1. Department of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA

Correspondence to: Christopher Miller Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to C.M. (e-mail: Email: cmiller@brandeis.edu).

Abstract

An unexpected finding emerging from large-scale genome analyses is that prokaryotes express ion channels belonging to molecular families long studied in neurons. Bacteria and archaea are now known to carry genes for potassium channels of the voltage-gated, inward rectifier and calcium-activated classes^{1, 2, 3}, ClC-type chloride channels⁴, an ionotropic glutamate receptor⁵ and a sodium channel⁶. For two potassium channels and a chloride channel, these homologues have provided a means to direct structure determination^{3, 7, 8, 9}. And yet the purposes of these ion channels in bacteria are unknown. Strong conservation of functionally important sequences from bacteria to vertebrates, and of structure itself¹⁰, suggests that prokaryotes use ion channels in roles more adaptive than providing high-quality protein to structural biologists. Here we show that Escherichia coli uses chloride channels of the widespread ClC family in the extreme acid resistance response. We propose that the channels function as an electrical shunt for an outwardly directed virtual proton pump that is linked to amino acid decarboxylation.