Abstract
Nav1.3, encoded by the SCN3A gene, is a voltage-gated sodium channel on the cell membrane. It is expressed abundantly in the fetal brain but little in the normal adult brain. It is involved in the generation and conduction of action potentials in excitable cells. Nav1.3 plays an important role in many neurological diseases. The aim of this review is to summarize new findings about Nav1.3 in the field of neurology. Many mutations of SCN3A can lead to neuronal hyperexcitability and then cause epilepsy. The rapid recovery from inactivation and slow closed-state inactivation kinetics of Nav1.3 leads to a reduced activation threshold of the channel and a high frequency of firing of neurons. Hyperactivity of Nav1.3 also induces increased excitability of sensory neurons, a lower nociceptive threshold, and neuropathic pain. This review summarizes the structure and the function of Nav1.3 and focuses on its relationship with epilepsy and neuropathic pain.
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No data was used in the review and all materials were obtained from the published literature resources.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Hui-lin Pan from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and language editing which have greatly improved the manuscript.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract (Nos. 82071250, 31672290), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Provence (2021JJ30798), Innovation and entrepreneurship education reform research project of Central South University (2019CG052), Postgraduate education and teaching reform project of Central South University (2021JGB105), Biochemistry Maker Space of Central South University (2015CK009), and Undergraduate Innovation Training Program of Central South University (No. 20210031020031).
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Liao, S., Liu, T., Yang, R. et al. Structure and Function of Sodium Channel Nav1.3 in Neurological Disorders. Cell Mol Neurobiol 43, 575–584 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-022-01211-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-022-01211-w