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Modulation of a recombinant invertebrate gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-chloride channel complex by isoflurane: effects of a point mutation in the M2 domain.

1. Inhalational anaesthetics modulate ligand-gated ion channels at clinical concentrations. In this paper we address submolecular mechanisms for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor modulation by isoflurane. 2. Wild-type Drosophila melanogaster homo-oligomeric GABA receptors were characterized and compared with an ion-channel mutant (alanine substituted to a serine in M2) by means of two-electrode voltage-clamp in membrane-invariant Xenopus oocytes. 3. Both channel receptor isoforms generated outwardly rectifying, bicuculline-insensitive currents with reversal potentials characteristic of a chloride current. 4. As previously shown, the point mutation in the M2 domain conferred a profound resistance to the blocking action of 10 microM picrotoxinin (PTX): circa 7 fold reduction at the GABA EC20. 5. Isoflurane, 195-389 microM, enhanced GABA conductance in both receptor variants by significantly increasing the affinity of the agonist for its receptor without changing Hill slope or maximal response. Relative potencies were statistically indistinguishable. 6. Isoflurane concentration-response curves (on circa GABA EC25) demonstrated that enhancement was effected at around 100-195 microM for both receptor subtypes, but a dramatic divergence was evident at concentrations above 400 microM: wild-type receptors exhibited concentration-dependent block, whilst mutant conductances continued to increase over the same concentration range, showing no tendency to saturate (up to 3330 microM). 7. The above divergence was not attributable to differential desensitization: neither wild-type nor mutant conductance desensitized significantly (P > 0.05) in the absence or presence of anaesthetic. 8. This work demonstrates that modulatory sites for anaesthetic are present on a relatively primitive insect ion channel. 9. The depression of GABA response at high isoflurane concentrations, in WT receptors, (typical of a variety of anaesthetic agents) may reflect low affinity channel block via the PTX site. 10. The non-saturable enhancement of chloride conductances, when the PTX site is mutated, is not consistent with topical proposals that inhalational anaesthetics (stereoselectively) occupy a finite number of sites on these membrane spanning proteins.

Animals↗

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator splice variants are not conserved and fail to produce chloride channels.

In the human CFTR only the rare exon 4- splice variant is conserved in mice. We have discovered two novel murine variants, exon 5- and exon 11b+. The exon 5- variant represents up to 40% of mRNA in all CFTR-expressing tissues and leaves the reading frame intact. The exon 11b+ variant inserts a novel exon between exons 11 and 12 with expression restricted to the testis. Two variants of 11b have been found and both introduce premature stop codons. When we expressed human CFTR variants lacking either exon 5 or exon 9 in HeLa cells, they failed to generate cAMP-mediated chloride transport, due to defective intracellular processing. The lack of conservation of splice variants between species and the inability of the more abundant splice variants to generate protein that is correctly processed argue against a physiological role and may simply represent aberrant splicing that is tolerated by the cell and organism.

Alternative Splicing↗

A single beta subunit M2 domain residue controls the picrotoxin sensitivity of alphabeta heteromeric glycine receptor chloride channels.

This study investigated the residues responsible for the reduced picrotoxin sensitivity of the alphabeta heteromeric glycine receptor relative to the alpha homomeric receptor. By analogy with structurally related receptors, the beta subunit M2 domain residues P278 and F282 were considered the most likely candidates for mediating this effect. These residues align with G254 and T258 of the alpha subunit. The T258A, T258C and T258F mutations dramatically reduced the picrotoxin sensitivity of the alpha homomeric receptor. Furthermore, the converse F282T mutation in the beta subunit increased the picrotoxin sensitivity of the alphabeta heteromeric receptor. The P278G mutation in the beta subunit did not affect the picrotoxin sensitivity of the alphabeta heteromer. Thus, a ring of five threonines at the M2 domain depth corresponding to alpha subunit T258 is specifically required for picrotoxin sensitivity. Mutations to alpha subunit T258 also profoundly influenced the apparent glycine affinity. A substituted cysteine accessibility analysis revealed that the T258C sidechain increases its pore exposure in the channel open state. This provides further evidence for an allosteric mechanism of picrotoxin inhibition, but renders it unlikely that picrotoxin (as an allosterically acting 'competitive' antagonist) binds to this residue.

