Potassium Chloride Cotransporters 2 (KCC2)

The cation-chloride cotransporter gene family includes that Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC), the Na-K-2Cl cotransporters (NKCCs), and the K-Cl cotransporters (KCCs). KCCs normally lower intracellular chloride concentrations below the electrochemical equilibrium potential. Depending on the chemical concentration gradients of potassium and chloride, KCC2 can operate as a net efflux or influx pathway (Hubner et al., 2001).

This potassium-chloride transporter is an integral membrane K-Cl cotransporter that can function in either a net efflux or influx pathway, depending on the chemical concentration gradients of potassium and chloride. The encoded protein can act as a homomultimer, or as a heteromultimer with other K-Cl cotransporters, to maintain chloride homeostasis in neurons.