ClC chloride channels possess a homodimeric structure in which each monomer contains an independent chloride ion pathway. ClC channel gating is regulated by chloride ion concentration, pH and voltage. Based on structural and physiological evidence, it has been proposed that a glutamate residue on the extracellular end of the selectivity filter acts as a fast gate. We utilized a new search algor...

Channels selective for potassium or chloride ions are present in all intracellular membranes such as mitochondrial membranes, sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear membrane and chromaffin granule membranes. They probably play an important role in events such as acidification of intracellular compartments and regulation of organelle volume. Additionally, intracellular ion channels are targ...

Since the first voltage-gated ClC-0 chloride channel was discovered by Jentsch et al. w1x in the marine ray Torpedo marmorata, nine chloride channels belonging to the CLC family have been identified in mammals w2x. These ClC channels exhibit marked differences in their tissue and cellular distribution. All ClC channels, except the ClC-1 channel w2x, are expressed in mammalian kidneys. They have...

The cognitive enhancer XE991 interacts with K(+) channels consisting of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 heteromultimers to block the M-current. XE991 can also block KCNQ1 K(+) channels expressed in oocytes, but sensitivity is reduced when the channels are coexpressed with minK (KCNE1). The purpose of the study was to examine the interaction of XE991 with other types of K(+) channel, especially those in the bas...

The generation of action potentials in excitable cells requires selective ion channels that open and close upon changes in membrane potential. Initially, cell excitabil-ity was mainly studied in neuronal axons, and in this particular cell compartment, electrical excitability is almost exclusively governed by cation channels. For many years, voltage-dependent anion channels were thought to be of...

We previously demonstrated that the growth of the poorly differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-2Z) was more dependent on the activities of volume-activated chloride channels than that of the normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells (NP69-SV40T). However, the activities and roles of such volume-activated chloride channels in highly differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-1)...