Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Purification of the Sarco-Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase from Rabbit Muscle
Published on: March 21, 2025
Trehalose uptake through P2X7 purinergic channels provides dehydration protection
Gloria D Elliott1, Xiang-Hong Liu, Jennifer L Cusick
1Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Building, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001, USA. gdelliot@uncc.edu
Abstract:
The tetra-anionic form of ATP (ATP4-) is known to induce monovalent and divalent ion fluxes in cells that express purinergic P2X7 receptors and with sustained application of ATP it has been shown that dyes as large as 831 Da can permeate the cell membrane. The current study explores the kinetics of loading alpha,alpha-trehalose (342 Da) into ATP stimulated J774.A1 cells, which are known to express the purinergic P2X7 receptor. Cells that were incubated at 37 degrees C in a 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 225 mM trehalose and 5 mM ATP, were shown to load trehalose linearly over time. Concentrations of approximately 50 mM were reached within 90 min of incubation. Cells incubated in the same solution at 4 degrees C loaded minimally, consistent with the inactivity of the receptor at low temperatures. However, extended incubation at 37 degrees C (>60 min) resulted in zero next-day survival, with adverse effects appearing even with incubation periods as short as 30 min. By using a two-step protocol with a short time period at 37 degrees C to allow pore formation, followed by an extended loading period on ice, cells could be loaded with up to 50 mM trehalose while maintaining good next day recovery (49 +/- 12% by Trypan blue exclusion, 56 +/- 20% by alamarBlue assay). Cells porated by this method and allowed an overnight recovery period exhibited improved dehydration tolerance suggesting a role for ATP poration in the anhydrous preservation of cells.
More Related Videos
09:27Rapid One-step Enzymatic Synthesis and All-aqueous Purification of Trehalose Analogues
Published on: February 17, 2017
11:47Real-time Live-cell Flow Cytometry to Investigate Calcium Influx, Pore Formation, and Phagocytosis by P2X7 Receptors in Adult Neural Progenitor Cells
Published on: April 3, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Transcellular Transport of Solutes
Secondary Active Transport
Secondary Active Transport
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct microscopic...
Reabsorption and Secretion in the PCT
Transport mechanisms involving sodium ions (Na+) contribute significantly to solute reabsorption. These mechanisms include symport and antiport processes.
A key example is the...
Membrane Proteins