Proteins of the CLCA gene family including the human ClCa1 (hClCa1) have been suggested to constitute a new family of chloride channels mediating Ca2+-dependent Cl− currents. The present study examines the relationship between the hClCa1 protein and Ca2+-dependent Cl− currents using heterologous expression of hClCa1 in HEK293 and NCIH522 cell lines and whole cell recordings. By contrast to previous reports claiming the absence of Cl− currents in HEK293 cells, we find that HEK293 and NCIH522 cell lines express constitutive Ca2+-dependent Cl− currents and show that hClCa1 increases the amplitude of Ca2+-dependent Cl− currents in those cells. We further show that hClCa1 does not modify the permeability sequence but increases the Cl− conductance while decreasing the GSCN−/GCl− conductance ratio from ∼2–3 to ∼1. We use an Eyring rate theory (two barriers, one site channel) model and show that the effect of hClCa1 on the anionic channel can be simulated by its action on lowering the first and the second energy barriers. We conclude that hClCa1 does not form Ca2+-dependent Cl− channels per se or enhance the trafficking/insertion of constitutive channels in the HEK293 and NCIH522 expression systems. Rather, hClCa1 elevates the single channel conductance of endogenous Ca2+-dependent Cl− channels by lowering the energy barriers for ion translocation through the pore.
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