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The chloride channels: Silently serving the plants
Author(s) -
Subba Ashish,
Tomar Surabhi,
Pareek Ashwani,
SinglaPareek Sneh L.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/ppl.13240
Subject(s) - function (biology) , chloride channel , ion channel , vacuole , biology , biochemistry , cloning (programming) , ion transporter , chloride , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , membrane , cytoplasm , organic chemistry , receptor , computer science , programming language
Abstract Chloride channels (CLCs), member of anion transporting proteins, are present ubiquitously in all life forms. Diverging from its name, the CLC family includes both channel and exchanger (proton‐coupled) proteins; nevertheless, they share conserved structural organization. They are engaged in diverse indispensable functions such as acid and fluoride tolerance in prokaryotes to muscle stabilization, transepithelial transport, and neuronal development in mammals. Mutations in genes encoding CLCs lead to several physiological disorders in different organisms, including severe diseases in humans. Even in plants, loss of CLC protein function severely impairs various cellular processes critical for normal growth and development. These proteins sequester Cl − into the vacuole, thus, making them an attractive target for improving salinity tolerance in plants caused by high abundance of salts, primarily NaCl. Besides, some CLCs are involved in NO 3 − transport and storage function in plants, thus, influencing their nitrogen use efficiency. However, despite their high significance, not many studies have been carried out in plants. Here, we have attempted to concisely highlight the basic structure of CLC proteins and critical residues essential for their function and classification. We also present the diverse functions of CLCs in plants from their first cloning back in 1996 to the knowledge acquired as of now. We stress the need for carrying out more in‐depth studies on CLCs in plants, for they may have future applications towards crop improvement.