Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels and retinal cone photoreceptor cells function

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels are ion channels which are activated by the binding of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) or cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), they play a central role in the signal transduction pathways of vision and olfaction.Six different genes encode CNG protein, containing four A subunits (A1-A4) and two B subunits (B1 and B3). CNGA3 and CNGB3 have been found to be implicated in achromatopsia-associated mutations.Recently, a huge amount of researches showed the good responses to gene therapy in achromatopsia animal models.This article briefly reviewed the physiological roles of CNG channel in retinal cone photoreceptor cells and the recent research achievements of gene therapy in CNG channel-deficient mouse models with achromatopsia.