Disturbances in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ homeostasis have been
associated with many diseases including loss of salivary glands. Although
significant progress has been accomplished which led to the increase in our
understanding of the cellular responses to ER stress, the factors/ion channels
that could inhibit ER stress are not yet identified. Here we show that TRPC1
(transient receptor potential canonical 1) is involved in regulating Ca2+
homeostasis and loss of TRPC1 decreased ER Ca2+ levels, inhibited the unfolded
protein response (UPR), that induced loss of salivary gland cells. We provide
further evidence that ER stress inducing agents (Tunicamycin and Brefeldin A)
disrupts Ca2+ homeostasis by directly inhibiting TRPC1-mediated Ca2+ entry,
which led to ER stress in salivary gland cells. Moreover, induction of ER stress
lead to an increase in CHOP expression, which decreased TRPC1 expression and
subsequently attenuated autophagy along with increased apoptosis. Importantly,
TRPC1−/− mice showed increased ER stress, increased immune cell
infiltration, loss of Ca2+ homeostasis, decreased saliva secretion, and
decreased salivary gland survival. Finally, restoration of TRPC1 not only
maintained Ca2+ homeostasis, but inhibited ER stress that induced cell survival.
Overall these results suggest a significant role of TRPC1 Ca2+ channels in ER
stress and homeostatic function/survival of salivary gland cells.