Functional analysis of the mouse Scn8a sodium channel.

ABSTRACT: The mouse Scn8a sodium channel and its ortholog Na6 in the rat are abundantly expressed in the CNS. Mutations in mouse Scn8a result in neurological disorders, including paralysis, ataxia, and dystonia. In addition, Scn8a has been observed to mediate unique persistent and resurgent currents in cerebellar Purkinje cells (Raman et al., 1997). To examine the functional characteristics of this channel, we constructed a full-length cDNA clone encoding the mouse Scn8a sodium channel and expressed it in Xenopus oocytes. The electrophysiological properties of the Scn8a channels were compared with those of the Rat1 and Rat2 sodium channels. Scn8a channels were sensitive to tetrodotoxin at a level comparable to that of Rat1 or Rat2. Scn8a channels inactivated more rapidly and showed differences in th

SUBMITTER: Smith MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6793187 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature