Exploring the biophysical evidence that mammalian two pore channels are NAADP-activated calcium-permeable channels

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) potently releases Ca²⁺ from acidic intracellular endo-lysosomal Ca²⁺-stores. It is widely accepted that two types of two pore channels, termed TPC1 and TPC2, are responsible for the NAADP-mediated Ca²⁺-release but the underlying mechanisms regulating their gating appear to be different. For example, although both TPC1 and TPC2 are activated by NAADP, TPC1 appears to be additionally regulated by cytosolic Ca²⁺. Ion conduction and permeability also differ markedly. TPC1 and TPC2 are permeable to a range of cations although biophysical experiments suggest that TPC2 is slightly more selective for Ca²⁺ over K⁺ than TPC1 and hence capable of releasing greater quantities of Ca²⁺ from acidic stores. TPC1 is also permeable to H⁺ and therefore may play a role in regulating lysosomal and cytosolic pH, possibly creating localised acidic domains. The significantly different gating and ion conducting properties of TPC1 and TPC2 suggest that these two ion channels may play complementary physiological roles as Ca²⁺ release channels of the endo-lysosomal system.