Journal
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Volume 38, Issue 5, Pages 604-610Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2008.01.003
Keywords
sodium channel; alternative splicing; RNA editing; Drosophila melanogaster; para; Xenopus oocyte expression system
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Funding
- NIGMS NIH HHS [R01 GM057440-12, R01 GM057440] Funding Source: Medline
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Extensive alternative splicing and RNA editing have been documented for the transcript of DmNa(V) (formerly para), the sole sodium channel gene in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the functional consequences of these post-transcriptional modifications are not well understood. In this study we isolated 64 full-length DmNa(V) cDNA clones from D. melanogaster adults. Based on the usage of 11 alternative exons, 64 clones could be grouped into 29 splice types. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, 33 DmNa(V) variants generated sodium currents large enough for functional characterization. Among these variants, DmNa(V)5-1 and DmNa(V)7-1 channels activated at the most hyperpolarizing potentials, whereas DmNa(V)1-6 and DmNa(V)19 channels activated at the most depolarizing membrane potentials. We identified an A-to-I editing event in DmNa(V)5-1 that is responsible for its uniquely low-voltage-dependent activation. The wide range of voltage dependence of gating properties exhibited by DmNav variants represents a rich resource for future studies to determine the role of DmNav in regulating sodium channel gating, pharmacology, and neuronal excitability in insects. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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