Ion channel VRAC enhances immune response against viruses

(Forschungsverbund Berlin) VRAC/LRRC8 chloride channels do not only play a decisive role in the transport of cytostatics, amino acids and neurotransmitters. They can also transport the important messenger substance cGAMP from cell to cell and thus strengthen the immune response to infections with DNA viruses. Since cGAMP is always formed when cells detect DNA outside their nucleus, the discovery is potentially of great importance also for other pathologies such as cancer.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news