Voltage-gated proton channel

[2] Another important function occurs in phagocytes (e.g. eosinophils, neutrophils, and macrophages) during the respiratory burst.

A group of small molecule inhibitors of the Hv1 channel are shown as chemotherapeutics and anti-inflammatory agents.

[8] Whereas most voltage-gated ion channels contain a central pore that is surrounding by alpha helices and the voltage-sensing domain (VSD), voltage-gated hydrogen channels contain no central pore,[9] so their voltage-sensing regions (VSD) carry out the job of bringing acidic protons across the membrane.

Because the relative H+ concentrations on each side of the membrane result in a pH gradient, these voltage-gated hydrogen channels only carry outward current, meaning they are used to move acidic protons out of the membrane.

[10] A recent discovery has shown that the voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 is highly expressed in human breast tumor tissues that are metastatic, but not in non-metastatic breast cancer tissues.