Inhibitors of ATP release inhibit vesicular nucleotide transporter

Vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT) is responsible for vesicular ATP storage in ATP-secreting cells. In the present study, we examined the effects on VNUT-mediated transport of ATP release inhibitors such as ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins, hemichannels, maxi anion channels and P2X7 receptor. The ATP transport activity of proteoliposomes containing purified human VNUT was blocked by glibenclamide, carbenoxolone, 18 α-glycyrrhetinic acid, flufenamic acid, arachidonic acid and A438079 without the formation of Δψ (positive inside) as a driving force being affected. Thus, inhibitors of ATP release may inhibit VNUT and subsequent ATP release, since the previous works proved that inhibitors of ATP release blocked VNUT-mediated ATP release at the cell level.