Fyfe G K, Quinn A, Canessa C M
Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8026, USA.
Semin Nephrol. 1998 Mar;18(2):138-51.
The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is the prototype of a new family of ion channels known as the Mec-ENaC superfamily. This new family of proteins are involved in a wide variety of functions that range from maintenance of sodium homeostasis to transduction of mechanical stimuli and nociceptive pain by specialized neurons. They show distinct tissue- and cell type-dependent expression and differential sensitivity to inhibition by the diuretic amiloride and its analogs. Despite the very little amino acid identity shared by these proteins, they all have the same common structure that has become a hallmark of the Mec-ENaC superfamily. The efforts to understand the structure and regulation of these ion channels have been stimulated by the recent discovery of severe disturbances in the maintenance of blood pressure caused by gain- or loss-of-function mutations in the genes that encode the subunits of ENaC in humans. Moreover, cloning of the ion channels that mediate pain elicited by tissue injury and inflammation will facilitate the development of new drugs to treat these common ailments.
上皮钠通道（ENaC）是一个被称为Mec - ENaC超家族的新离子通道家族的原型。这个新的蛋白质家族参与了广泛的功能，从维持钠稳态到通过特殊神经元传导机械刺激和伤害性疼痛。它们表现出明显的组织和细胞类型依赖性表达，以及对利尿剂氨氯地平及其类似物抑制的不同敏感性。尽管这些蛋白质之间共享的氨基酸同一性非常少，但它们都具有相同的共同结构，这已成为Mec - ENaC超家族的标志。最近发现人类中编码ENaC亚基的基因突变导致血压维持严重紊乱，这激发了人们对这些离子通道的结构和调节进行研究。此外，克隆介导组织损伤和炎症引起的疼痛的离子通道将有助于开发治疗这些常见疾病的新药。
