We investigated the biophysical properties of the transport mediated by ion channels in hemocytes from the hemolymph of the bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis. Besides other transporters, mytilus hemocytes possess a specialized channel sensitive to the osmotic pressure with functional properties similar to those of other transport proteins present in vertebrates. As chloride fluxes may play an i...

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is an odor detection system that mediates many pheromone-sensitive behaviors. Vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs), located in the VNO, are the initial site of interaction with odors/pheromones. However, how an individual VSN transduces chemical signals into electrical signals is still unresolved. Here, we show that a Ca2+-activated Cl- current contributes approximatel...

Epithelial chloride channels provide the pathways for fluid secretion in the intestine. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCCs) are the main chloride channels in the luminal membrane of enterocytes. These transmembrane proteins play important roles in many physiological processes. In this study, we have identified a flavonoid qu...

Statins have pleiotropic actions against the development of vascular remodeling and the incidence of ischemic stroke. Although previous studies have suggested that posttranslational modification of several proteins, such as Rho by mevalonate-derived isoprene groups, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate or farnesyl pyrophosphate, underlie the pleiotropic effects of statins, the detailed mechanisms remai...

Statins have pleiotropic actions against the development of vascular remodeling and the incidence of ischemic stroke. Although previous studies have suggested that posttranslational modification of several proteins, such as Rho by mevalonate-derived isoprene groups, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate or farnesyl pyrophosphate, underlie the pleiotropic effects of statins, the detailed mechanisms remai...

Chloride channels belong to a superfamily of ion channels that permit passive passage of anions, mainly chloride, across cell membrane. They play a variety of important physiological roles in regulation of cytosolic pH, cell volume homeostasis, organic solute transport, cell migration, cell proliferation, and differentiation. However, little is known about the functional regulation of these cha...

BACKGROUND Channelopathies, defined as diseases that are caused by mutations in genes encoding ion channels, are associated with a wide variety of symptoms and have been documented extensively over the past decade. In contrast, despite the important role of chloride in serum, textbooks in general do not allocate chapters exclusively on hypochloremia or hyperchloremia and information on chloride...

Remarkable activity-dependence was uncovered in the chloride conductance that operates in the subthreshold region of membrane potential, by using the twomicroelectrode voltage-clamp technique in the mature and intact rat sympathetic neuron. Both direct and synaptic neuron tetanization (15 Hz, 10 s duration to saturate the response) resulted in a long-lasting (not less than 15 min) increase of c...

Cyclic AMP- (cAMP) and calcium-dependent agonists stimulate chloride secretion through the coordinated activation of distinct apical and basolateral membrane channels and ion transporters in mucosal epithelial cells. Defects in the regulation of Cl- transport across mucosal surfaces occur with cystic fibrosis and V. cholerae infection and can be life threatening. Here we report that secramine B...