Identification of a dimerization domain in the TMEM16A calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC)

  • Jason Tien
  • , Hye Young Lee
  • , Daniel L. Minor
  • , Yuh Nung Jan
  • , Lily Yeh Jan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

67 Scopus citations

Abstract

Transmembrane proteins with unknown function 16 (TMEM16A) is a calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC) important for neuronal, exocrine, and smooth muscle functions. TMEM16A belongs to a family of integral membrane proteins that includes another CaCC, TMEM16B, responsible for controlling action potential waveform and synaptic efficacy, and a small-conductance calcium-activated nonselective cation channel, TMEM16F, linked to Scott syndrome. We find that these channels in the TMEM16 family share a homodi-meric architecture facilitated by their cytoplasmic N termini. This di-merization domain is important for channel assembly in eukaryotic cells, and the in vitro association of peptides containing the dimer-ization domain is consistent with a homotypic protein-protein interaction. Amino acid substitutions in the dimerization domain affect functional TMEM16A-CaCC channel expression, as expected from its critical role in channel subunit assembly.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6352-6357
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume110
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 16 2013
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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