Studies on human porin. VII. The channel properties of the human B-lymphocyte membrane-derived "Porin 31HL" are similar to those of mitochondrial porins.

Porin 31HL was isolated and purified from total membrane preparations of a human B-lymphocyte cell line. The protein showed a single band of apparent molecular mass 31 kDa on SDS-PAGE. Reconstitution of the protein into artificial lipid bilayer membranes defines its function as a channel-forming protein. The distribution of single-channel conductances had two maxima of 2.4 and 4.3 nS in 1M KCl. The channel formed by Porin 31HL of human B-lymphocytes was found to be voltage-dependent and switched to ion-permeable substates at membrane voltage larger than 20mV. In the open state the pore exhibited the characteristics of a general diffusion pore because the mobility sequence of the ions inside the pore was similar to that in the bulk aqueous phase. The effective diameter was estimated to be about 1.7 nm. The properties of the low conductance state of the channel were studied in detail. In this state the pore favored the passage of cations, in contrast to the open state which favored anions slightly. Monoclonal antibodies against the N-terminal end of Porin 31HL blocked its reconstitution but had otherwise no influence on the channel properties. This result suggested that the amphipathic alpha-helical structure at the N-terminal end is probably not involved in channel gating. The channel-forming properties of Porin 31HL were compared to those of porins isolated from mitochondrial outer membranes and to those of the "maxi chloride channel" observed in the cytoplasmic membrane of several eukaryotic cells.