title: Osmoregulated Chloride Currents in Hemocytes from Mytilus galloprovincialis.
abstract: We investigated the biophysical properties of the transport mediated by ion channels in hemocytes from the hemolymph of the bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis. Besides other transporters, mytilus hemocytes possess a specialized channel sensitive to the osmotic pressure with functional properties similar to those of other transport proteins present in vertebrates. As chloride fluxes may play an important role in the regulation of cell volume in case of modifications of the ionic composition of the external medium, we focused our attention on an inwardly-rectifying voltage-dependent, chloride-selective channel activated by negative membrane potentials and potentiated by the low osmolality of the external solution. The chloride channel was slightly inhibited by micromolar concentrations of zinc chloride in the bath solution, while the antifouling agent zinc pyrithione did not affect the channel conductance at all. This is the first direct electrophysiological characterization of a functional ion channel in ancestral immunocytes of mytilus, which may bring a contribution to the understanding of the response of bivalves to salt and contaminant stresses.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (IBF), Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bregante
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (IBF), Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carpaneto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council of Italy (ISMAR), Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Piazza
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (IBF), Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sbrana
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (IBF), Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vassalli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council of Italy (ISMAR), Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faimali
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (IBF), Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1005-0488
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gambale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003470:Culture Media; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D049878:Mytilus / Q000378:metabolism*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D064587:Osmoregulation; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D018118:Chloride Channels; D003470:Culture Media; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D011725:Pyridines; D015032:Zinc; C010423:pyrithione zinc