title: Chloride channels: often enigmatic, rarely predictable.
abstract: Until recently, anion (Cl(-)) channels have received considerably less attention than cation channels. One reason for this may be that many Cl(-) channels perform functions that might be considered cell-biological, like fluid secretion and cell volume regulation, whereas cation channels have historically been associated with cellular excitability, which typically happens more rapidly. In this review, we discuss the recent explosion of interest in Cl(-) channels, with special emphasis on new and often surprising developments over the past five years. This is exemplified by the findings that more than half of the ClC family members are antiporters, and not channels, as was previously thought, and that bestrophins, previously prime candidates for Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels, have been supplanted by the newly discovered anoctamins and now hold a tenuous position in the Cl(-) channel world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Charity
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duran
authors.forename: Christopher H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Qinghuan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: H Criss
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hartzell
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D053447:Channelopathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D010827:Physiology / Q000266:history
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018118:Chloride Channels