离子通道亚型与其基因共表达的关联研究

离子通道亚型与其基因共表达的关联对研究离子通道功能有重要意义。文章采用主成分分析和模糊C-均值聚类算法对数据进行分析, 将方法应用到人类和小鼠两套表达谱数据, 结果发现离子通道亚型中钾离子通道、钙离子通道、氯离子通道和受体激活型离子通道的表达谱聚类结果与生物学分类有较好的一致性, 体现了离子通道亚型在mRNA水平上的共表达, 并证实了通过离子通道表达谱能很好的对离子通道的功能亚型进行分类。     

膜片钳技术在动脉粥样硬化研究中的应用

膜片钳技术是一种先进的电生理技术,在生命科学研究中已得到了广泛的应用.最近几年已把它运用于研究动脉粥样硬化血管平滑肌细胞离子通道电生理特性的改变.研究发现血管平滑肌细胞的凋亡与K+通道活动增加有关,在动脉粥样硬化发生与发展过程中大电导型钙激活钾通道起着重要的功能作用.某些药物影响动脉粥样硬化血管平滑肌细胞离子通道而发挥作用.膜片钳技术给动脉粥样硬化发病机理研究带来了新的亮点.     

昆虫离子通道及其抗药性研究进展

昆虫细胞膜离子通道是多种杀虫剂的作用靶标,通道功能特性的变异等与害虫抗药性密切相关.电压钳及膜片钳等电生理技术在离子通道功能研究中具有独特优势,在杀虫剂作用机理及害虫抗性机理研究中越来越受到重视.昆虫细胞膜离子通道主要包括配体门控通道和电压门控通道两大类.配体门控通道主要包括乙酰胆碱受体、GABA和谷氨酸受体通道等.电压门控通道主要有钠、钾和钙通道等,其中钠通道研究成果较多,与害虫抗性关系密切.由于钙离子的重要生理功能,随着研究深入,钙通道将成为研究重点.     

离子通道与人类遗传病

细胞膜离子通道结构和功能正常是细胞进行生理活动的基础,对离子通道功能具有决定性意义的特定位点的突变导致其开放、关闭或激活、失活功能异常,引起组织机能紊乱,形成各种遗传性疾病。本文从水通道蛋白,钙通道,钠通道,钾通道等多种通道蛋白引起的遗传病的现象以及机理做较深入的阐述。     

昆虫中枢DUM神经元受体和离子通道电生理学研究进展

背侧不成对中间神经元(DUM)是一类位于多种昆虫腹神经索神经节背侧的神经元,能自发产生内源性超射动作电位。在DUM神经元细胞膜表达多种受体和离子通道,且电生理特性有别于哺乳动物中枢神经元膜上同种类型的受体和离子通道。目前已证实其细胞膜上表达K+通道、电压依赖的Na+通道、Ca2+敏感的Cl-通道、Ca2+通道、氯离子通道、乙酰胆碱受体、谷氨酸受体等多种离子通道和受体。近年来因膜片钳(patch-clamp)技术进展和对受体和离子通道研究的深入,该类神经细胞已用于杀虫剂选择性神经毒性研究和杀虫剂离体筛选。     

膜片钳技术的新进展及其在药物高通量筛选中的应用

作为先进的细胞电生理技术,膜片钳一直被奉为研究离子通道的“金标准”。应用膜片钳技术可以证实细胞膜上离子通道的存在并能对其电生理特性、分子结构、药物作用机制等进行深入的研究。基因组学、蛋白质组学研究表明,以离子通道为靶标的药物研究在未来具有很大的发展空间。为了突破由于筛选技术所造成的针对离子通道为靶标的药物研发的瓶颈,近年来,对膜片钳技术进行了改进以适合药物高通量筛选的需求,由此产生了一些新的技术。本文就最近几年膜片钳技术的新进展及其在药物高通量筛选中的应用进行了综述。     

胰腺β细胞的离子通道和胰岛素分泌

1 .胰腺β细胞膜上几种重要的离子通道和动作电位β细胞内的离子通道特性和胰岛素分泌的机制研究是深入了解糖尿病的基础。 2 0世纪 70年代初 ,胰岛 (ｉｓｌｅｔ)电生理研究表明 ,葡萄糖刺激伴随着β细胞膜电势的变化 ,并推测其与胰岛素分泌相关[1] 。 2 0世纪 70年代末 ,Ｎｅｈｅｒ等[2 ] 发明了膜片钳记录技术 ,大大促进了包括β细胞在内的单细胞电生理的研究。1 .1　Ｋ 通道　　 2 0世纪 80年代前期 ,各种不同膜片钳构型的研究都表明 ,葡萄糖刺激下β细胞的膜电势变化源于膜上一种Ｋ 通道活性的改变 ,因其可直接被ＡＴＰ关闭而被命名为…     

