Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: ClC4 , ClC7

Title: An optical assay of the transport activity of ClC-7.

Authors: Ilaria Zanardi, Giovanni Zifarelli, Michael Pusch

Journal, date & volume: Sci Rep, 2013 , 3, 1231

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23390581

Abstract
Osteoporosis, characterized by excessive osteoclast mediated bone resorption, affects millions of people worldwide representing a major public health problem. ClC-7 is a chloride-proton exchanger localized in lysosomes and in the resorption lacuna in osteoclasts where it is essential for bone resorption. Thus, drugs targeted at ClC-7 have been proposed for ameliorating osteoporosis. However, functional assays suited for high throughput screening (HTS) of ClC-7 function are lacking. Here we describe two complementary variants of purely optical assays of the transport activity of ClC-7, redirected to the plasma membrane employing a genetically encoded fluorescent Cl⁻/pH indicator fused to the ClC-7 protein. These simple and robust functional assays of ClC-7 transport are well-suited to be applied in HTS of small-molecule inhibitors and may help to develop drugs suited for the treatment of osteoporosis.