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Molecular diversity of cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels

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Abstract

Cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels (CNG channels) form a multi-gene family consisting of at least five distinct members (CNG1-5). Expression studies have indicated that only CNG1-3 are able to form functional homooligomeric channels. Although structurally related, the cDNAs of CNG4-5 fail to induce cyclic nucleotide-dependent currents when expressed alone. However, when co-expressed with CNG1-3 they confer some of the physiologically observed properties of native CNG channels which are absent from the homooligomeric CNG1-3 channels. CNG channels are expressed in several tissues and cell types pointing to a general function of these channels in a wide variety of cellular systems. There is now increasing evidence that a major function of CNG channels may consist in roviding a second messenger-regulated pathway for Ca2+ influx.

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  1. Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, der Technischen Universität München, Biedersteiner Strasse 29, D-80802, München, Germany

    Martin Biel, Xiangang Zong & Franz Hofmann

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  1. Martin Biel
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Biel, M., Zong, X. & Hofmann, F. Molecular diversity of cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 353, 1–10 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00168909

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