Effect of Phosphate Ions on Biophysical Properties of Rat Hepatocytes Endoplasmic Reticulum Potassium Channel

Rough endoplasmic reticulum is important organelle that plays a role in the regulation of a range of functions. Potassium channels in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane were recently reported that its physiological role is unknown. Hepatocyte endoplasmic reticulum is a rich source of glucose 6- phosphatase that is involved in the control of gluconeogenesis. Since phosphate ions are intra-luminal metabolites for this enzyme of endoplasmic reticulum thus, in this study, the effect of phosphate ions on potassium channel activity was studied. Endoplasmic reticulum vesicles extraction was accomplished following liver excision in rats, homogenization and several stages of ultracentrifugation. Phosphatidylcholine was extracted from fresh egg yolk. Bilayer lipid membrane was formed in a 350 µm diameter aperture in between two chambers cis and trans contained 200/50 mMKCl solutions respectively, then vesicles were incorporated into bilayer lipid membrane. Ion channel activity was recorded by single channel recording technique both in control conditions and presence of phosphate ion in luminal face, next biophysical ion channel properties analyzed by Clampfit10 software. Endoplasmic reticulum Potassium channel was 550 pS conductance and its activity changed as voltage dependent manner in voltage range of +30 to -40 mV, in this respect the open probability and the average unitary current in a voltage + 30 mV were 0.73 and 26 pA, respectively. However, at lower voltages, the channel activity was minimal. In the presence of 50 mM phosphate ion, mean unitary current and also channel open probability did not change significantly in different voltages compared to the control condition (p>0.05). Rat hepatocyte endoplasmic reticulum membranes has been a kind of potassium channel with voltage-dependent activity and it seems that its electrophysiological characteristics did not influenced by phosphate anion in luminal face.