Recent studies have suggested that the canalicular bile salt transport system of rat liver corresponds to a 100-kDa membrane glycoprotein. In the present study we attempted to functionally reconstitute the 100-kDa protein into artificial proteoliposomes. Canalicular membrane proteins were solubilized with octyl glucoside in the presence ofasolectin phospholipids. The extracts were treated with preimmune serum or the 100-kDa protein selectively immunoprecipitated with a polyclonal antiserum. Proteins remaining in the supernatant were then incorporated into proteoliposomes by gel-filtration chromatography. Canalicular proteoliposomes containing the 100-kDa protein exhibited t ulatable taurocholate uptake that could be inhibited by 4,4'-diisothiocyanato-2,2'-stilbenedisulfonic acid (DmDS). In contrast, no DIDS-sensitive t imulatable taurocholate uptake was found in 100-kDa protein-free canalicular proteoliposomes. However, when the immunoprecipitated 100-kDa protein was dissociated from the antibodies and exclusively incorporated into liposomes, reconstitution of DIDSsensitive transstimulatable and electrogenic taurocholate anion transport was again positive. Although incorporation of solubilized basolateral membrane proteins into liposomes also resulted in a prompt reconstitution of Na gradient-driven taurocholate uptake, the anti-100-kDa antibodies had no effects on the reconstituted transport activity of basolateral proteins. Thus, the findings establish that the previously characterized canalicularspecific 100-kDa protein is directly involved in the transcanalicular secretion of bile salts.