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Nature 442, 877-878 (24 August 2006) | doi:10.1038/nature04999; Published online 23 August 2006

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Physiology: Nitrate at the ion exchange

Julian I. Schroeder1

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The distinction between CLC ion channels and ion exchangers has become blurred. The physiological role of CLC exchangers has been a mystery, but one function is evidently to concentrate nitrate in plant vacuoles.

The cell membranes of all self-respecting cells contain ion channels that allow the selective flow of, for example, sodium or potassium, or anions such as chloride, into and out of the cell. Only a couple of years ago, a startling discovery was made that certain predicted chloride channels — specifically, members of the CLC family — function not as passive chloride-selective ion channels, but as proton–chloride exchangers that transport protons and chloride anions in opposite directions across cell membranes1, 2, 3.

  1. Julian I. Schroeder is in the Division of Biological Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology Section, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0116, USA.
    Email: julian@biomail.ucsd.edu

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