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FLASH GENE
Symbol SCN8A contributors: mct - updated : 15-03-2018
HGNC name sodium channel, voltage gated, type VIII, alpha subunit
HGNC id 10596
EXPRESSION
Type widely
   expressed in (based on citations)
organ(s)
SystemOrgan level 1Organ level 2Organ level 3Organ level 4LevelPubmedSpeciesStageRna symbol
Nervousbrainforebraincerebral lobefrontal lobehighly
 brainhindbraincerebellum  
 gangliasensory gangliadorsal root   Homo sapiens
 spinal cord    
Respiratoryrespiratory tractlarynx  highly
Visualeye   highly
tissue
SystemTissueTissue level 1Tissue level 2LevelPubmedSpeciesStageRna symbol
Nervouscentral   
cells
SystemCellPubmedSpeciesStageRna symbol
Nervousneuron Homo sapiens
cell lineage
cell lines
fluid/secretion
at STAGE
physiological period fetal
Text central, peripherous and sympathetic nervous system
PROTEIN
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
STRUCTURE
motifs/domains
  • four transmembrane domains of homology, each with six alpha helical membrane spanning segments
  • two cytoplasmic loops
  • a pore-forming and voltage-sensitive domain of the channel
  • several consensus sites for phosphorylation of serine and threonine residues conserved in other sodium channel family members
  • a IQ motif of SCN8A adopting an alpha-helical conformation in its interaction with the C-lobe of CALM1
  • HOMOLOGY
    interspecies homolog to murine Scn8a
    Homologene
    FAMILY
  • sodium channel family
  • CATEGORY transport channel
    SUBCELLULAR LOCALIZATION     plasma membrane
        intracellular
    intracellular,cytoplasm,cytosolic,vesicle
    text localized in axonic, dendritic, presynaptic, and postsynaptic membranes
    basic FUNCTION
  • may be involved in producing the resurgent sodium current observed in cerebellar Purkinje cells
  • major neuronal sodium channel gene expressed throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems
  • having unique properties, together with the resurgent currents that they conduct in neurons, providing the driving force for sustained repetitive firing, a crucial property of neurons
  • is essential for neuronal excitability in central and peripheral nervous systems
  • likely augments signaling in cone bipolar cells
  • plays an important role in propagating action potentials along myelinated axons
  • hippocampus is an important structure in the mediation of SCN8A-dependent seizure protection
  • CELLULAR PROCESS
    PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESS
    PATHWAY
    metabolism
    signaling
    a component
  • protein constituent of membrane
  • INTERACTION
    DNA
    RNA
    small molecule
    protein
  • function as a genetic modifier of SCN1A
  • phosphorylation of the Pro-Gly-Ser-Pro motif within L1 of SCN8A is necessary for stress-induced current modulation, with positive or negative regulation depending upon the availability of the C-terminal Pro-Ser-Tyr motif to bind NEDD4L
  • MAP1B facilitates trafficking of SCNA8 to the neuronal cell surface
  • PUM2 is able to directly bind the predominant SCN8A expressed in pyramidal neurons and, through doing so, regulates translation of this key determinant of membrane excitability
  • CALM1 is known to modulate the inactivation kinetics of SCN8A by interacting with its IQ motif
  • APP enhances SCN8A sodium channel cell surface expression through a Go-coupled JNK pathway
  • FGF14 binds directly to SCN8A C-tail, regulating channel gating and expression, properties that are required for intrinsic excitability in neurons
  • RER1 controls the assembly and transport of SCN1A, SCN8A, the principal sodium channels responsible for recurrent firing, in Purkinje cell (PC)
  • cell & other
    REGULATION
    ASSOCIATED DISORDERS
    corresponding disease(s) CAAMR , EIEE13
    Other morbid association(s)
    TypeGene ModificationChromosome rearrangementProtein expressionProtein Function
    constitutional somatic mutation      
    mutated in motor end-plate disease
    constitutional germinal mutation      
    associated with cognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric illness
    constitutional     --over  
    aberrant overexpression of SCN8A in limbic structures may contribute to some epilepsies, including temporal lobe epilepsy
    Susceptibility
    Variant & Polymorphism
    Candidate gene
    Marker
    Therapy target
    SystemTypeDisorderPubmed
    neurologyepilepsy 
    blocking SCN8A channels may be one of the therapeutic benefits of currently used non-selective sodium channel-blocking anti-epileptic drugs, and may improve efficacy in patients with epilepsy
    neurologyepilepsy 
    potential of selectively targeting SCN8A for the treatment of refractory epilepsy
    ANIMAL & CELL MODELS
  • spontaneous mouse mutation, Scn8a(9J), that is associated with a chronic movement disorder with early onset tremor and adult onset dystonia
  • Scn8a mutant mice have reduced function in both rod and the cone retinal pathways