Molecular cloning of the alpha-1 subunit of an omega-conotoxin-sensitive calcium channel.
Year: 1992
Type: article
Abstract: Of the four major types of Ca channel described in vertebrate cells (designated T, L, N, and P), N-type Ca channels are unique in that they are found specifically in neurons, have been correlated with control of neurotransmitter release, and are blocked by omega-conotoxin, a neuropeptide toxin isolated from the marine snail Conus geographus. A set of overlapping cDNA clones were isolated and found to encode a Ca channel alpha-1 subunit, designated rbB-I. Polyclonal antiserum generated against a peptide from the rbB-I sequence selectively immunoprecipitates high-affinity 125I-labeled omega-conotoxin-binding sites from labeled rat forebrain membranes. PCR analysis shows that, like N-type Ca channels, expression of rbB-I is limited to the nervous system and neuronally derived cell lines. This brain Ca channel may mediate the omega-conotoxin-sensitive Ca influx required for neurotransmitter release at many synapses.
Authors: S J Dubel, T V Starr, J Hell, M K Ahlijanian, J J Enyeart, W A Catterall, T P Snutch
Institution: University of British Columbia
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Medical Research Council Canada, National Institutes of Health, Medical Research Council, Office of Naval Research, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
OpenAlex ID: W2062189135