Intracellular CFTR: Localization and Function

Abstract

Bradbury, Neil A. Intracellular CFTR: Localization and Function. Physiol. Rev. 79, Suppl.: S175–S191, 1999. — There is considerable evidence that CFTR can function as a chloride-selective anion channel. Moreover, this function has been localized to the apical membrane of chloride secretory epithelial cells. However, because cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is an integral membrane protein, it will also be present, to some degree, in a variety of other membrane compartments (including endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi stacks, endosomes, and lysosomes). An incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which alterations in an apical membrane chloride conductance could give rise to the various clinical manifestations of cystic fibrosis has prompted the suggestion that CFTR may also play a role in the normal function of certain intracellular compartments. A variety of intracellular functions have been attributed to CFTR, including regulation of membrane vesicle trafficking and fusion, acidification of organelles, and transport of small anions. This paper aims to review the evidence for localization of CFTR in intracellular organelles and the potential physiological consequences of that localization.