Anoctamin 6 Contributes to Cl− Secretion in Accessory Cholera Enterotoxin (Ace)-stimulated Diarrhea

Accessory cholera enterotoxin (Ace) of Vibrio cholerae has been shown to contribute to diarrhea. However, the signaling mechanism and specific type of Cl − channel activated by Ace are still unknown. We have shown here that the recombinant Ace protein induced I Cl of apical plasma membrane, which was inhibited by classical CaCC blockers. Surprisingly, an Ace-elicited rise of current was neither affected by ANO1 (TMEM16A)-specific inhibitor T16A (inh) -AO1(TAO1) nor by the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) blocker, CFTR inh-172. Ace stimulated whole-cell current in Caco-2 cells. However, the apical I Cl was attenuated by knockdown of ANO6 (TMEM16F). This impaired phenotype was restored by re-expression of ANO6 in Caco-2 cells. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings of ANO currents in HEK293 cells transiently expressing mouse ANO1-mCherry or ANO6-GFP confirmed that Ace induced Cl − secretion. Application of Ace produced ANO6 but not the ANO1 currents. Ace was not able to induce a [Ca 2+ ] i rise in Caco-2 cells, but cellular abundance of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ) increased. Identification of the PIP 2 -binding motif at the N-terminal sequence among human and mouse ANO6 variants along with binding of PIP 2 directly to ANO6 in HEK293 cells indicate likely PIP 2 regulation of ANO6. The biophysical and pharmacological properties of Ace stimulated Cl − current along with intestinal fluid accumulation, and binding of PIP 2 to the proximal KR motif of channel proteins, whose mutagenesis correlates with altered binding of PIP 2 , is comparable with ANO6 stimulation. We conclude that ANO6 is predominantly expressed in intestinal epithelia, where it contributes secretory diarrhea by Ace stimulation in a calcium-independent mechanism of RhoA-ROCK-PIP 2 signaling.