title: Chloride channels: a molecular perspective.
abstract: Plasma membrane Cl- channels perform a variety of functions, including control of excitability in neurons and muscle, cell volume regulation and transepithelial transport. Structurally, three classes of Cl- channels have been identified: ligand-gated, postsynaptic Cl- channels (e.g. GABA and glycine receptors); the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl- channels (which belong to the traffic ATPase superfamily); and the CLC family of Cl- channels. Recent developments of note include further characterization of the expanding CLC Cl- channel family, advances in understanding the regulation of the CFTR Cl- channel and its emergent role as a regulator of other channels, clarification of issues related to swelling-activated Cl- channels, and the discovery that several co-transporter molecules are now known to induce Cl- currents in Xenopus oocytes.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH), Hamburg University, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Jentsch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / Q000502:physiology; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D009995:Osmosis
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018118:Chloride Channels; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator