Two high conductance channels of the mitochondrial inner membrane are independent of the human mitochondrial genome

Patch-clamp techniques were used to characterize the channel activity of mitochondrial inner membranes of two human osteosarcoma cell lines: a mitochondrial genome-deficient (ρ⁰) line and its corresponding parental (ρ⁺) line. Previously, two high conductance channels, mitochondrial Centum picoSiemen (mCS) and multiple conductance channels (MCC), were detected in murine mitochondria. While MCC was assigned to the protein import in yeast mitochondria, the role of mCS is unknown. This study demonstrates that mCs and MCC activities from mouse mitochondria are indistinguishable from those of human mitochondria. The channel activities and their functional expression levels are not altered in cells lacking mtDNA. Hence, ρ⁰ cells may provide a model system for elucidating the role of mitochondrial channels in disease processes and apoptosis.