A newly characterized calcium-activated chloride channel has been implicated in the immune system of Drosophila, shedding light on an enigmatic family of transmembrane proteins that are ubiquitous in nature.
Xiaowei Hou, Ian R Outhwaite ... Stephen Barstow Long
Structure of the Ca2+ channel Orai in an open conformation provides insights into the opening mechanism and the channel's role in regulating Ca2+ entry into immune and other non-excitable cells.
Advanced orthology clustering of bilaterian and non-bilaterian sequences identifies 157 bilaterian-specific genes which are linked to key morphological features of this animal group.
Katarzyna Drożdżyk, Marta Sawicka ... Raimund Dutzler
Members of the calcium homeostasis modulator family expressed in the placenta form large channels with unknown activation properties that harbor a lipid bilayer on the inside of a cylindrical pore.
Expression pattern analysis of neurotransmitter synthesis, secretion, and reuptake machinery reveals animal-wide usage of neurotransmitters in both sexes of Caenorhabditis elegans.
TMEM206 proteins are identified as constituting the pore of the widely expressed acid-activated chloride channel PAORAC/ASOR, which is important in acid toxicity.
Lipid efflux by the retinal pigment epithelium is crucial for proper retinal integrity and function, and its impairment may contribute to diseases like age-related macular degeneration.
Structures of CysZ show a antiparallel membrane protein with an unanticipated fold and together with functional characterization provide insight into a bacterial sulfate translocating system.
