Sodium channel protein type 1, 2, and 3 subunit alpha (Nav1.1 (SCN1A), Nav1.2 (SCN2A), Nav1.3 (SCN3A))

Sodium channel protein type 1, 2, and 3 subunit alpha are the core pore-forming subunits of voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav1.1, Nav1.2, Nav1.3), essential for the initiation and propagation of action potentials in neurons and muscle cells[1][2][6]. These channels are transmembrane proteins comprising four homologous domains, each containing six transmembrane segments; their S4 segments act as voltage sensors, conferring voltage-dependent gating[1][2]. The channels are critical for rapid depolarization of excitable cells, and mutations in the encoding genes (SCN1A, SCN2A, SCN3A) are linked to various neurological disorders, including epilepsy and developmental encephalopathies[4][6]. Voltage-gated sodium channels are major drug targets for anticonvulsants, local anesthetics, and antiarrhythmics, which act predominantly by blocking or stabilizing inactive conformations of these channels[2][4].

Other names

Voltage-gated sodium channel alpha subunitNav1.1Nav1.2Nav1.3SCN1ASCN2ASCN3A

Blockade of sodium ion flux through channel pore; Stabilization of inactivated channel state; Inhibition of repetitive neuronal firing