K+ Channels Are Responsible for an Inwardly Rectifying Current in the Plasma Membrane of Mesophyll Protoplasts of Avena sativa

In whole-cell recording, the conductance of the plasma membrane of protoplasts isolated from mesophyll cells of leaves of oat (Avena sativa) was greater for inward than outward current. The inward current in both the whole-cell mode and with isolated patches was dependent on [K(+)](o). When the membrane voltage was more positive than -50 millivolts, the membrane conductance in the whole-cell mode was low, and K(+) channels in cell-attached or outside-out patches had a low probability of being open. At a membrane voltage more negative than -50 millivolts, the membrane conductance increased by sevenfold in the whole-cell mode, and the probability of the channels being open increased. The inward current was highly selective for K(+) compared with Cs(+), Na(+), choline or Cl(-). Low concentrations of [Cs(+)](o) or [Na(+)](o) blocked the inward current in a strongly voltage-dependent fashion. Comparison of single-channel with the macroscopic current yields an estimate of about 200 inwardly rectifying K(+) channels per cell at a density of 0.035 per square micrometer. At physiological membrane voltages and [K(+)](o) about 10 millimolar, the influx through these channels is sufficient to increase the internal [K(+)] by 2 millimolar per minute. These K(+) channels are activated by membrane voltages in the normal physiological range and could contribute to K(+) uptake whenever the membrane is more negative than the K(+) equilibrium potential.