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A structural perspective on ClC channel and transporter function
Author(s) -
Dutzler Raimund
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2007.04.016
Subject(s) - chloride channel , gating , transporter , cytoplasm , membrane transport , function (biology) , nucleotide , transmembrane domain , ion transporter , biology , transport protein , transmembrane protein , ion channel , chemistry , biophysics , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene , membrane , receptor
The ClC chloride channels and transporters constitute a large family of membrane proteins that is involved in a variety of physiological processes. All members share a conserved molecular architecture that consists of a complex transmembrane transport domain followed by a cytoplasmic domain. Despite the strong conservation, the family shows an unusually broad variety of functional behaviors as some members work as gated chloride channels and others as secondary active chloride transporters. The conservation in the structure and the functional resemblance of gating and coupled transport suggests a strong mechanistic relationship between these seemingly contradictory transport modes. The cytoplasmic domains constitute putative regulatory components that are ubiquitous in eukaryotic ClC family members and that in certain cases interact with nucleotides thus linking ion transport to nucleotide sensing by yet unknown mechanisms.