Role of the terminal domains in sodium channel localization.

ABSTRACT: Voltage-gated sodium channels are membrane proteins that initiate action potentials in neurons following membrane depolarization. Members of this family show differential distribution at the subcellular level. The mechanisms underlying the targeting of these isoforms are not understood. However, their specificity is important because the isoforms can change the excitability of the membrane due to differences in their electrophysiological properties. In this study, chimeras generated between Na(V)1.2 and Na(V)1.6 were used to test channel domains for sequence that would allow Na(V)1.2 to localize to unmyelinated axons when Na(V)1.6 could not. We show that the N-terminal 202 amino acids of the Na(V)1.2 channel can mediate membrane domain-specific sorting in polarized epithelial cells and are

SUBMITTER: Lee A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2785851 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature