In cystic fibrosis (CF), dysfunction of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) ClThe ATP-binding cassette (ABC) 3 transporter cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) (1) is a multifunctional protein best known as a regulated Cl Ϫ channel (2). CFTR is assembled from five domains: two membrane-spanning domains (MSDs) that form an anion-selective pore, two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) that bind and hydrolyze ATP to control channel gating, and a unique regulatory domain (RD), whose phosphorylation by PKA is critical for CFTR activation (2, 3). CFTR is principally expressed in the apical membrane of epithelia throughout the body where it plays a fundamental role in fluid and electrolyte movements (4). Malfunction of CFTR causes the common genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) (4).Previous studies demonstrate that the regulation of intracellular pH (pH i ) is defective in CF epithelial cells (e.g. Ref. 5). They also reveal that expression of recombinant CFTR in heterologous cells modulates pH i (e.g. Ref. 6). Analysis of the literature suggests that CFTR modulates pH i in three main ways. First, CFTR itself directly transports HCO 3 Ϫ ions with a modest permeability (P HCO 3 Ϫ/P Cl Ϫ ϳ0.26 (7)). Second, CFTR regulates the Na ϩ /H ϩ exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3), which contributes to Na ϩ -dependent HCO 3 Ϫ reabsorption in pancreatic duct epithelia. CFTR stabilizes NHE3 expression at the cell surface and inhibits NHE3 activity by a cAMP-dependent mechanism when pancreatic HCO 3 Ϫ secretion is stimulated (8). Of note, the regulation of NHE3 by CFTR involves the association of CFTR and NHE3 with the scaffolding protein EBP50 to form a macromolecular complex (8). Third, CFTR regulates the Cl Ϫ /HCO 3 Ϫ (anion) exchanger (AE), which plays a central role in pancreatic HCO 3 Ϫ secretion. CFTR regulation of AE requires the cell surface expression and cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of CFTR, but not its transport of anions (6). Interestingly, Ko et al. (9) demonstrated that CFTR and members of the SLC26 family of AEs coordinate their activities through the interaction of the, phosphorylated RD of CFTR with the STAS (sulfate transporter and antisigma-factor antagonist) domain of SLC26 transporters. Thus, CFTR modulates pH i through its roles as an ion channel and regulator of transport proteins.A key unresolved question is how CFTR senses changes in pH i . As described above, CFTR might detect pH i changes indirectly through its interactions with NHE3 and SLC26 transporters. Consistent with this idea, Reddy et al. (10)