TRPC4
Protein and coding gene in humans
The short transient receptor potential channel 4 (TrpC4), also known as Trp-related protein 4, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TRPC4 gene.
01Function
TrpC4 is a member of the transient receptor potential cation channels. This protein forms a non-selective calcium-permeable cation channel that is activated by Gαi-coupled receptors, Gαq-coupled receptors and tyrosine kinases, and plays a role in multiple processes including endothelial permeability, vasodilation, neurotransmitter release and cell proliferation.
02Tissue distribution
The nonselective cation channel TrpC4 has been shown to be present in high abundance in the cortico-limbic regions of the brain. In addition, TRPC4 mRNA is present in midbrain dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra.
03Roles
Deletion of the trpc4 gene decreases levels of sociability in a social exploration task. These results suggest that TRPC4 may play a role in regulating social anxiety in a number of different disorders. However deletion of the trpc4 gene had no impact on basic or complex strategic learning. Given that the trpc4 gene is expressed in a select population of midbrain dopamine neurons, it has been proposed that it may have an important role in dopamine related processes including addiction and attention.
04Clinical significance
Single nucleotide polymorphisms in this gene may be associated with generalized epilepsy with photosensitivity.
05Interactions
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “TRPC4”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Ideogram human chromosome 13.svg by National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Public domain
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