The role of ASICs in neuroprotection after spinal ischemia

酸敏离子通道(ASICs)是由细胞外质子控制的钠通道。ASIC1a通道在胞外区具有亚基间的Cl-结合位点，这些结合位点在ASIC亚基之间高度保守。我们发现，阴离子调节多种ASIC性质，并且依赖于亚基组成，并且对ASIC2a和ASIC3的调制机制与ASIC1a不同。我们推测，氯对ASIC门控的调节是感知细胞外液成分变化的一种新机制。

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are sodium channels gated by extracellular protons. ASIC1a channels possess intersubunit Cl-binding sites in the extracellular domain, which are highly conserved between ASIC subunits. We found that anions modulate a variety of ASIC properties and are dependent on the subunit composition, and the mechanism of modulation for ASIC2a and ASIC3 is distinct from that of ASIC1a. We speculate that modulation of ASIC gating by Cl is a novel mechanism to sense shifts in extracellular fluid composition.