Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 8B is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

that in humans is encoded by the LRRC8B

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

. Researchers have found out that this protein, along with the other LRRC8 proteins

LRRC8A Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 8A is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''LRRC8A'' gene. Researchers have found out that this protein, along with the other LRRC8 proteins LRRC8B, LRRC8C, LRRC8D, and LRRC8E, is a subunit of the ...

, LRRC8C, LRRC8D, and LRRC8E, is sometimes a subunit of the heteromer protein

volume-regulated anion channel Volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) are crucial to the regulation of cell size by transporting chloride ions and various organic osmolytes, such as taurine or glutamate, across the plasma membrane, and that is not the only function these chann ...

(VRAC). VRACs are crucial to the regulation of cell size by transporting chloride ions and various organic osmolytes, such as taurine or glutamate, across the plasma membrane, and that is not the only function these channels have been linked to. While LRRC8B is one of many proteins that can be part of VRAC, research has found that it is not as crucial to the activity of the channel in comparison to

and LRRC8D. However, while we know that LRRC8A and LRRC8D are necessary for VRAC function, other studies have found that they are not sufficient for the full range of usual VRAC activity. This is where the other LRRC8 proteins come in, such as LRRC8B, as the different composition of these subunits affects the range of specificity for VRACs. In addition to its role in VRACs, the LRRC8 protein family is also associated with

agammaglobulinemia Hypogammaglobulinemia is a problem with the immune system in which not enough gamma globulins are produced in the blood (thus '' hypo-'' + ''gamma'' + '' globulin'' + '' -emia''). This results in a lower antibody count, which impairs the immune sy ...

-5.

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