Sodium channel, voltage-gated, type XI, alpha subunit also known as SCN11A or Nav1.9 is a voltage-gatedsodium ion channel protein which in humans is encoded by the SCN11Agene.[1][2]
Voltage-gated sodium channels are membrane protein complexes that play a fundamental role in the rising phase of the action potential in most excitable cells. Alpha subunits, such as SCN11A, mediate voltage-dependent gating and conductance, while auxiliary beta subunits regulate the kinetic properties of the channel and facilitate membrane localization of the complex. Aberrant expression patterns or mutations of alpha subunits underlie a number of disorders. Each alpha subunit consists of 4 domains connected by 3 intracellular loops; each domain consists of 6 transmembrane segments and intra- and extracellular linkers.[3]
Clinical significance
Mutations in this gene have been associated to loss of pain perception.[4]
References
↑Dib-Hajj S, Black JA, Cummins TR, Waxman SG (2002). "NaN/Nav1.9: a sodium channel with unique properties". Trends Neurosci. 25 (5): 253–9. doi:10.1016/S0166-2236(02)02150-1. PMID11972962.
↑Dib-Hajj SD, Tyrrell L, Waxman SG (2002). "Structure of the sodium channel gene SCN11A: evidence for intron-to-exon conversion model and implications for gene evolution". Mol. Neurobiol. 26 (2–3): 235–50. doi:10.1385/MN:26:2-3:235. PMID12428758.