Kass Robert S
Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA.
J Clin Invest. 2005 Aug;115(8):1986-9. doi: 10.1172/JCI26011.
Ion channels are pore-forming proteins that provide pathways for the controlled movement of ions into or out of cells. Ionic movement across cell membranes is critical for essential and physiological processes ranging from control of the strength and duration of the heartbeat to the regulation of insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells. Diseases caused by mutations in genes that encode ion channel subunits or regulatory proteins are referred to as channelopathies. As might be expected based on the diverse roles of ion channels, channelopathies range from inherited cardiac arrhythmias, to muscle disorders, to forms of diabetes. This series of reviews examines the roles of ion channels in health and disease.
离子通道是形成孔道的蛋白质，为离子进出细胞的可控运动提供途径。离子跨细胞膜的运动对于从控制心跳的强度和持续时间到调节胰腺β细胞中胰岛素分泌等基本生理过程至关重要。由编码离子通道亚基或调节蛋白的基因突变引起的疾病被称为离子通道病。基于离子通道的多种作用，可以预期离子通道病的范围从遗传性心律失常到肌肉疾病，再到各种形式的糖尿病。本系列综述探讨了离子通道在健康和疾病中的作用。