Allosteric Regulation↗

ClC-1 chloride channel: Matching its properties to a role in skeletal muscle.

1. ClC-1 is a Cl- channel in mammalian skeletal muscle that plays an important role in membrane repolarization following muscular contraction. Reduction of ClC-1 conductance results in myotonia, a state characterized by muscle hyperexcitability. 2. As is the case for other members of the ClC family, ClC-1 exists as a dimer that forms a double-barrelled channel. Each barrel, or pore, of ClC-1 is gated by its own gate ('fast' or 'single pore' gate), whereas both pores are gated simultaneously by another mechanism ('slow' or 'common' gate). 3. Comparison of the biophysical and pharmacological properties of heterologously expressed ClC-1 with the properties of the Cl- conductance measured in skeletal muscle strongly suggests that ClC-1 is the major Cl- channel responsible for muscle repolarization. However, not all results obtained in experiments on whole muscle or muscle fibres support this notion. 4. In the present review we attempt to bring together the current knowledge of ClC-1 with the physiology of skeletal muscle.

Chloride Channels↗

Chloride channels in primary cultures of seawater fish (Dicentrarchus labrax) gill.

Patch-clamp experiments were undertaken on primary cultures of respiratory cells originating from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) gills. A small-conductance Cl- channel of 8 pS was characterized in cell-attached configuration with 140 mM N-methyl-D-glucamine-Cl in the pipette and bath solutions. No activity was recorded below a membrane holding potential of +20 mV (-Vp, referenced to the pipette solution), and the channel showed an inward rectification. In the inside-out configuration the Cl- channel was active at all membrane holding potentials. Its open probability strongly increased with membrane depolarization. The channel activity could be increased by the application of protein kinase A+ATP. This channel was inhibited by 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid, diphenylamino-2-carboxylic acid, and I- and was insensitive to 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. The presence of Cl- channels in the apical membrane of respiratory cells provides additional evidence for an important role of this cell type in the control of ion homeostasis of seawater fish.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Actions of putative chloride channel blocking agents on canine lower esophageal sphincter (LES).

Niflumic acid (NA), a putative Cl(-)-channel blocker, has provided pharmacological evidence that Cl(-)-channel closures mediate hyperpolarization caused by NO in gastrointestinal smooth muscle. However, NA caused concentration-dependent relaxation of canine lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and failed to inhibit NO-mediated relaxations. DIDS also did not inhibit NO-mediated relaxations, but did abolish them when present with 20 mM TEA (tetraethyl ammonium ion), which was also ineffective alone. TEA reversed NA-induced relaxations, but with NA it did not inhibit NO-mediated relaxations. We investigated the modes of action of these agents further. Neither nerve-function block nor block of NOS activity affected the inhibition of LES tone by NA. In patch-clamp studies, NA increased outward currents from -30 to + 90 mV when [Ca2+]pipette was 50 nM. This was prevented by 20 mM TEA, but not by prior inhibition of NOS. At 200 nM [Ca2+]pipette, TEA markedly reduced outward currents, but did not prevent the increase from subsequent NA. In contrast, under similar conditions, application of DIDS after 20 mM TEA further reduced outward currents. When the patch pipette contained CsCl and TEA to block K+ currents, NA had no significant effect on currents between -50 and +90 mV. Thus, NA acted by opening K+ channels: some TEA-sensitive and some not. It had no detectable effect on currents when K+ channels were blocked. We conclude that NA is an unreliable pharmacological tool to evaluate Cl(-)-channel contributions to smooth muscle function. DIDS did not open K+ channels. Decreases in outward currents from DIDS may result from inhibition of K+ currents or currents carried by Cl- at depolarized membrane potentials.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Rat brain p64H1, expression of a new member of the p64 chloride channel protein family in endoplasmic reticulum.

