Hydrogen Voltage Gated Channel Protein 1 (HVCN1)

HVCN1 is a voltage-gated proton channel highly expressed in immune tissues. Channels like HVCN1 mediate the proton conductances required by phagocytic leukocytes for the oxidative burst that underlies microbial killing. High expression in spleen, whole blood, bone marrow, and macrophages, with weak expression in all other tissues examined.

The deduced 273-amino acid protein contains 4 transmembrane segments that correspond to the voltage-sensing domain of other ion channels, but it lacks transmembrane segments characteristic of a pore domain. Database analysis showed enrichment of HV1 in immune tissues, such as lymph node, B lymphocytes, monocytes, and spleen. RNA dot blot analysis detected highest expression in lymph node. Western blot analysis revealed a 32-kD HV1 protein in most immune tissue examined.