| abstract |
The present invention relates to novel human nucleic acid molecules encoding novel human cation channels, and proteins and polypeptides encoded by such nucleic acid molecules. More particularly, the nucleic acid molecules of the invention encode proteins or polypeptides that are expressed in spinal cord and brain tissue and exhibit sequence and structural homology with the vanilloid and TRP (transient receptor potential) family of cation channel proteins. Novel human genes such as hVR1d.1 and hVR1d.2. The proteins and polypeptides of the present invention directed to this novel human cation channel can be used in human diseases involving homeostatic dysfunction of calcium, sodium, potassium or other ions, such as those of the central nervous system (CNS). Disorders such as degenerative neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, or other disorders such as chronic pain, anxiety and depression, stroke, heart disorders such as arrhythmia, diabetes, hypercalcemia, hypocalcemia, high calcium It is a therapeutically valuable target for the delivery of drugs in the treatment of urinary disorders, hypocalciuria, or immune disorders, gastrointestinal (GI) tract disorders or ionic disorders associated with kidney or liver disease. |