In response to swelling cells recover their volume by releasing ions (mainly K+, Cl-) and different organic solutes (e.g. taurine) via volume-sensitive pathways. Depending on the cause of swelling (net uptake of electrolytes or decrease in external osmolality) cells use specifically some of these pathways. Previous data indicate that the anion exchanger (AE1) is involved in the choice of the regulatory pattern the cells adopt. Molecular cloning and functional expression of AE1 from the trout erythrocyte shows that this anion exchanger can function as a channel mediating taurine fluxes. In the erythrocyte, the channel activation depends on the conditions as the cell is swollen: when swelling is caused by an accumulation of electrolytes (resulting in an increase of the intracellular ionic strength) the channel is not activated and the regulatory volume decrease occurs exclusively by a release of K and Cl via a KCl cotransporter. When swelling is caused by hypotonic shock (resulting in a decrease in intracellular ionic strength) the KCl cotransporter is then mainly inactivated or even silent; conversely the channel is activated and allows volume recovery by mediating the release of both taurine and probably K and Cl. The possibility that AEs function as volume-activated taurine channels in other cell types and as a malaria-induced channel in malaria-infected human red cells is considered.