Varga Zoltán, Hajdu Péter, Panyi György, Gáspár Rezso, Krasznai Zoltán
Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Center, Debrecen, Hungary.
Curr Pharm Des. 2007;13(24):2456-68. doi: 10.2174/138161207781368576.
Ion channels are ubiquitous transmembrane proteins that are involved in a wide variety of cellular functions by selectively controlling the passage of ions across the plasma membrane. Among these functions many immune processes, including those in autoimmune reactions, also rely on the operation of ion channels, but the roles of ion channels can be very diverse. Here the participation of ion channels in three different roles in autoimmune processes is discussed: 1. ion channels in effector immune cells attacking other tissues causing autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis; 2. ion channels as direct targets of the immune system whereby loss of channel function leads to disease, as in myasthenia gravis; 3. ion channels whose function is modulated in the target cells by an apoptotic signal transduction cascade, such as the Fas/Fas ligand pathway. The numerous tasks that ion channels perform in autoimmune disorders and the wealth of information that has been gathered about them in recent years together provide a good basis for the design and production of drugs that may be effectively used in the therapy of these diseases.
离子通道是普遍存在的跨膜蛋白，通过选择性地控制离子穿过质膜，参与多种细胞功能。在这些功能中，许多免疫过程，包括自身免疫反应中的免疫过程，也依赖于离子通道的运作，但其作用可能非常多样。本文讨论了离子通道在自身免疫过程中的三种不同作用：1. 效应免疫细胞中的离子通道攻击其他组织导致自身免疫性疾病，如多发性硬化症；2. 离子通道作为免疫系统的直接靶点，通道功能丧失导致疾病，如重症肌无力；3. 其功能在靶细胞中通过凋亡信号转导级联反应（如Fas/Fas配体途径）进行调节的离子通道。离子通道在自身免疫性疾病中执行的众多任务以及近年来收集到的关于它们的大量信息，共同为设计和生产可有效用于治疗这些疾病的药物提供了良好的基础。