Many plasma membrane Cl- channels have been cloned, including the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and several members of the voltage-gated ClC family. In contrast, very little is known about the molecular identity of intracellular Cl- channels. We used a polymerase chain reaction-based approach to identify candidate genes in mammalian brain and cloned the cDNA corresponding to rat brain p64H1. This encoded a microsomal membrane protein of predicted Mr 28,635 homologous to the putative intracellular bovine kidney Cl- channel p64. In situ mRNA hybridization histochemistry showed marked expression in hippocampus and cerebellum, and in vitro expression revealed a large cytoplasmic domain, one membrane-spanning segment, and a small nonglycosylated N-terminal luminal domain. The predicted protein contained consensus phosphorylation sites for protein kinase C and protein kinase A, and protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation increased the Mr of p64H1 to approximately 43,000, characteristic of the native protein in Western blots. Recombinant p64H1 was immunolocalized to the endoplasmic reticulum of human embryonic kidney 293 and HT-4 cells, and incorporation of human embryonic kidney 293 endoplasmic reticulum vesicles into planar lipid bilayers gave rise to intermediate conductance, outwardly rectifying anion channels. Although p64H1 is the first intracellular Cl- channel component or regulator to be identified in brain, Northern blotting revealed transcripts in many other rat tissues. This suggests that p64H1 may contribute widely to intracellular Cl- transport.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying chloride channels are involved in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of mesangial cells.

Volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying (VSOR) Cl- channels have been electrophysiologically identified in human and mouse mesangial cells, but the functional role of VSOR Cl- channels in mesangial cell apoptosis is not clear. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the role of VSOR Cl- channels in oxidative stress-induced mesangial cell apoptosis. H2O2-induced Cl- currents showed phenotypic properties of VSOR Cl- channels, including outward rectification, voltage-dependent inactivation at more positive potentials, sensitivity to hyperosmolarity, and inhibition by VSOR Cl- channel blockers. Moreover, blockage of VSOR Cl- channels by DIDS (100 microM), NPPB (10 microM) or niflumic acid (10 microM) rescued mesangial cell apoptosis induced by H2O2. Treatment with 150 microM H2O2 for 2h resulted in significant reduction of cell volume, in contrast, nuclear condensation and/or fragmentation were not observed and the caspase-3 activity was also not increased. The early-phase alterations in cell volume were markedly abolished by pretreatment with VSOR Cl- channel blockers. We conclude that VSOR Cl- channels are involved in H2O2-induced apoptosis in cultured mesangial cells and its mechanism is associated with apoptotic volume decrease processes.

Apoptosis↗

cAMP-activated apical membrane chloride channels in Necturus gallbladder epithelium. Conductance, selectivity, and block.

Elevation of intracellular cAMP levels in Necturus gallbladder epithelium (NGB) induces an apical membrane Cl- conductance (GaCl). Its characteristics (i.e., magnitude, anion selectivity, and block) were studied with intracellular microelectrode techniques. Under control conditions, the apical membrane conductance (Ga) was 0.17 mS.cm-2, primarily ascribable to GaK. With elevation of cell cAMP to maximum levels, Ga increased to 6.7 mS.cm-2 and became anion selective, with the permeability sequence SCN- > NO3- > I- > Br- > Cl- >> SO4(2-) approximately gluconate approximately cyclamate. GaCl was not affected by the putative Cl- channel blockers Cu2+, DIDS, DNDS, DPC, furosemide, IAA-94, MK-196, NPPB, SITS, verapamil, and glibenclamide. To characterize the cAMP-activated Cl- channels, patch-clamp studies were conducted on the apical membrane of enzyme-treated gallbladders or on dissociated cells from tissues exposed to both theophylline and forskolin. Two kinds of Cl- channels were found. With approximately 100 mM Cl- in both bath and pipette, the most frequent channel had a linear current-voltage relationship with a slope conductance of approximately 10 pS. The less frequent channel was outward rectifying with slope conductances of approximately 10 and 20 pS at -40 and 40 mV, respectively. The Cl- channels colocalized with apical maxi-K+ channels in 70% of the patches. The open probability (Po) of both kinds of Cl- channels was variable from patch to patch (0.3 on average) and insensitive to [Ca2+], membrane voltage, and pH. The channel density (approximately 0.3/patch) was one to two orders of magnitude less than that required to account for GaCl. However, addition of 250 U/ml protein kinase A plus 1 mM ATP to the cytosolic side of excised patches increased the density of the linear 10-pS Cl- channels more than 10-fold to four per patch and the mean Po to 0.5, close to expectations from GaCl. The permeability sequence and blocker insensitivity of the PKA-activated channels were identical to those of the apical membrane. These data strongly suggest that 10-pS Cl- channels are responsible for the cAMP-induced increase in apical membrane conductance of NGB epithelium.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Changes in cell volume induced by activation of the cyclic amp-dependent chloride channel in guinea-pig cardiac myocytes.

