Cedric Vallee

Cedric Vallee


About

My research project

My qualifications

2017
BSc, Molecular and Cellular Biology
Le Mans Universite, France
2019
MSc, Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
Le Mans Universite, France
2019
MSc Thesis Project:
Pharmacological characterization of CDX, a Candoxin-inspired antagonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
Supervisor: Prof. Kini R. Manjunatha
Protein Science Laboratory, National University of Singapore

Publications

Vallée Cédric, Brendan Howlin, and Rebecca Lewis (2021) Ion Selectivity in the ENaC/DEG Family: A Systematic Review with Supporting Analysis

The Epithelial Sodium Channel/Degenerin (ENaC/DEG) family is a superfamily of sodium-selective channels that play diverse and important physiological roles in a wide variety of animal species. Despite their differences, they share a high homology in the pore region in which the ion discrimination takes place. Although ion selectivity has been studied for decades, the mechanisms underlying this selectivity for trimeric channels, and particularly for the ENaC/DEG family, are still poorly understood. This systematic review follows PRISMA guidelines and aims to determine the main components that govern ion selectivity in the ENaC/DEG family. In total, 27 papers from three online databases were included according to specific exclusion and inclusion criteria. It was found that the G/SxS selectivity filter (glycine/serine, non-conserved residue, serine) and other well conserved residues play a crucial role in ion selectivity. Depending on the ion type, residues with different properties are involved in ion permeability. For lithium against sodium, aromatic residues upstream of the selectivity filter seem to be important, whereas for sodium against potassium, negatively charged residues downstream of the selectivity filter seem to be important. This review provides new perspectives for further studies to unravel the mechanisms of ion selectivity.