Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
FEBS Lett. 2010 May 17;584(10):2112-21. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2010.03.013. Epub 2010 Mar 11.
Plasma membrane channels have been extensively studied, and their physiological roles are well established. In contrast, relatively little information is available about intracellular ion channels. Chloride Intracellular Channel (CLICs) proteins are a novel class of putative intracellular ion channels. They are widely expressed in different intracellular compartments, and possess distinct properties such as the presence of a single transmembrane domain, and a dimorphic existence as either a soluble or membranous form. How these soluble proteins unfold, target to, and auto-insert into the intracellular membranes to form functional integral ion channels is a complex biological question. Recent information from studies of their crystal structures, biophysical characterization and functional roles has provoked interest in these unusual channels.
质膜通道已得到广泛研究，其生理作用也已确立。相比之下，关于细胞内离子通道的信息则相对较少。氯离子细胞内通道（CLICs）蛋白是一类新型的假定细胞内离子通道。它们广泛表达于不同的细胞内隔室中，具有独特的性质，如单一跨膜结构域的存在，以及可溶性或膜性形式的二态存在。这些可溶性蛋白如何展开、靶向并自动插入细胞内膜以形成功能性整合离子通道是一个复杂的生物学问题。最近关于其晶体结构、生物物理特性和功能作用的研究信息引起了人们对这些不寻常通道的兴趣。