The effects of the activation of cyclic AMP-dependent Cl- current (ICl,cAMP) on cell volume were studied at various [K+]o under isosmotic conditions in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes. The area of the cell image obtained with videomicroscopy was used as an index of cell volume. I(Cl,cAMP) was activated by adrenaline (5.5 microM). Measurements of the membrane potential (Vm) were performed by the gramicidin-perforated patch-clamp method. At 5.4 mM [K+]o with low [Cl-]o, where Vm was negative to the predicted equilibrium potential of Cl- (ECl), adrenaline sizably decreased the cell area. At high [K+]o with normal [Cl-]o, where Vm was positive to ECl, adrenaline increased the cell area; at 145.4 mM [K+]o the cell area was increased to 110% of control on average (n = 22). The cells swollen in this manner shrank when [Cl-]o was reduced to a low level in the presence of adrenaline. The results indicate that the induction of Cl- influxes (outward I(Cl,cAMP)) or effluxes (inward I(Cl,cAMP)) can lead to a cell swelling or shrinkage, respectively. The addition of BaCl2 (1 mm), a blocker of K+ channels, attenuated the adrenaline-dependent cell swelling, supporting the view that Cl- fluxes must be accompanied by cofluxes of K+ ions to affect the cell volume. The adrenaline-dependent cell swelling was inhibited by antagonizing beta-adrenergic stimulation with acetylcholine or by blocking I(Cl,cAMP) channels with glibenclamide, confirming the involvement of I(Cl,cAMP) in the adrenaline response. The results show that the activation of I(Cl,cAMP) can shrink or inflate the cardiac cells under isosmotic conditions, depending on Vm and ECl.

Acetylcholine↗

Extracts from plants used in Mexican traditional medicine activate Ca(2+)-dependent chloride channels in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

The two-electrode voltage-clamp technique was employed to investigate the effects of chloroform-methanol (1:1) extracts derived from five medicinal plants on Xenopus laevis oocytes. When evaluated at concentrations of 1 to 500 microg/ml, the extracts prepared from the aerial parts of Baccharis heterophylla H.B.K (Asteraceae), Chenopodium murale L. (Chenopodiaceae), Desmodium grahami Gray (Leguminosae) and Solanum rostratum Dun (Solanaceae) produced concentration-dependent oscillatory inward currents in the oocytes, while the extract of Gentiana spathacea did not induce any response. The reversal potential of the currents elicited by the active extracts was -17 +/- 2 mV and was similar to the chloride equilibrium potential in oocytes. These ionic responses were independent of extracellular calcium. However, they were eliminated by overnight incubation with BAPTA-AM (10 microM), suggesting that the currents were dependent on intracellular Ca2+ increase. Thus the plant extracts activate the typical oscillatory Ca(2+)-dependent Cl- currents generated in the Xenopus oocyte membrane more probably via a mechanism that involves release of Ca2+ from intracellular reservoirs. These observations suggest that Xenopus oocyte electrophysiological recording constitutes a suitable assay for the study of the mechanisms of action of herbal medicines.

Animals↗

Chloride channel function in the yeast TRK-potassium transporters.

