Ancient association between cation leak channels and Mid1 proteins is conserved in fungi and animals.

ABSTRACT: Neuronal resting potential can tune the excitability of neural networks, affecting downstream behavior. Sodium leak channels (NALCN) play a key role in rhythmic behaviors by helping set, or subtly changing neuronal resting potential. The full complexity of these newly described channels is just beginning to be appreciated, however. NALCN channels can associate with numerous subunits in different tissues and can be activated by several different peptides and second messengers. We recently showed that NALCN channels are closely related to fungal calcium channels, which they functionally resemble. Here, we use this relationship to predict a family of NALCN-associated proteins in animals on the basis of homology with the yeast protein Mid1, the subunit of the yeast calcium channel. These prote

SUBMITTER: Ghezzi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3945613 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature