SLO-1 Potassium Channels Control Quantal Content of Neurotransmitter Release at the C. elegans Neuromuscular Junction
2001; Cell Press; Volume: 32; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0896-6273(01)00522-0
ISSN1097-4199
AutoresZhao-Wen Wang, Owais Saifee, Michael L. Nonet, Lawrence Salkoff,
Tópico(s)Tryptophan and brain disorders
ResumoAbstract Six mutants of SLO-1, a large-conductance, Ca 2+ -activated K + channel of C. elegans , were obtained in a genetic screen for regulators of neurotransmitter release. Mutants were isolated by their ability to suppress lethargy of an unc-64 syntaxin mutant that restricts neurotransmitter release. We measured evoked postsynaptic currents at the neuromuscular junction in both wild-type and mutants and observed that the removal of SLO-1 greatly increased quantal content primarily by increasing duration of release. The selective isolation of slo-1 as the only ion channel mutant derived from a whole genomic screen to detect regulators of neurotransmitter release suggests that SLO-1 plays an important, if not unique, role in regulating neurotransmitter release.
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