Two papers describe how a membrane protein can move both lipids and ions

(University of Groningen) The TMEM16 family of membrane proteins was hailed as representing the elusive calcium-activated chloride channels. However, the majority of the family members turned out to be scramblases, proteins that shuffle lipids between both sides of a lipid membrane, some also with non-selective ion conductance. A new study on proteins of the TMEM16 family, published in two back-to-back papers in the journal eLife, shows what the structures of these proteins reveal about their function.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news