RNA editing generates tissue-specific sodium channels with distinct gating properties.

ABSTRACT: Sodium channels play an essential role in generating the action potential in eukaryotic cells, and their transcripts, especially those in insects, undergo extensive A-to-I RNA editing. The functional consequences of RNA editing of sodium channel transcripts, however, have yet to be determined. We characterized 20 splice variants of the German cockroach sodium channel gene BgNa(v). Functional analysis revealed that these variants exhibited a broad range of voltage-dependent activation and inactivation. Further analysis of two variants, BgNa(v)1-1 and BgNa(v)1-2, which activate at more depolarizing membrane potentials than other variants, showed that RNA editing events were responsible for variant-specific gating properties. Two U-to-C editing sites identified in BgNa(v)1-1 resulted in a Leu

SUBMITTER: Song W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3066004 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature