Chloride Intracellular Channel Protein 4 (CLIC4)

Chloride channels are a diverse group of proteins that regulate fundamental cellular processes including stabilization of cell membrane potential, transepithelial transport, maintenance of intracellular pH, and regulation of cell volume. Chloride intracellular channel 4 (CLIC4) protein, encoded by the CLIC4 gene, is a member of the p64 family; the gene is expressed in many tissues and exhibits an intracellular vesicular pattern in Panc-1 cells (pancreatic cancer cells).The 253-amino acid CLIC4 protein is 97%, 67%, and 66% identical to rat H1 and human CLIC1 and CLIC2, respectively. CLIC4 has 5 potential phosphorylation sites. Northern blot analysis revealed ubiquitous expression of a 4.5-kb CLIC4 transcript, with prominent expression in heart, placenta, and skeletal muscle as well as pancreatic carcinoma cells.