The TRK proteins-Trk1p and Trk2p- are the main agents responsible for "active" accumulation of potassium by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In previous studies, inward currents measured through those proteins by whole-cell patch-clamping proved very unresponsive to changes of extracellular potassium concentration, although they did increase with extracellular proton concentration-qualitatively as expected for H(+) coupling to K(+) uptake. These puzzling observations have now been explored in greater detail, with the following major findings: a) the large inward TRK currents are not carried by influx of either K(+) or H(+), but rather by an efflux of chloride ions; b) with normal expression levels for Trk1p and Trk2p in potassium-replete cells, the inward TRK currents are contributed approximately half by Trk1p and half by Trk2p; but c) strain background strongly influences the absolute magnitude of these currents, which are nearly twice as large in W303-derived spheroplasts as in S288c-derived cells (same cell-size and identical recording conditions); d) incorporation of mutations that increase cell size (deletion of the Golgi calcium pump, Pmr1p) or that upregulate the TRK2 promoter, can further substantially increase the TRK currents; e) removal of intracellular chloride (e.g., replacement by sulfate or gluconate) reveals small inward currents that are K(+)-dependent and can be enhanced by K(+) starvation; and f) finally, the latter currents display two saturating kinetic components, with preliminary estimates of K(0.5) at 46 micro M [K(+)](out) and 6.8 m M [K(+)](out), and saturating fluxes of approximately 5 m M/min and approximately 10 m M/min (referred to intracellular water). These numbers are compatible with the normal K(+)-transport properties of Trk1p and Trk2p, respectively.

Biological Transport, Active↗

Functional expression of GABAA chloride channels and benzodiazepine binding sites in baculovirus infected insect cells.

We have employed the baculovirus expression system for the production of insect cell membranes having GABA/benzodiazepine binding sites. Three recombinant baculoviruses each harboring a different GABAA receptor cDNA were introduced into insect cells by simultaneous infection. Infected cells expressed GABA responsive Cl- channels and benzodiazepine binding sites with the same pharmacological specificity as animal cells expressing these receptor subunits.

Animals↗

Chloride channels in apical membrane of primary cultures of rabbit distal bright convoluted tubule.

Using the patch clamp technique on the apical membrane of primary cultures of rabbit distal bright convoluted tubule cells (DCTb), two types of Cl- channel were identified. A small channel of 9 pS was observed in 9% of the patches. Cells pretreated with 1 mM 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcAMP) or 5 microM forskolin increased the expression of Cl- channels by 26 and 37%, respectively. In cell-attached and excised inside-out patches, the current-voltage (I-V) relationships of the 9-pS channel were linear. In only 1 out of 47 active patches was the small-conductance Cl- channel still active 1 h after membrane excision. The addition of 0.1 microM of the catalytic subunit protein kinase A with 2 mM ATP to the cytoplasmic side restored channel activity in 8 out of 15 excised membrane patches. In 5 out of 467 patches of stimulated or nonstimulated cells, a larger Cl- conductance of 30 pS was also recorded. In excised inside-out patches this channel outwardly rectified and was activated by strong depolarization. In cultured DCTb cells, the small-conductance, cAMP-activated Cl- channel shares many properties with the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Our results suggest that at least the small-conductance channel may participate in Cl- secretion across the apical membrane of DCTb in primary culture. This secretion may increase the rate of the apical Cl-/HCO3- exchange indirectly by enhancing the inwardly-directed Cl- gradient.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Intracellular chloride channels: determinants of function in the endosomal pathway.

Endosomes, and related subcellular compartments, contain various Cl- channels in the ClC family. In this review, we describe the known roles of intracellular Cl- channels and also explore some of the functional implications of transmembrane Cl- flux in these organelles. Cl- influx acts to control intralumenal pH, both by shunting the effects of the proton pump on membrane potential and, possibly, through direct effects of Cl- on the proton pump. Changes in intralumenal pH likely help regulate membrane trafficking. We propose that changes in intralumenal Cl- concentration ([Cl-]) could theoretically play a direct role in regulating membrane trafficking and organellar function through effects on chloride-sensitive proteins in the vesicular membrane, which could transduce information about intralumenal [Cl-] to the outside of the vesicle and thereby recruit various signaling molecules. We present a model in which regulation of cytosolic [Cl-] and vesicular Cl- conductance could help control the amount or type of neurotransmitter stored in a particular population of synaptic vesicles.

Animals↗

Binding kinetics of gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptor noncompetitive antagonists: trioxabicyclooctane, dithiane, and cyclodiene insecticide-induced slow transition to blocked chloride channel conformation.

