We recently identified a novel 8-kDa transmembrane protein, Mat-8, that is expressed in a subset of murine breast tumors. We have now cloned a cDNA encoding the human version of Mat-8 and show that it is expressed both in primary human breast tumors and in human breast tumor cell lines. The extracellular and transmembrane domains of Mat-8 are homologous to those of phospholemman (PLM), the major plasmalemmal substrate for cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C in several different tissues. PLM, which induces chloride currents when expressed in Xenopus oocytes, contains consensus phosphorylation sites for both cAMP-dependent protein kinase A and protein kinase C in its cytoplasmic domain. In contrast, the cytoplasmic domain of Mat-8 contains no such consensus phosphorylation sites and is, in fact, unrelated to the cytoplasmic domain of PLM. RNA blot analysis reveals that Mat-8 and PLM exhibit distinct tissue-specific patterns of expression. We show that expression of Mat-8 in Xenopus oocytes induces hyperpolarization-activated chloride currents similar to those induced by PLM expression. These findings suggest that Mat-8 and PLM, the products of distinct genes, are related proteins that serve as Cl- channels or Cl- channel regulators but have different roles in cell and organ physiology.

Phospholemman (PLM) is a 72-amino-acid peptide with a single transmembrane domain, the expression of which induces chloride currents in Xenopus oocytes. It has remained unknown whether PLM is an ion channel or acts as a channel regulator. Here we show, by measuring unitary anion currents across planar phospholipid bilayers to which immunoaffinity-purified recombinant PLM was added, that it does indeed form ion channels. Excised patches of oocytes expressing PLM had similar currents. Of the ions tested, the sulphonic amino acid taurine was the most permeant, and expression of PLM increased fluxes of radiolabelled taurine in oocytes. Phospholemman is the smallest protein in cell membranes known to form an ion channel and the taurine selectivity suggests that it is involved in cell volume regulation.

During hyperpolarizing pulses, defolliculated Xenopus oocytes have time-and voltage-dependent inward chloride currents. The currents vary greatly in amplitude from batch to batch; activate slowly and, in general, do not decay; have a selectivity sequence of I-> NO~ > Br-> C1-> propionate > acetate; are insensitive to Ca 2+ and pH; are blocked by Ba 2+ and some chloride channel blockers; and have a gating valence of ~ 1.3 charges. In contrast to hyperpolarization-activated chloride currents induced after expression of phospholemman (Palmer, C.