Palytoxin stimulated a cation-dependent short-circuit current (Isc) in rat distal and proximal colon in a concentration-dependent fashion when applied to the mucosal surface of the tissue. The distal colon exhibited a higher sensitivity to the toxin. The palytoxin-induced Isc was blocked by vanadate but was resistant to ouabain or scilliroside, suggesting the conversion of a vanadate-sensitive H + /K + -ATPase into an electrogenic cation transporter. Cation substitution experiments with basolaterally depolarized tissues suggested an apparent permeability of the palytoxin-induced conductance of Na + >K + >Li + . Immunohistochemical control experiments confirmed the absence of the Na + /K + -ATPase in the apical membrane. Consequently, the pore-forming action of palytoxin is not restricted to Na + /K + -ATPase but is also observed with the colonic H + /K + -ATPase.Keywords: ATPase; colon; palytoxin; Isc; ion channel. P 2C -type ATPases are oligomeric enzymes consisting of a and b subunits [1]. The sodium pump from the plasma membranes of animal cells, a member of this group, generates a sodium gradient by pumping three Na + ions out of the cell and two K + ions into the cell for each ATP hydrolyzed [2]. This sodium gradient is the driving force of all secondarily active transporters and a presupposition for neuronal conduction of signals.The closest relatives of the sodium pump are the proton pumps from gastric and colon epithelial cells [3]. Although these pumps are not identical, they both catalyze an active secretion of protons driven by ATP hydrolysis. Unlike the sodium pump, however, both proton pumps are electroneutral: each transports one K + ion from the luminal side into the cytosol for each H + secreted.Several naturally occurring toxins have been identified as specific inhibitors of the sodium pump. Among them, the so-called cardioactive steroids or cardiac glycosides are not only known for their ability to selectively target the sodium pump but are widely used as effective medication for patients with heart failure or heart insufficiency [4]. Palytoxin, a toxin isolated from corals of the family Palythoa (e.g. Palythoa caribaeorum), is also a highly specific inhibitor of the sodium pump [5,6]. This most potent toxin (for rodents the LD 50 is 10-250 ng per kg of body weight) of animal origin can also be found together with ciguatoxin, maitotoxin, or gambierol in fishes that contribute to ciguatera poisonings [7,8]. Palytoxin is a rather unique and large molecule with the structural formula C 129 H 223 N 3 O 54 . The molecule can be divided into three subdomains, each connected by peptide bonds: a large N-terminal polyhydroxy x-amino acid followed by a dehydro-b-alanine residue and an aminopropanol group. The number of free hydroxyl groups is 42 [9,10]. Unlike the cardioactive steroids, however, which inhibit both ATP hydrolysis and ion conduction, palytoxin acts by arresting the ionophore of the pump into a permanently open state. Thus, in this case, inhibition of ATP hydrolysis is no longer associated ...