Two types of K+ channels, low conductance (28 pS) and intermediate conductance (85 pS), have been previously identified in the basolateral membrane of the cortical collecting duct (CCD) of the rat kidney (31, 32). In the present study, we used the patch-clamp technique to explore further the mechanism by which the low-conductance K+ channel is regulated. The conductance of the low-conductance K+ channel is inward rectifying, with an inward slope conductance of 30 pS between 0 and -20 mV and an outward slope conductance of 16 pS between 0 and 50 mV in symmetrical 140 mM KCl in the bath and in the pipette. This K+ channel was not sensitive to ATP (10 mM), tetraethylammonium chloride (5 mM), and quinidine (1 mM). Addition of 100 microM N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or N omega-(imonoethyl)-L-ornithine (L-NIO), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), completely blocked channel activity in cell-attached patches. In contrast, addition of 200 microM-D-NAME, which does not block NOS, had no effect on channel activity. The inhibitory effect of L-NAME or L-NIO was fully reversible and completely overcome by addition of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donors, such as 10 microM S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine or sodium nitroprusside. Furthermore, addition of 100 microM 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcGMP) restored the activity of the channel when it had been inhibited by either L-NAME or L-NIO, indicating that the effect of NO on the channel activity was mediated by a cGMP-dependent pathway. In conclusion, NO plays a key role in the regulation of the basolateral 30-pS K+ channel and the effect of NO on channel activity is mediated by a cGMP-dependent pathway.