Biology:Zinc-activated ion channel

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Short description: Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens


A representation of the 3D structure of the protein myoglobin showing turquoise α-helices.
Generic protein structure example

Zinc-activated ion channel (ZAC), is a human protein encoded by the ZACN gene. ZAC forms a cation-permeable ligand-gated ion channel of the "Cys-loop" superfamily. The ZAC gene is present in humans and dogs, but no ortholog is thought to exist in the rat or mouse genomes.[1]

ZAC mRNA is expressed in prostate, thyroid, trachea, lung, brain (adult and fetal), spinal cord, skeletal muscle, heart, placenta, pancreas, liver, kidney and stomach.[1][2] The endogenous ligand for ZAC is thought to be Zn2+, although ZAC has also been found to activate spontaneously. The function of spontaneous ZAC activation is unknown.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "A novel class of ligand-gated ion channel is activated by Zn2+". The Journal of Biological Chemistry 278 (2): 712–7. January 2003. doi:10.1074/jbc.M208814200. PMID 12381728. 
  2. "Cloning and expression of ligand-gated ion-channel receptor L2 in central nervous system". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 335 (2): 277–85. September 2005. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.07.079. PMID 16083862.