Figure 1.

Cellular consequences of P2X7 activation on mouse T cells. (A) Non-covalent binding of ATP or covalent ARTC2.2-mediated ADP-ribosylation results in P2X7 channel gating and in the influx of calcium and sodium ions and the efflux of potassium. (B) P2X7 activation triggers the activation of ADAM10 and ADAM17 that catalyze the shedding of the ectodomains of various cell surface proteins such as CD27, CD62L and IL-6R. (C) P2X7 activation leads to phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, formation of a non-selective membrane pore allowing the uptake of fluorescent molecules such as DNA staining dyes, and ultimately to cell death.