Zinc-activated ion channel (ZAC), is a human protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 encoded by the gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

. ZAC forms a cation-permeable ligand-gated ion channel

Ligand-gated ion channel

Ligand-gated ion channels are one type of ionotropic receptor or channel-linked receptor. They are a group of transmembrane ion channels that are opened or closed in response to the binding of a chemical messenger , such as a neurotransmitter.The binding site of endogenous ligands on LGICs...

 of the "Cys-loop" superfamily. The ZAC gene is present in humans and dogs, but no ortholog is thought to exist in the rat or mouse genomes.

ZAC mRNA is expressed in prostate, thyroid, trachea, lung, brain (adult and fetal), spinal cord, skeletal muscle, heart, placenta, pancreas, liver, kidney and stomach.