自主神经对心肌膜离子通道的调节

自主神经通过多种机制对心肌膜Na^ ,K^ ,Ca^2 ,Cl^-等多种离子通道进行调节,从而实现其对心脏的变动,变力,变传导等多种作用。研究自主神经对心脏离子通道的调节,对于人们认识心脏电生理,病理生理及多种心血管疾病的发病和治疗具有重要意义。本文对自主神经对心肌膜离子通道的调节及其信号转导进行论述。     

酸敏感离子通道外源性配体研究进展

酸敏感离子通道(ASICs)属于上皮 Na+ 通道/退化蛋白超家族,对细胞外 H+ 浓度变化敏感,其受多种外源性配体调控,产生 不同生理和病理学效应。越来越多研究发现,ASICs 参与脑缺血、炎症、肿瘤等具有酸化改变的病理过程。简介 ASICs 的结构及其配体 作用位点以及各亚基的组织分布和电生理特性,主要对各类 ASICs 外源性配体的研究进展作一综述。     

电压门控离子通道功能与结构分子模型

离子通道是细胞膜上特殊跨膜蛋白构成的亲水孔道,越来越多的证据表明其与兴奋性,腺体分泌、机体运动、甚至学习和记忆行为等重要生理现象密切相关,由此该领域成为当今年生命学科广为注目的前沿之一。本将简要介绍离子通道的分类和功能,并侧重阐明通道压控原理有压控通道的跨膜拓扑结构和功能分子模型。     

Thellungiella halophila, a salt-tolerant relative of Arabidopsis thaliana, has specific root ion-channel features supporting K+/Na+ homeostasis under salinity stress

Thellungiella halophila is a salt-tolerant relative of Arabidopsis thaliana with high genetic and morphological similarity. In a saline environment, T. halophila accumulates less sodium and retains more potassium than A. thaliana. Detailed electrophysiological comparison of ion currents in roots of both species showed that, unlike A. thaliana, T. halophila exhibits high potassium/sodium selectivity of the instantaneous current. This current differs in its pharmacological profile from the current through inward- and outward-rectifying K(+) channels insofar as it is insensitive to Cs(+) and TEA(+), but resembles voltage-independent channels of glycophytes as it is inhibited by external Ca(2+). Addition of Cs(+) and TEA(+) to the growth medium confirmed the key role of the instantaneous current in whole-plant sodium accumulation. A negative shift in the reversal potential of the instantaneous current under high-salt conditions was essential for decreasing sodium influx to twofold lower than the corresponding value in A. thaliana. The lower overall sodium permeability of the T. halophila root plasma membrane resulted in a smaller membrane depolarization during salt exposure, thus allowing the cells to maintain their driving force for potassium uptake. Our data provide quantitative evidence that specific features of ion channels lead to superior sodium/potassium homeostasis in a halophyte compared with a closely related glycophyte.     

Calcium signaling and annexins

The annexins, are a family of calcium ion (Ca2+)-binding proteins whose physiological functions are poorly understood. Although many diverse functions have been proposed for these proteins, such as in vesicle trafficking, this review focuses on their proposed roles as Ca2+ or other ion channels, or as intracellular ion channel regulators. Such ideas are founded mainly on in vitro and structural analyses, but there is increasing evidence that at least some members of this protein family may indeed play a part in intracellular Ca2+ signaling by acting both as atypical ion channels and as modulators of ion channel activity. This review first introduces the annexin family, then discusses intracellular localization, developmental regulation, and modes of membrane association of annexins, which suggest roles in Ca2+ homeostasis. Finally, it examines the structural and electrophysiological data that argue for key roles for annexins in the control of ion fluxes.     

细胞外调控分子对酸敏感离子通道的功能调控及其机制

酸敏感离子通道(acid-Sensing ion channels,ASlCs)是一类由细胞外质子(H )激活的配体门控阳离子通道.迄今为止,人们在哺乳动物体内已经发现了6种ASICs亚基蛋白,它们分布在多种组织器官中.越来越多的研究表明:ASICs参与了机体的生理、病理过程,如:学习、记忆、痛觉、脑中风和肿瘤.在过去的10年中,人们发现多种内源性或外源性分子可以调控ASICs通道活性.由于这些细胞外调控分子与多种生理和病理功能有关,因此研究细胞外调控分子对ASICs的调控及其分子机制,可以帮助我们更多地了解ASICs功能以及结构信息,也为人们设计ASICs靶点特异性药物提供了理论依据.文章将系统地介绍细胞外调控分子对ASICs的功能调控及其作用机制,特别是该研究领域的最新进展.     

