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Structural And Functional Features Of The P2x4 Receptor: An Immunological Perspective, Jean M. Kanellopoulos, Cássio Luiz Coutinho Almeida-Da-Silva, Sirje Rüütel Boudinot, David M. Ojcius

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Extracellular nucleotides are important mediators of activation, triggering various responses through plasma membrane P2 and P1 receptors. P2 receptors are further subdivided into ionotropic P2X receptors and G protein-coupled P2Y receptors. P2X4 is an ATP-gated cation channel broadly expressed in most tissues of the body. Within the P2X family, P2X4 has a unique subcellular distribution, being preferentially localized in lysosomes. In these organelles, high ATP concentrations do not trigger P2X4 because of the low pH. However, when the pH increases to 7.4, P2X4 can be stimulated by intra-lysosomal ATP, which is in its active, tetra-anionic form. Elucidation of P2X4, P2X3 …