Ion channels are known to be present on the plasma membrane of virtually all cells and have been found on the membranes of various intracellular organelles. However, until recently they were believed not to occur at the nuclear membrane. In this study we describe the molecular cloning and characterization of a nuclear ion channel protein, designated nuclear chloride channel-27 (NCC27), from the...

Physiological and pharmacological mechanisms of glutamatergic, GABAergic and glycinergic synapses in the tiger salamander retina were studied. We used immunocytochemical and autoradiographic methods to study localizations of these neurotransmitters and their uptake transporters; and electrophysiological methods (intracellular, extracellular and whole cell patch electrode recordings) to study th...

Basement membranes are extracellular scaffolds that organize and strengthen many different tissues in the body. How the various components of basement membranes are assembled into an organized network that can regulate the behavior of overlying cells remains unclear (1), but Cummings et al. now describe how extracellular chloride ions induce the higher order assembly of collagen IV molecules ou...

Location, abundance, and morphology of gill chloride cells were quantified during changes in osmoregulatory physiology accompanying early development in American shad, Alosa sapidissima. During the larval-juvenile transition of shad, gill chloride cells increased 3.5-fold in abundance coincident with gill formation, increased seawater tolerance, and increased Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity. Chlorid...

Calcium-activated chloride channel regulator 1 (CLCA1) activates calcium-dependent chloride currents; neither the target, nor mechanism, is known. We demonstrate that secreted CLCA1 activates calcium-dependent chloride currents in HEK293T cells in a paracrine fashion, and endogenous TMEM16A/Anoctamin1 conducts the currents. Exposure to exogenous CLCA1 increases cell surface levels of TMEM16A an...

Chemotherapy is the most common therapeutic strategy used to treat osteosarcoma. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of functionally activated chloride channels on cisplatin‑induced apoptosis of MG‑63 human osteosarcoma cells. An MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to detect proliferation and apoptosis of the cells, respectively. Live cell imaging was used to detect volume cha...

Taste receptor cells contain a heterogeneous array of voltage-dependent ion conductances that are essential components for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Although mechanistic roles have been proposed for several cationic conductances, the understanding of anionic currents is rudimentary. This study characterizes biophysical and pharmacological properties of chloride currents in rat post...

The effects of Photodynamic Therapy using 2nd generation photosensitizers have been widely investigated aiming clinical application treatment of solid neoplasms. In this work, ultrastructure changes caused by the action of two 2nd generation photosensitizers and laser irradiation on CHO-K1 and HeLa (neoplastic) cells were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Aluminum phthalocyanine chl...

Na+/K+-ATPase, Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter (NKCC) and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) are the three major transport proteins thought to be involved in chloride secretion in teleost fish. If this is the case, the levels of these transporters should be high in chloride cells of seawater-acclimated fish. We therefore examined the influence of salinity on immunolocalization...