Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher.
Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.
-
Free, publicly-accessible full text available August 1, 2026
-
Reduced Expression of TMEM16A Impairs Nitric Oxide-Dependent Cl− Transport in Retinal Amacrine CellsPostsynaptic cytosolic Cl − concentration determines whether GABAergic and glycinergic synapses are inhibitory or excitatory. We have shown that nitric oxide (NO) initiates the release of Cl − from acidic internal stores into the cytosol of retinal amacrine cells (ACs) thereby elevating cytosolic Cl − . In addition, we found that cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression and Ca 2+ elevations are necessary for the transient effects of NO on cytosolic Cl − levels, but the mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we investigated the involvement of TMEM16A as a possible link between Ca 2+ elevations and cytosolic Cl − release. TMEM16A is a Ca 2+ -activated Cl − channel that is functionally coupled with CFTR in epithelia. Both proteins are also expressed in neurons. Based on this and its Ca 2+ dependence, we test the hypothesis that TMEM16A participates in the NO-dependent elevation in cytosolic Cl − in ACs. Chick retina ACs express TMEM16A as shown by Western blot analysis, single-cell PCR, and immunocytochemistry. Electrophysiology experiments demonstrate that TMEM16A functions in amacrine cells. Pharmacological inhibition of TMEM16A with T16inh-AO1 reduces the NO-dependent Cl − release as indicated by the diminished shift in the reversal potential of GABA A receptor-mediated currents. We confirmed the involvement of TMEM16A in the NO-dependent Cl − release using CRISPR/Cas9 knockdown of TMEM16A. Two different modalities targeting the gene for TMEM16A ( ANO1 ) were tested in retinal amacrine cells: an all-in-one plasmid vector and crRNA/tracrRNA/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein. The all-in-one CRISPR/Cas9 modality did not change the expression of TMEM16A protein and produced no change in the response to NO. However, TMEM16A-specific crRNA/tracrRNA/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein effectively reduces both TMEM16A protein levels and the NO-dependent shift in the reversal potential of GABA-gated currents. These results show that TMEM16A plays a role in the NO-dependent Cl − release from retinal ACs.more » « less
An official website of the United States government
