An alpha-catulin homologue controls neuromuscular function through localization of the dystrophin complex and BK channels in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: The large conductance, voltage- and calcium-dependent potassium (BK) channel serves as a major negative feedback regulator of calcium-mediated physiological processes and has been implicated in muscle dysfunction and neurological disorders. In addition to membrane depolarization, activation of the BK channel requires a rise in cytosolic calcium. Localization of the BK channel near calcium channels is therefore critical for its function. In a genetic screen designed to isolate novel regulators of the Caenorhabditis elegans BK channel, SLO-1, we identified ctn-1, which encodes an α-catulin homologue with homology to the cytoskeletal proteins α-catenin and vinculin. ctn-1 Mutants resemble slo-1 loss-of-function mutants, as well as mutants with a compromised dystrophin complex. We determined t

SUBMITTER: Abraham LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2928805 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature