The CDF family is a small but ubiquitous family, members of which are found in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. They transport heavy metals including cobalt, cadmium and zinc. All members of the CDF family possess six putative transmembrane spanners.
Eukaryotic proteins exhibit differences in cell localization and polarity.
Thus, some catalyze heavy metal uptake while others catalyze efflux, and some are found in plasma membranes while others are in organellar membranes. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins cluster separately. The mechanisms of energy coupling are not well understood. Ion efflux systems involved in bacterial metal resistances. A novel family of ubiquitous heavy metal ion transport proteins.