Cilostazol Suppresses Angiotensin II–Induced Vasoconstriction via Protein Kinase A–Mediated Phosphorylation of the Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 6 Channel

Recent studies suggest that the fly uses the inositol lipid signaling system for visual excitation and that the Drosophila transient receptor potential (trp) mutation disrupts this process subsequent to the production of IP3. In this paper, we show that trp encodes a novel 1275 amino acid protein with eight putative transmembrane segments. Immunolocalization indicates that the trp protein is expressed predominantly in the rhabdomeric membranes of the photoreceptor cells.

Since the second messenger role was proposed for the products of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis, considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the biochemical mechanism of the intracellular signaling network. It is now becoming evident that stimulation of a cell surface receptor initiates a degradation cascade of various membrane lipid constituents. Many of their metabolites have potential to induce, intensify, and prolong the activation of protein kinase C that is needed for sustained cellular responses.

Hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors give rise to calcium entry via receptor-activated cation channels that are activated downstream of phospholipase C activity. Members of the transient receptor potential channel (TRPC) family have been characterized as molecular substrates mediating receptor-activated cation influx. TRPC channels are assumed to be composed of multiple TRPC proteins. However, the cellular principles governing the assembly of TRPC proteins into homo- or heteromeric ion channels still remain elusive. By pursuing four independent experimental approaches--i.e., subcellular cotrafficking of TRPC subunits, differential functional suppression by dominant-negative subunits, fluorescence resonance energy transfer between labeled TRPC subunits, and coimmunoprecipitation--we investigate the combinatorial rules of TRPC assembly. Our data show that (i) TRPC2 does not interact with any known TRPC protein and (ii) TRPC1 has the ability to form channel complexes together with TRPC4 and TRPC5. (iii) All other TRPCs exclusively assemble into homo- or heterotetramers within the confines of TRPC subfamilies--e.g., TRPC4/5 or TRPC3/6/7. The principles of TRPC channel formation offer the conceptual framework to assess the physiological role of distinct TRPC proteins in living cells.