Non-essential component of the volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC, also named VSOAC channel), an anion channel required to maintain a constant cell volume in response to extracellular or intracellular osmotic changes (PubMed:29773801). The VRAC channel conducts iodide better than chloride and can also conduct organic osmolytes like taurine (By similarity). Plays a redundant role in the efflux of amino acids, such as aspartate, in response to osmotic stress family member (LRRC8B, LRRC8C, LRRC8D or LRRC8E); channel characteristics depend on the precise subunit composition (By similarity). Also acts as a regulator of glucose-sensing in pancreatic beta cells: VRAC currents, generated in response to hypotonicity- or glucose-induced beta cell swelling, depolarize cells, thereby causing electrical excitation, leading to increase glucose sensitivity and insulin secretion (PubMed:29773801). VRAC channels containing LRRC8D inhibit transport of immunoreactive cyclic dinucleotide GMP-AMP (2'-3'-cGAMP), an immune messenger produced in response to DNA virus in the cytosol (By similarity). chloride(in) = chloride(out) iodide(out) = iodide(in) taurine(out) = taurine(in) Heterohexamer (Probable). Oligomerizes with other LRRC8 proteins (LRRC8A, LRRC8B, LRRC8C and/or LRRC8E) to form a heterohexamer. In vivo, the subunit composition may depend primarily on expression levels, and heterooligomeric channels containing various proportions of the different LRRC8 proteins may coexist (PubMed:24782309). In the absence of LRRC8A, resides primarily in a cytoplasmic compartment, probably the endoplasmic reticulum (PubMed:29773801). Requires LRRC8A for expression at the cell membrane (By similarity). Expressed in pancreatic beta cells (PubMed:29773801). Also expressed in glucagon-secreting pancreatic alpha cells (PubMed:29773801). The volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC) channel forms a trimer of dimers, with symmetry mismatch between the pore-forming domain and the cytosolic LRR repeats, a topology similar to gap junction proteins. Belongs to the LRRC8 family.