Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun 9:13:99.
doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00099. eCollection 2020.

Ion Channel Contributions to Morphological Development: Insights From the Role of Kir2.1 in Bone Development

Yunus H Ozekin  1 , Trevor Isner  1 , Emily A Bates  1
Affiliations
Review

Ion Channel Contributions to Morphological Development: Insights From the Role of Kir2.1 in Bone Development

Yunus H Ozekin et al. Front Mol Neurosci. .

Abstract

The role of ion channels in neurons and muscles has been well characterized. However, recent work has demonstrated both the presence and necessity of ion channels in diverse cell types for morphological development. For example, mutations that disrupt ion channels give rise to abnormal structural development in species of flies, frogs, fish, mice, and humans. Furthermore, medications and recreational drugs that target ion channels are associated with higher incidence of birth defects in humans. In this review we establish the effects of several teratogens on development including epilepsy treatment drugs (topiramate, valproate, ethosuximide, phenobarbital, phenytoin, and carbamazepine), nicotine, heat, and cannabinoids. We then propose potential links between these teratogenic agents and ion channels with mechanistic insights from model organisms. Finally, we talk about the role of a particular ion channel, Kir2.1, in the formation and development of bone as an example of how ion channels can be used to uncover important processes in morphogenesis. Because ion channels are common targets of many currently used medications, understanding how ion channels impact morphological development will be important for prevention of birth defects. It is becoming increasingly clear that ion channels have functional roles outside of tissues that have been classically considered excitable.

Keywords: bioelectricity; ion channel; nicotine; skeletal development; teratogen.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adams D. S., Uzel S. G., Akagi J., Wlodkowic D., Andreeva V., Yelick P. C., et al. (2016). Bioelectric signalling via potassium channels: a mechanism for craniofacial dysmorphogenesis in KCNJ2-associated andersen-tawil syndrome. J. Physiol. 594 3245–3270. 10.1113/jp271930 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Al-Sayed M. D., Al-Zaidan H., Albakheet A., Hakami H., Kenana R., Al-Yafee Y., et al. (2013). Mutations in NALCN cause an autosomal-recessive syndrome with severe hypotonia, speech impairment, and cognitive delay. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 93 721–726. 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.08.001 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alsdorf R., Wyszynski D. F. (2005). Teratogenicity of sodium valproate. Expert Opin. Drug Saf. 4 345–353. 10.1517/14740338.4.2.345 - DOI - PubMed
    1. An H. (2019). Ion channels and bone homeostasis imbalance. Biomed. J. Sci. Techn. Res. 16:2862.
    1. Artama M., Auvinen A., Raudaskoski T., Isojarvi I., Isojarvi J. (2005). Antiepileptic drug use of women with epilepsy and congenital malformations in offspring. Neurology 64 1874–1878. 10.1212/01.wnl.0000163771.96962.1f - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources