Gating properties of channels formed by Colicin Ia in planar lipid bilayer membranes

Colicin Ia forms voltage-dependent channels when incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. A membrane containing many Colicin Ia channels shows a conductance which is turned on when high positive voltages (greater than +10 mV) are applied to the cis side (side to which the protein is added). The ionic current flowing through the membrane in response to a voltage step shows at first an exponential and then a linear rise with time. The relationship between the steady-state conductance, achieved immediately after the exponential portion, and voltage is S-shaped and is adequately fit by a Boltzmann distribution. The time constant (tau) of the exponential is also dependent on voltage, and the relation between these two parameters is asymmetric around Vo (voltage at which half of the channels are open). In both cases the steepness of the voltage dependence, a consequence of the number of effective gating particles (n) present in the channel, is greatly influenced by the pH of the bathing solutions. Thus, increasing the pH leads to a reduction in n, while acidic pH's have the opposite effects. This result is obtained either by changing the pH on both sides of the membrane or on only one side, be it cis or trans. On the other hand, changing pH on only one side by addition of an impermeant buffer fails to induce any change in n. At the single-channel level, pH had an effect both on the unitary conductance, doubling it in going from pH 4.5 to 8.2, as well as on the fraction of time the channels stay open, F(v). For a given voltage, F(v) is clearly diminished by increasing the pH. This titration of the voltage sensitivity leads to the conclusion that gating in the Colicin Ia molecule is accomplished by charged amino- acid residues present in the protein molecule. Our results also support the notion that these charged groups are inside the aqueous portion of the channel.