Anion Exchangers (阴离子交换体)

Anion Exchangers are a critical class of transmembrane proteins that primarily facilitate the exchange of anions, such as Cl^-, HCO₃^-, and SO₂^2-, between the intracellular and extracellular environment through the antiport mechanism. Anion Exchangers mainly include members of the solute carrier 4 (SLC4) and solute carrier 26 (SLC26) families, such as AE1 (SLC4A1), AE2 (SLC4A2), AE3 (SLC4A3), DRA (SLC26A3), and PAT1 (SLC26A6), which are widely distributed in tissues such as red blood cells, kidneys, and the digestive tract.
Anion Exchangers play a pivotal role in physiological processes such as maintaining acid-base balance, ion homeostasis, and metabolite excretion. Dysfunction of these proteins is closely associated with various diseases, including hereditary distal renal tubular acidosis, metabolic disorders, and abnormal regulation of the tumor microenvironment^[1][2].