SCN8A
Encyclopedia
Sodium channel, voltage gated, type VIII, alpha subunit also known as SCN8A or Nav1.6 is a protein
which in humans is encoded by the SCN8A gene
. It is a voltage-gated sodium channel.
The ion channel was discovered by John Caldwell and colleagues at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in the rat, and by Miriam Meisler and colleagues at the University of Michigan Medical School in the mouse.
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
which in humans is encoded by the SCN8A gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
. It is a voltage-gated sodium channel.
The ion channel was discovered by John Caldwell and colleagues at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in the rat, and by Miriam Meisler and colleagues at the University of Michigan Medical School in the mouse.