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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Single-Cell Calcium Imaging for Studying the Activation of Calcium Ion Channels
Published on: December 13, 2024
Anoctamin/TMEM16 family members are Ca2+-activated Cl- channels
H Criss Hartzell1, Kuai Yu, Qinhuan Xiao
1Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael Street, 535 Whitehead Bldg, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. criss.hartzell@emory.edu
Abstract:
Ca(2+)-activated Cl- channels (CaCCs) perform many important functions in cell physiology including secretion of fluids from acinar cells of secretory glands, amplification of olfactory transduction, regulation of cardiac and neuronal excitability, mediation of the fast block to polyspermy in amphibian oocytes, and regulation of vascular tone. Although a number of proteins have been proposed to be responsible for CaCC currents, the anoctamin family (ANO, also known as TMEM16) exhibits characteristics most similar to those expected for the classical CaCC. Interestingly, this family of proteins has previously attracted the interest of both developmental and cancer biologists. Some members of this family are up-regulated in a number of tumours and functional deficiency in others is linked to developmental defects.
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