Multiple transport pathways for mediating intracellular pH homeostasis: the contribution of H+/ion exchangers

• Main Author: Jon ePittman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2012-01-01
• Series: Frontiers in Plant Science
• Subjects: Secretory Pathway; V-ATPase; anion/H+ exchanger; cation/H+ exchanger; CHX gene family; H+ transport
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpls.2012.00011/full

Intracellular pH homeostasis is an essential process in all plant cells. The transport of H+ into intracellular compartments is critical for providing pH regulation. The maintenance of correct luminal pH in the vacuole and in compartments of the secretory/endocytic pathway is important for a variety of cellular functions including protein modification, sorting and trafficking. It is becoming increasingly evident that coordination between primary H+ pumps, most notably the V-ATPase, and secondary ion/H+ exchangers allows this endomembrane pH maintenance to occur. This article describes some of the recent insights from the studies of plant cation/H+ exchangers and anion/H+ exchangers that demonstrate the fundamental roles of these transporters in pH homeostasis within intracellular compartments.