Molecular mechanism underlying desensitization of the proton-activated chloride channel PAC

The plasma membrane inner leaflet PI(4,5)P2 is essential for the activation of proton-activated chloride channels

Proton-activated chloride (PAC) channels, ubiquitously expressed in tissues, regulate intracellular Cl- levels and cell death following acidosis. However, molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in PAC channel modulation are largely unknown. Herein, we determine that phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] of the plasma membrane inner leaflet is essential for the proton activation of PAC channels. PI(4,5)P2 depletion by activating phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphatases or Gq protein-coupled muscarinic receptors substantially inhibits human PAC currents. In excised inside-out patches, PI(4,5)P2 application to the cytoplasmic side increases the currents. Structural simulation reveals that the putative PI(4,5)P2-binding site is localized within the cytosol in resting state but shifts to the cell membrane's inner surface in an activated state and interacts with inner leaflet PI(4,5)P2. Alanine neutralization of basic residues near the membrane-cytosol interface of the transmembrane helice 2 significantly attenuates PAC currents. Overall, our study uncovers a modulatory mechanism of PAC channel through inner membrane PI(4,5)P2.

Tunable Cytosolic Chloride Indicators for Real-Time Chloride Imaging in Live Cells

Chloride plays a crucial role in various cellular functions, and its level is regulated by a variety of chloride transporters and channels. However, to date, we still lack the capability to image instantaneous ion flux through chloride channels at single-cell level. Here, we developed a series of cell-permeable, pH-independent, chloride-sensitive fluorophores for real-time cytosolic chloride imaging, which we call CytoCl dyes. We demonstrated the ability of CytoCl dyes to monitor cytosolic chloride and used it to uncover the rapid changes and transient events of halide flux, which cannot be captured by steady-state imaging. Finally, we successfully imaged the proton-activated chloride channel-mediated ion flux at single-cell level, which is, to our knowledge, the first real-time imaging of ion flux through a chloride channel in unmodified cells. By enabling the imaging of single-cell level ion influx through chloride channels and transporters, CytoCl dyes can expand our understanding of ion flux dynamics, which is critical for characterization and modulator screening of these membrane proteins. A conjugable version of CytoCl dyes was also developed for its customization across different applications.

New advances in innate immune endosomal trafficking

The exocytic and endocytic intracellular trafficking pathways in innate immune cells are known for mediating the secretion of key inflammatory mediators or the internalization of growth factors, nutrients, antigens, cell debris, pathogens and even therapeutics, respectively. Inside cells, these pathways are intertwined as an elaborate network that supports the regulation of immune functions. Endosomal membranes host dynamic platforms for molecular complexes that control signaling and inflammatory responses. High content screens, coupled with elegant microscopy across the scale of resolving molecular complexes to tracking live cellular organelles, have been employed to generate the studies highlighted here. With a focus on deactivation of STING, scaffolding by SLC15A4/TASL complexes and macropinosome shrinkage via the chloride channel protein TMEM206, new studies are identifying molecules, molecular interactions and mechanisms for immune regulation throughout endosomal pathways.

Physiological Functions of the Volume-Regulated Anion Channel VRAC/LRRC8 and the Proton-Activated Chloride Channel ASOR/TMEM206

Volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) and the acid-sensitive outwardly rectifying anion channel (ASOR) mediate flux of chloride and small organic anions. Although known for a long time, they were only recently identified at the molecular level. VRACs are heteromers consisting of LRRC8 proteins A to E. Combining the essential LRRC8A with different LRRC8 paralogues changes key properties of VRAC such as conductance or substrate selectivity, which is how VRACs are involved in multiple physiological functions including regulatory volume decrease, cell proliferation and migration, cell death, purinergic signalling, fat and glucose metabolism, insulin signalling, and spermiogenesis. VRACs are also involved in pathological conditions, such as the neurotoxic release of glutamate and aspartate. Certain VRACs are also permeable to larger, organic anions, including antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs, making them an interesting therapeutic target. ASOR, also named proton-activated chloride channel (PAC), is formed by TMEM206 homotrimers on the plasma membrane and on endosomal compartments where it mediates chloride flux in response to extracytosolic acidification and plays a role in the shrinking and maturation of macropinosomes. ASOR has been shown to underlie neuronal swelling which causes cell death after stroke as well as promoting the metastasis of certain cancers, making them intriguing therapeutic targets as well.

Inhibition of the proton-activated chloride channel PAC by PIP2

Proton-activated chloride (PAC) channel is a ubiquitously expressed pH-sensing ion channel, encoded by PACC1 (TMEM206). PAC regulates endosomal acidification and macropinosome shrinkage by releasing chloride from the organelle lumens. It is also found at the cell surface, where it is activated under pathological conditions related to acidosis and contributes to acid-induced cell death. However, the pharmacology of the PAC channel is poorly understood. Here, we report that phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP₂) potently inhibits PAC channel activity. We solved the cryo-electron microscopy structure of PAC with PIP₂ at pH 4.0 and identified its putative binding site, which, surprisingly, locates on the extracellular side of the transmembrane domain (TMD). While the overall conformation resembles the previously resolved PAC structure in the desensitized state, the TMD undergoes remodeling upon PIP₂-binding. Structural and electrophysiological analyses suggest that PIP₂ inhibits the PAC channel by stabilizing the channel in a desensitized-like conformation. Our findings identify PIP₂ as a new pharmacological tool for the PAC channel and lay the foundation for future drug discovery targeting this channel.