Single Cl− channels in molluscan neurones: Multiplicity of the conductance states

Abstract

Properties of the single Cl⁻ channels were studied in excised patches of surface membrane from molluscan neurones using single-channel recording technique. These channels are controlled by Ca²⁺ and K⁺ acting on cytoplasmic and outer membrane surfaces, respectively, and by the membrane potential. The channels display about 16 intermediate conductance sublevels, each of them being multiples of ∼12.5 pS. The upper level of the channel conductance is about 200 pS. The channel behavior is consistent with an aggregation of channel-forming subunits into a cluster.