of Vesicles into Planar Lipid Bilayers

Light-driven electron transfer reactions cause the active accumulation of protons inside thylakoids, yet at steady state the electrical potential difference across the thylakoid membrane is very small; therefore, there must be a flux of other ions to balance the charge that would otherwise be built up by the net movement of H(+). This paper presents direct measurements of ion movements through channels in the thylakoid membrane. These were made possible by fusing thylakoid vesicles from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) into planar lipid bilayers, using techniques developed originally to study sarcoplasmic reticulum. No Mg(2+) current was found, but voltage-dependent channels have been characterized, these being somewhat selective for K(+) over Cl(-). The data are consistent with a role for these channels in charge balance during light-driven H(+) movements.