Fig. 10

Maxi-anion channel is activated by osmotic swelling, ischemia and hypoxia, and its pore serves as the conducting pathways not only for a small inorganic anion, Cl⁻, but also for negatively charged signaling molecules, ATP and glutamate. Transport of Cl⁻ defines the conventional roles of the maxi-anion channel in fluid secretion/absorption, in cell volume regulation, and in controlling the membrane potential. On the other hand, the wide nano-sized pore of the maxi-anion channel is capable to release extracellular signals, ATP and glutamate, from a cell, thus defining novel roles of this channel in stress-sensory signal transduction. See text for details