Identification of a nucleo-cytoplasmic ionic pathway by osmotic shock in isolated mouse liver nuclei

The observation that the nuclear envelope outer membrane contains ion channels raises the question of whether these conductances communicate between the cytosol and the nuclear envelope cisternae or between the cytosol and the cytoplasm. Failure to detect large, nonselective holes using the patch-clamp technique has led to the speculation that ion channels and nuclear pores are in fact the same. In this paper we present evidence that the ionic channel, recorded in isolated liver nuclei with the patch-clamp configuration of "nucleus-attached," spans the double membrane of the envelope, providing a direct contact between nucleoplasm and cytoplasm.