We have developed procedures to purify highly functional recombinant cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to high homogeneity. Purification of CHO-CFTR was achieved using a combination of alkali stripping, alpha-lysophosphatidylcholine extraction, DEAE ion-exchange, and immunoaffinity chromatography. Insect CFTR from Sf9 cells was purified using a modification of the method of Bear et al. (Bear, C. E., Li, C., Kartner, N., Bridges, R. J., Jensen, T. J., Ramjeesingh, M. and Riordan, J. R. (1992) Cell 68, 809-818), which included extraction with sodium dodecyl sulfate, hydroxyapatite, and gel filtration chromatography. Characterization of the properties of purified CFTR from both cell sources using a variety of electrophysiological and biochemical assays indicated that they were very similar. Both the purified CHO-CFTR and Sf9-CFTR when reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers exhibited a low pS, chloride-selective ion channel activity that was protein kinase A- and ATP-dependent. Both the purified CHO-CFTR and Sf9-CFTR were able to interact specifically with the nucleotide photoanalogue 8-N3-[alpha-32P]ATP with half-maximal binding at 25 and 50 microM, respectively. These values compare well with those reported for 8-N3-[alpha-32P]ATP binding to CFTR in its native membrane form. Thus CFTR from either insect or CHO cells can be purified to high homogeneity with retention of many of the biochemical and electrophysiological characteristics of the protein associated in its native plasma membrane form. The availability of these reagents will facilitate further investigation and study of the structure and function of CFTR and its interactions with cellular proteins.