Downregulation of TRPV6 channel activity by cholesterol depletion in Jurkat T cell line

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 6 (TRPV6) channels are key players in calcium metabolism of healthy and cancerous cells. Nevertheless, the mechanisms controlling abundance of these channels in plasma membrane of the cells to regulate Ca²⁺ transport is still poorly understood. In this study, we provide the first evidence that TRPV6 calcium channels and Ca ²⁺ influx in Jurkat T cell line are modulated by cholesterol, a main lipid component of the plasma membrane. Using patch-clamp technique, we found that activity of TRPV6 channels decreased by cholesterol sequestration with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD). Continuous measurement of intracellular Ca²⁺ revealed a reduction of Ca²⁺ influx into Jurkat cells following cholesterol depletion. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy analyses of MβCD-treated cells detected the lower surface expression of the TRPV6 proteins in comparison with control cells. In general, our data showed that cholesterol regulates TRPV6 channel activity and TRPV6-mediated Ca²⁺ influx in cells, apparently affecting the localization and density of the calcium channels in the plasma membrane of Jurkat T cells.