Echinococcus granulosus: partial characterization of the conductive properties of two cation channels from protoscoleces of the ovine strain, reconstituted on planar lipid bilayers.

Two cationic channels present in the microsomal fraction from Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces of the sheep strain were studied in planar bilayer reconstitution experiments. A whole-worm homogenate was subjected to differential centrifugation and the postmitochondrial supernatant was laid on the top of a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The 15-30% (w/v) membrane fraction, enriched in NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, exhibited the highest fusion rate, two cationic channels being most frequently reconstituted. Both of them were highly cation-selective and had high conductances (244 and 107 pS in symmetrical 150 mM KCl). In most experiments, none of them displayed voltage dependence. The 244-pS channel was activated by Ca2+ and blocked by Ba2+, both in the micromolar range, thus partially resembling the Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel from more highly evolved animals. The 107-pS channel exhibited a Cs+ approximately equal to K+ > Na+ > Li+ > Ca2+ selectivity sequence (as measured by permeability ratios) and, most frequently, a high open probability (> 0.9) irrespective of the experimental conditions used, therefore sharing many properties of Schistosoma mansoni outer tegumental membrane cation channels.