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Related Concept Videos

Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview01:27

ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview

ATP-driven pumps, also known as transport ATPases, are integral membrane proteins. They have binding sites for ATP located on the membrane's cytosolic side and the ion-conducting domain in the transmembrane region. These pumps use the free energy released from ATP hydrolysis to move the solutes across cell membranes against an electrochemical gradient.
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and are...
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Active Transport01:14

Active Transport

Active transport is a critical biological process that allows cells to move solutes against an electrochemical gradient. This process requires direct energy input and is characterized by its selectivity, saturability, and susceptibility to competitive inhibition.
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...
Primary Active Transport01:29

Primary Active Transport

In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they would not...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Functional Characterization of Na+/H+ Exchangers of Intracellular Compartments Using Proton-killing Selection to Express Them at the Plasma Membrane
07:38

Functional Characterization of Na+/H+ Exchangers of Intracellular Compartments Using Proton-killing Selection to Express Them at the Plasma Membrane

Published on: March 30, 2015

Plant NHX cation/proton antiporters.

M Pilar Rodríguez-Rosales1, Francisco J Gálvez, Raúl Huertas

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain.

Plant Signaling & Behavior
|October 2, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Plant cation/proton antiporters, like NHX transporters, are crucial for regulating intracellular pH and ion balance. These transporters are vital for salt tolerance, potassium homeostasis, and overall plant development.

Keywords:
NHX-type ion transporterspH regulationplant membrane vesiclespotassium homeostasissalt tolerance

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Functional Characterization of Na+/H+ Exchangers of Intracellular Compartments Using Proton-killing Selection to Express Them at the Plasma Membrane
07:38

Functional Characterization of Na+/H+ Exchangers of Intracellular Compartments Using Proton-killing Selection to Express Them at the Plasma Membrane

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Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters
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Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters

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Measuring Fluxes of Mineral Nutrients and Toxicants in Plants with Radioactive Tracers
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Measuring Fluxes of Mineral Nutrients and Toxicants in Plants with Radioactive Tracers

Published on: August 22, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Plant molecular biology
  • Plant physiology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Physiological and biochemical studies long indicated the involvement of Na(+)/H(+) and K(+)/H(+) antiporters in plant intracellular ion and pH regulation.
  • Identifying specific genes responsible for these antiporter functions has been a lengthy process.
  • Genome sequencing has revealed a large number of putative Cation/Proton antiporters in plants, with their functions largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the roles of Cation/Proton antiporters, specifically the intracellular NHX transporter family, in plant physiology.
  • To elucidate the function of the founding member, AtNHX1, in salt tolerance and vacuolar sodium accumulation.
  • To explore the broader roles of NHX transporters in pH regulation, potassium homeostasis, and plant development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of genome sequencing data to identify putative Cation/Proton antiporters.
  • Functional characterization of the NHX transporter family, including the founding member AtNHX1.
  • Investigating the involvement of these transporters in physiological processes such as ion transport, pH regulation, and salt tolerance.

Main Results:

  • The intracellular NHX transporters represent the first Cation/Proton exchanger family studied in plants.
  • AtNHX1 was identified as a key determinant of salt tolerance, mediating Na(+) accumulation in vacuoles.
  • Evidence suggests NHX family members also play critical roles in pH regulation and K(+) homeostasis.

Conclusions:

  • Cation/Proton antiporters, particularly the NHX family, are essential for maintaining cellular ion and pH balance in plants.
  • These transporters are involved in a wide range of physiological processes, including salt tolerance, potassium homeostasis, vesicle trafficking, cell expansion, and overall plant development.