title: Regulation of TMEM16A chloride channel properties by alternative splicing.
abstract: Expression of TMEM16A protein is associated with the activity of Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels. TMEM16A primary transcript undergoes alternative splicing. thus resulting in the generation of multiple isoforms. We have determined the pattern of splicing and assessed the functional properties of the corresponding TMEM16A variants. We found three alternative exons, 6b, 13, and 15, coding for segments of 22, 4, and 26 amino acids, respectively, which are differently spliced in human organs. By patch clamp experiments on transfected cells, we found that skipping of exon 6b changes the Ca(2+) sensitivity by nearly 4-fold, resulting in Cl(-) currents requiring lower Ca(2+) concentrations to be activated. At the membrane potential of 80 mV, the apparent half-effective concentration decreases from 350 to 90 nm when the segment corresponding to exon 6b is excluded. Skipping of exon 13 instead strongly reduces the characteristic time-dependent activation observed for Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels at positive membrane potentials. This effect was also obtained by deleting only the second pair of amino acids corresponding to exon 13. Alternative splicing appears as an important mechanism to regulate the voltage and Ca(2+) dependence of the TMEM16A-dependent Cl(-) channels in a tissue-specific manner.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Largo G. Gaslini 5, 16147 Genova.
authors.forename: Loretta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrera
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.forename: Ifeoma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ubby
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bussani
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zegarra-Moran
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ravazzolo
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Luis J V
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Galietta
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000838:Anions / Q000378:metabolism; D000075369:Anoctamin-1; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D018118:Chloride Channels; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D017136:Ion Transport; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C476213:ANO1 protein, human; D000838:Anions; D000075369:Anoctamin-1; D018118:Chloride Channels; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D002118:Calcium