Phosphate position is key in mediating transmembrane ion channel TMEM16A-phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate interaction

A new strategy for RRS-based determination of phosphate with a bifunctional Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle surface molecularly imprinted polydopamine probe

In this paper, a magnetic nanoparticle surface molecularly imprinted polydopamine RRS probe Fe3O4@MIP was prepared using phosphomolybdic acid (PMo) as the template, Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles as the substrate and dopamine hydrochloride (PD) as the monomer and crosslinking agent for the determination of PO43-. Under acidic conditions, phosphomolybdic acid is formed by the reaction of PO43- with ammonium molybdate (MSA), which can be imprinted with the Fe3O4@MIP probe surface and reduced to phosphomolybdic blue (PMoB) by ascorbic acid (Aa). Strong resonance Rayleigh scattering energy transfer (RRS-ET) occurs between the probe and PMoB, resulting in a decrease in the RRS signal value. A new, simple and selective RRS method for the determination of PO43- in water samples was developed. The linear range of this method is 1-22.5 μmol L-1, and the detection limit (DL) is 0.49 μmol L-1. Furthermore, the magnetic enrichment ability of Fe3O4@MIP is discussed. Experimental data show that even 0.2 μmol L-1 of phosphate can be detected within a 20% error range.

The anoctamins: Structure and function

When activated by increase in intracellular Ca2+, anoctamins (TMEM16 proteins) operate as phospholipid scramblases and as ion channels. Anoctamin 1 (ANO1) is the Ca2+-activated epithelial anion-selective channel that is coexpressed together with the abundant scramblase ANO6 and additional intracellular anoctamins. In salivary and pancreatic glands, ANO1 is tightly packed in the apical membrane and secretes Cl-. Epithelia of airways and gut use cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) as an apical Cl- exit pathway while ANO1 supports Cl- secretion mainly by facilitating activation of luminal CFTR and basolateral K+ channels. Under healthy conditions ANO1 modulates intracellular Ca2+ signals by tethering the endoplasmic reticulum, and except of glands its direct secretory contribution as Cl- channel might be small, compared to CFTR. In the kidneys ANO1 supports proximal tubular acid secretion and protein reabsorption and probably helps to excrete HCO3-in the collecting duct epithelium. However, under pathological conditions as in polycystic kidney disease, ANO1 is strongly upregulated and may cause enhanced proliferation and cyst growth. Under pathological condition, ANO1 and ANO6 are upregulated and operate as secretory channel/phospholipid scramblases, partly by supporting Ca2+-dependent processes. Much less is known about the role of other epithelial anoctamins whose potential functions are discussed in this review.

Pacemaking in the lymphatic system

Lymphatic collecting vessels exhibit spontaneous phasic contractions that are critical for lymph propulsion and tissue fluid homeostasis. This rhythmic activity is driven by action potentials conducted across the lymphatic muscle cell (LMC) layer to produce entrained contractions. The contraction frequency of a lymphatic collecting vessel displays exquisite mechanosensitivity, with a dynamic range from <1 to >20 contractions per minute. A myogenic pacemaker mechanism intrinsic to the LMCs was initially postulated to account for pressure-dependent chronotropy. Further interrogation into the cellular constituents of the lymphatic vessel wall identified non-muscle cell populations that shared some characteristics with interstitial cells of Cajal, which have pacemaker functions in the gastrointestinal and lower urinary tracts, thus raising the possibility of a non-muscle cell pacemaker. However, recent genetic knockout studies in mice support LMCs and a myogenic origin of the pacemaker activity. LMCs exhibit stochastic, but pressure-sensitive, sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release (puffs and waves) from IP3R1 receptors, which couple to the calcium-activated chloride channel Anoctamin 1, causing depolarisation. The resulting electrical activity integrates across the highly coupled lymphatic muscle electrical syncytia through connexin 45 to modulate diastolic depolarisation. However, multiple other cation channels may also contribute to the ionic pacemaking cycle. Upon reaching threshold, a voltage-gated calcium channel-dependent action potential fires, resulting in a nearly synchronous calcium global calcium flash within the LMC layer to drive an entrained contraction. This review summarizes the key ion channels potentially responsible for the pressure-dependent chronotropy of lymphatic collecting vessels and various mechanisms of IP3R1 regulation that could contribute to frequency tuning.