Antisense oligonucleotides against the alpha-subunit of ENaC decrease lung epithelial cation-channel activity

Antisense oligonucleotides were used to manipulate the expression of the respective protein and the patch-clamp technique to study the changes resulting from these manipulations in single-channel characteristics. Findings have indicated that nonselective cation channels belong to the amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na+ (ENaC) family of channels and that the alpha-subunit of ENaC alone or in combination with some protein other than the beta- or gamma-subunit protein is the major component of lung alveolar epithelial cation channels.