The role of anion channels in osmotically activated taurine release from embryonic skate (Raja eglanteria) heart.

Taurine, a major osmolyte of vertebrate hearts, is released from the skate heart at increased rates during hypotonic stress. We tested the hypothesis that this taurine release is mediated by chloride channels activated by swelling. Two inhibitors of the channels, NPPB and DIDS, inhibited the volume-activated release of taurine from embryonic skate hearts. These results support the hypothesis that swelling-activated chloride channels mediate the release of cardiac taurine.