Glial KCNQ K⁺ channels control neuronal output by regulating GABA release from glia in C. elegans.

ABSTRACT: KCNQs are voltage-gated K⁺ channels that control neuronal excitability and are mutated in epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). KCNQs have been extensively studied in neurons, but their function in glia is unknown. Using voltage, calcium, and GABA imaging, optogenetics, and behavioral assays, we show here for the first time in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) that glial KCNQ channels control neuronal excitability by mediating GABA release from glia via regulation of the function of L-type voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels. Further, we show that human KCNQ channels have the same role when expressed in nematode glia, underscoring conservation of function across species. Finally, we show that pathogenic loss-of-function and gain-of-function human KCNQ2 mutations alte

SUBMITTER: Graziano B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11156561 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature