Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release

Abstract 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 ar...

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Main Author: Yasunobu Okada
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-06-01
Series:Journal of Physiological Sciences
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-024-00926-3
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author Yasunobu Okada
author_facet Yasunobu Okada
author_sort Yasunobu Okada
collection DOAJ
description Abstract 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 2 review article describes, from the physiological and pathophysiological standpoints, first the pivotal roles of VSOR/VRAC in the release of autocrine/paracrine organic signal molecules, such as glutamate, ATP, glutathione, cGAMP, and itaconate, as well as second the swelling-independent and -dependent activation mechanisms of VSOR/VRAC. Since the pore size of VSOR/VRAC has now well been evaluated by electrophysiological and 3D-structural methods, the signal-releasing activity of VSOR/VRAC is here discussed by comparing the molecular sizes of these organic signals to the channel pore size. Swelling-independent activation mechanisms include a physicochemical one caused by the reduction of intracellular ionic strength and a biochemical one caused by oxidation due to stimulation by receptor agonists or apoptosis inducers. Because some organic substances released via VSOR/VRAC upon cell swelling can trigger or augment VSOR/VRAC activation in an autocrine fashion, swelling-dependent activation mechanisms are to be divided into two phases: the first phase induced by cell swelling per se and the second phase caused by receptor stimulation by released organic signals.
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spelling doaj-art-0318c313f84b435391431ed034cb32542025-08-20T03:54:14ZengElsevierJournal of Physiological Sciences1880-65622024-06-0174111710.1186/s12576-024-00926-3Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal releaseYasunobu Okada0National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS)Abstract 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 2 review article describes, from the physiological and pathophysiological standpoints, first the pivotal roles of VSOR/VRAC in the release of autocrine/paracrine organic signal molecules, such as glutamate, ATP, glutathione, cGAMP, and itaconate, as well as second the swelling-independent and -dependent activation mechanisms of VSOR/VRAC. Since the pore size of VSOR/VRAC has now well been evaluated by electrophysiological and 3D-structural methods, the signal-releasing activity of VSOR/VRAC is here discussed by comparing the molecular sizes of these organic signals to the channel pore size. Swelling-independent activation mechanisms include a physicochemical one caused by the reduction of intracellular ionic strength and a biochemical one caused by oxidation due to stimulation by receptor agonists or apoptosis inducers. Because some organic substances released via VSOR/VRAC upon cell swelling can trigger or augment VSOR/VRAC activation in an autocrine fashion, swelling-dependent activation mechanisms are to be divided into two phases: the first phase induced by cell swelling per se and the second phase caused by receptor stimulation by released organic signals.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-024-00926-3Volume-sensitive anion channelLRRC8Pore sizeOrganic signalROSATP
spellingShingle Yasunobu Okada
Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release
Journal of Physiological Sciences
Volume-sensitive anion channel
LRRC8
Pore size
Organic signal
ROS
ATP
title Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release
title_full Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release
title_fullStr Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release
title_full_unstemmed Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release
title_short Physiology of the volume-sensitive/regulatory anion channel VSOR/VRAC: part 2: its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release
title_sort physiology of the volume sensitive regulatory anion channel vsor vrac part 2 its activation mechanisms and essential roles in organic signal release
topic Volume-sensitive anion channel
LRRC8
Pore size
Organic signal
ROS
ATP
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-024-00926-3
work_keys_str_mv AT yasunobuokada physiologyofthevolumesensitiveregulatoryanionchannelvsorvracpart2itsactivationmechanismsandessentialrolesinorganicsignalrelease