Alternative splicing in the cytoplasmic II-III loop of the N-type Ca channel alpha 1B subunit: functional differences are beta subunit-specific.

ABSTRACT: Structural diversity of voltage-gated Ca channels underlies much of the functional diversity in Ca signaling in neurons. Alternative splicing is an important mechanism for generating structural variants within a single gene family. In this paper, we show the expression pattern of an alternatively spliced 21 amino acid encoding exon in the II-III cytoplasmic loop region of the N-type Ca channel alpha(1B) subunit and assess its functional impact. Exon-containing alpha(1B) mRNA dominated in sympathetic ganglia and was present in approximately 50% of alpha(1B) mRNA in spinal cord and caudal regions of the brain and in the minority of alpha(1B) mRNA in neocortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum (<20%). The II-III loop exon affected voltage-dependent inactivation of the N-type Ca channel. Steady-sta

SUBMITTER: Pan JQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6772276 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature