Maintenance of normal volume and composition of saliva is crucial for oral health and quality-of-life. Ion channels provide the most efficient and a highly selective pathway for movement of ions across cellular membranes – the essential step for secretion of electrolytes and water by salivary glands. Therefore, identification of ion channels in the secretory cells and determination of regulatory mechanisms of these channels are essential for understanding the cellular processes underlying saliva secretion and developing strategies for treating salivary gland dysfunctions.

The most definitive and sensitive method for analyses of ion channels is electrophysiology or “patch clamp”. This method allows finger-printing of ion currents of interest in a single cell as well as direct assessment of functional properties of a single channel molecule. Combination of this method with novel transgenic animal models designed in our laboratory gives us a unique and powerful tool for dissection of the complex secretory machinery of salivary glands. Currently we are investigating interactions of IK1 and maxi-K channels, the major Ca2+-activated potassium channels in parotid acinar cells. We are also determining the role and regulation of ENaC in sodium re-absorption in duct salivary cells. Another area of our research is damaging effects of radiation therapy and concomitant oxidative stress on ion channels in salivary glands that results in a rapid loss of function.