Binding kinetics and affinities are determined for 25 antagonists interacting with the noncompetitive blocker site of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptor complex present in bovine brain membranes. Four radiolabeled noncompetitive antagonists are 4-tert-butylbicyclophosphoro[35S]thionate ([35S]TBPS), 4-tert-butylbicycloortho[3',4'-3H2]benzoate, 4'-cyano-4-sec-[3,4-3H2]butylbicycloorthobenzoate, and the new 4'-ethynyl-4-n-[2,3-3H2]propylbicycloorthobenzoate. The other 21 antagonists are unlabeled inhibitors of three chemical classes (other trioxabicyclooctane, dithiane, and cyclodiene insecticides). The radioligands bind to a single noninteracting site in the membranes, based on linear Scatchard plots and monophasic association and dissociation kinetics. The kinetics of unlabeled ligands are estimated by their effect on the [35S]TBPS association curve, using the theoretical model of Motulsky and Mahan [Mol. Pharmacol. 25:1-9 (1984)]. The receptor affinities of trioxabicyclooctanes and dithianes correlate with their association rates, whereas those of cyclodienes correlate with their dissociation rates. The low association rate constants for all ligands (< or = 3 x 10(7) M-1 min-1 at 25 degrees) are consistent with a slow transition to a blocked receptor conformation upon binding of these channel blockers. The association rate-controlled affinity for the trioxabicyclooctanes and dithianes is suggestive of an induced-fit model in which binding of the ligand initiates a conformational change in the receptor complex to the blocked state.

Animals↗

Isotype-specific activation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-chloride channels by cGMP-dependent protein kinase II.

Type II cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGKII) isolated from pig intestinal brush borders and type I alpha cGK (cGKI) purified from bovine lung were compared for their ability to activate the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-Cl- channel in excised, inside-out membrane patches from NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and from a rat intestinal cell line (IEC-CF7) stably expressing recombinant CFTR. In both cell models, in the presence of cGMP and ATP, cGKII was found to mimic the effect of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAK) on opening CFTR-Cl-channels, albeit with different kinetics (2-3-min lag time, reduced rate of activation). By contrast, cGKI or a monomeric cGKI catalytic fragment was incapable of opening CFTR-Cl- channels and also failed to potentiate cGKII activation of the channels. The cAK activation but not the cGKII activation was blocked by a cAK inhibitor peptide. The slow activation by cGKII could not be ascribed to counteracting protein phosphatases, since neither calyculin A, a potent inhibitor of phosphatase 1 and 2A, nor ATP gamma S (adenosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate)), producing stable thiophosphorylation, was able to enhance the activation kinetics. Channels preactivated by cGKII closed instantaneously upon removal of ATP and kinase but reopened in the presence of ATP alone. Paradoxically, immunoprecipitated CFTR or CF-2, a cloned R domain fragment of CFTR (amino acids 645-835) could be phosphorylated to a similar extent with only minor kinetic differences by both isotypes of cGK. Phosphopeptide maps of CF-2 and CFTR, however, revealed very subtle differences in site-specificity between the cGK isoforms. These results indicate that cGKII, in contrast to cGKI alpha, is a potential activator of chloride transport in CFTR-expressing cell types.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Formation of CLC-0 chloride channels from separated transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains.

CLC-0, a member of the CLC family of Cl(-)-conducting ion channels, consists of an N-terminal hydrophobic core and a C-terminal region that is thought to be cytoplasmic. This study provides evidence that the C-terminal region is a mechanistically relevant cytoplasmic domain of the CLC-0 ion channel. Both a point mutation and a 37-residue deletion in this region cause drastic alterations in voltage-dependent gating of CLC-0 current expressed in Xenopus oocytes. CLC-0 current is not observed when the entire C-terminal region is deleted, but functional channels are efficiently reconstituted by co-injection of separate cRNA constructs encoding the N-terminal transmembrane and the C-terminal cytoplasmic domains. Moreover, reconstitution of CLC-0 can be achieved by co-injection of cRNA encoding the transmembrane domain along with Escherichia coli-expressed C-terminal domain polypeptide.

Animals↗