Targeting calcium signaling by inositol trisphosphate receptors: A novel mechanism for the anti-asthmatic effects of Houttuynia cordata.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airway hypersensitivity and remodeling. The current treatments provide only short-term benefits and may have undesirable side effects; thus, alternative or supplementary therapy is needed. Because intracellular calcium (Ca) signaling plays an essential role in regulating the contractility and remodeling of airway smooth muscle cells, the targeting of Ca signaling is a potential therapeutic strategy for asthma.

Characterization of Two-Pore Channel 2 by Nuclear Membrane Electrophysiology.

Lysosomal calcium (Ca(2+)) release mediated by NAADP triggers signalling cascades that regulate many cellular processes. The identification of two-pore channel 2 (TPC2) as the NAADP receptor advances our understanding of lysosomal Ca(2+) signalling, yet the lysosome is not amenable to traditional patch-clamp electrophysiology. Previous attempts to record TPC2 single-channel activity put TPC2 outside its native environment, which not reflect TPC2's true physiological properties.