Effect of plant flavonoids on the volume regulation of rat thymocytes under hypoosmotic stress

Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC. Part 1: from its discovery and phenotype characterization to the molecular entity identification

The volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying or volume-regulated anion channel, VSOR/VRAC, which was discovered in 1988, is expressed in most vertebrate cell types and is essentially involved in cell volume regulation after swelling and in the induction of cell death. This series of review articles describes what is already known and what remains to be uncovered about the functional and molecular properties as well as the physiological and pathophysiological roles of VSOR/VRAC. This Part 1 review article describes, from the physiological standpoint, first its discovery and significance in cell volume regulation, second its phenotypical properties, and third its molecular identification. Although the pore-forming core molecules and the volume-sensing subcomponent of VSOR/VRAC were identified as LRRC8 members and TRPM7 in 2014 and 2021, respectively, it is stressed that the identification of the molecular entity of VSOR/VRAC is still not complete enough to explain the full set of phenotypical properties.

Inorganic polyphosphate regulates functions of thymocytes via activation of P2X purinoreceptors

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is an ancient polymer, which was proven to be a signalling molecule in the mammalian brain, mediating the communication between astrocytes via activation of P2Y1 purinoreceptors and modulating the activity of neurons. There is very limited information regarding the ability of polyP to transmit the information as an agonist of purinoreceptors in other cells and tissues. Here, we show that application of polyP to the suspension of primary thymocytes increases the concentration of intracellular calcium. PolyP evoked calcium signal was dependent on the presence of P2X inhibitors but not P2Y1 inhibitor. PolyP dependent increase in intracellular calcium concentration caused mild mitochondrial depolarization, which was dependent on inhibitors of purinoreceptors, extracellular calcium and inhibitor of mitochondrial calcium uniporter but wasn't dependent on cyclosporin A. Application of polyP modulated cell volume regulation machinery of thymocytes in calcium dependent manner. Molecular docking experiments revealed that polyP can potentially bind to several types of P2X receptors with binding energy similar to ATP - natural agonist of P2X purinoreceptors. Further molecular dynamics simulations with P2X4 showed that binding of one molecule of polyP dramatically increases permeability of this receptor-channel for water molecules. Thus, in this research we for the first time showed that polyP can interact with P2X receptors in thymocytes and modulate physiological processes.

Osmotically Activated Anion Current of Phycomyces Blakesleeanus-Filamentous Fungi Counterpart to Vertebrate Volume Regulated Anion Current

Studies of ion currents in filamentous fungi are a prerequisite for forming a complete understanding of their physiology. Cytoplasmic droplets (CDs), obtained from sporangiophores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus, are a model system that enables the characterization of ion currents in the native membrane, including the currents mediated by the channels not yet molecularly identified. Osmotically activated anionic current with outward rectification (ORIC) is a dominant current in the membrane of cytoplasmic droplets under the conditions of hypoosmotic stimulation. We have previously reported remarkable functional similarities of ORIC with the vertebrate volume regulated anionic current (VRAC), such as dose-dependent activation by osmotic difference, ion selectivity sequence, and time and voltage dependent profile of the current. Using the patch clamp method on the CD membrane, we further resolve VRAC-like ORIC characteristics in this paper. We examine the inhibition by extracellular ATP and carbenoxolone, the permeation of glutamate in presence of chloride, selectivity for nitrates, and activation by GTP, and we show its single channel behavior in excised membrane. We propose that ORIC is a functional counterpart of vertebrate VRAC in filamentous fungi, possibly with a similar essential role in anion efflux during cell volume regulation.

Hypotonic induction of aquaporin5 expression in rat astrocytes through p38 MAPK pathway

Brain oedema is a common pathological phenomenon following many diseases and may lead to severe secondary damage. Astrocytes are the most numerous cells in the brain. Five aquaporins (AQPs) have been found in mature astrocytes, which play crucial roles in water transportation. However, most studies have focused on AQP4 or AQP9 and whether another aquaporin such as AQP5 involved in brain oedema is unclear. Here, we addressed the issue that the expression pattern of AQP5 in rat astrocytes in vitro was altered in the hypotonic condition through some mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathways. Primary astrocytes were randomly divided into the control group and the hypotonic group. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT test. Immunofluorescence, Western blotting and real-time PCR were used to detect the expression of AQP5. Western blotting was used to detect the variation of MAPK pathway. The present study demonstrated that incubation of astrocytes in the hypotonic medium produced an increase inAQP5 expression, and AQP5 peaked at 6-12 h after hypotension solution exposure. In addition, MAPK pathways were set in motion under hypotension, but not all branches. Only the p38 inhibitor can inhibit AQP5 expression in cultured astrocytes. AQP5 is directly related to the extracellular hypotonic stimuli in astrocytes, which could be regulated through the p38 MAPK pathway.

Properties, Structures, and Physiological Roles of Three Types of Anion Channels Molecularly Identified in the 2010's

Molecular identification was, at last, successfully accomplished for three types of anion channels that are all implicated in cell volume regulation/dysregulation. LRRC8A plus LRRC8C/D/E, SLCO2A1, and TMEM206 were shown to be the core or pore-forming molecules of the volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying anion channel (VSOR) also called the volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC), the large-conductance maxi-anion channel (Maxi-Cl), and the acid-sensitive outwardly rectifying anion channel (ASOR) also called the proton-activated anion channel (PAC) in 2014, 2017, and 2019, respectively. More recently in 2020 and 2021, we have identified the S100A10-annexin A2 complex and TRPM7 as the regulatory proteins for Maxi-Cl and VSOR/VRAC, respectively. In this review article, we summarize their biophysical and structural properties as well as their physiological roles by comparing with each other on the basis of their molecular insights. We also point out unsolved important issues to be elucidated soon in the future.

Lytic and sublytic effects of gossypol on red blood cells and thymocytes

Gossypol is a natural polyphenol presently considered as a promising biological phytochemical with a range of activities including anticancer. We examined volume regulation-dependent effects of gossypol using erythrocytes and thymic lymphocytes. Gossypol effectively lysed human red blood cells (RBC) with a half-maximal concentration of 67.4 ± 1.6 μmol/L and in a non-colloid osmotic manner. Sublytic gossypol doses of 1-10 μmol/L significantly protected RBC from osmotic hemolysis, but potentiated their sensitivity to the colloid-osmotic lysis induced by a pore-former nystatin. When added to the thymocytes suspension, gossypol caused a strong depression of the ability of cells to restore their volume under hypoosmotic stress with a half-maximal activity at 2.1 ± 0.3 μmol/L. Gossypol suppressed regulatory volume decrease under experimental conditions, when cationic permeability was controlled by gramicidin D, and volume recovery depended mainly on anionic conductance, suggesting that the polyphenol inhibits the swelling-induced anion permeability. In direct patch-clamp experiments, gossypol inhibited the volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying (VSOR) chloride channel in thymocytes and in human HCT116 and HeLa cells, possibly by a mechanism when gossypol molecule with a radius close to the size of channel pore plugs into the narrowest portion of the native VSOR chloride channel. Micromolar gossypol suppressed proliferation of thymocytes, HCT116 and HeLa cells. VSOR blockage may represent new mechanism of anticancer activity of gossypol in addition to its action as a BH3-mimetic.