Structural Pharmacology of TRP Channels

Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are a super-family of ion channels that mediate transmembrane cation flux with polymodal activation, ranging from chemical to physical stimuli. Furthermore, due to their ubiquitous expression and role in human diseases, they serve as potential pharmacological targets. Advances in cryo-EM TRP channel structural biology has revealed general, as well as diverse, architectural elements and regulatory sites among TRP channel subfamilies. Here, we review the endogenous and pharmacological ligand-binding sites of TRP channels and their regulatory mechanisms.     

Identification and experimental verification of a novel family of bacterial cyclic nucleotide-gated (bCNG) ion channels

Studies of bacterial ion channels have provided significant insights into the structure-function relationships of mechanosensitive and voltage-gated ion channels. However, to date, very few bacterial channels that respond to small molecules have been identified, cloned, and characterized. Here, we use bioinformatics to identify a novel family of bacterial cyclic nucleotide-gated (bCNG) ion channels containing a channel domain related by sequence homology to the mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS). In this initial report, we clone selected members of this channel family, use electrophysiological measurements to verify their ability to directly gate in response to cyclic nucleotides, and use osmotic downshock to demonstrate their lack of mechanosensitivity. In addition to providing insight into bacterial physiology, these channels will provide researchers with a useful model system to investigate the role of ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) in the signaling processes of higher organisms. The identification of these channels provides a foundation for structural and functional studies of LGICs that would be difficult to perform on mammalian channels. Moreover, the discovery of bCNG channels implies that bacteria have cyclic nucleotide-gated and cyclic nucleotide-modulated ion channels, which are analogous to the ion channels involved in eukaryotic secondary messenger signaling pathways.     

Probing the pharmacological properties of distinct subunit interfaces within heteromeric glycine receptors reveals a functional ββ agonist-binding site

Synaptic glycine receptors (GlyRs) are hetero-pentameric chloride channels composed of α and β subunits, which are activated by agonist binding at subunit interfaces. To examine the pharmacological properties of each potential agonist-binding site, we substituted residues of the GlyR α(1) subunit by the corresponding residues of the β subunit, as deduced from sequence alignment and homology modeling based on the recently published crystal structure of the glutamate-gated chloride channel GluCl. These exchange substitutions allowed us to reproduce the βα, αβ and ββ subunit interfaces present in synaptic heteromeric GlyRs by generating recombinant homomeric receptors. When the engineered α(1) GlyR mutants were expressed in Xenopus oocytes, all subunit interface combinations were found to form functional agonist-binding sites as revealed by voltage clamp recording. The ββ-binding site displayed the most distinct pharmacological profile towards a range of agonists and modulators tested, indicating that it might be selectively targeted to modulate the activity of synaptic GlyRs. The mutational approach described here should be generally applicable to heteromeric ligand-gated ion channels composed of homologous subunits and facilitate screening efforts aimed at targeting inter-subunit specific binding sites.     

Fluorescence imaging of electrically stimulated cells

Designing high-throughput screens for voltage-gated ion channels has been a tremendous challenge for the pharmaceutical industry because channel activity is dependent on the transmembrane voltage gradient, a stimulus unlike ligand binding to G-protein-coupled receptors or ligand-gated ion channels. To achieve an acceptable throughput, assays to screen for voltage-gated ion channel modulators that are employed today rely on pharmacological intervention to activate these channels. These interventions can introduce artifacts. Ideally, a high-throughput screen should not compromise physiological relevance. Hence, a more appropriate method would activate voltage-gated ion channels by altering plasma membrane potential directly, via electrical stimulation, while simultaneously recording the operation of the channel in populations of cells. The authors present preliminary results obtained from a device that is designed to supply precise and reproducible electrical stimuli to populations of cells. Changes in voltage-gated ion channel activity were monitored using a digital fluorescent microscope. The prototype electric field stimulation (EFS) device provided real-time analysis of cellular responsiveness to physiological and pharmacological stimuli. Voltage stimuli applied to SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells cultured on the EFS device evoked membrane potential changes that were dependent on activation of voltage-gated sodium channels. Data obtained using digital fluorescence microscopy suggests suitability of this system for HTS.