Zinc-activated ion channel (ZAC), is a human protein encoded by the ZACNgene. ZAC forms a cation-permeable ligand-gated ion channel of the "Cys-loop" superfamily. The ZAC gene is present in humans and dogs, but no ortholog is thought to exist in the rat or mouse genomes.[3]
ZAC mRNA is expressed in prostate, thyroid, trachea, lung, brain (adult and fetal), spinal cord, skeletal muscle, heart, placenta, pancreas, liver, kidney and stomach.[3][4] The endogenous ligand for ZAC is thought to be Zn2+, although ZAC has also been found to activate spontaneously. The function of spontaneous ZAC activation is unknown.[3]
^Houtani T, Munemoto Y, Kase M, Sakuma S, Tsutsumi T, Sugimoto T (September 2005). "Cloning and expression of ligand-gated ion-channel receptor L2 in central nervous system". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 335 (2): 277–85. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.07.079. PMID16083862.
