shalkv4 channels are required for maintaining excitability during repetitive firing and normal locomotion in drosophilashalkv4维护重复发射时其所需的通道是在果蝇和正常运动.pdfVIP

Shal/K 4 Channels Are Required for Maintaining v Excitability during Repetitive Firing and Normal Locomotion in Drosophila Yong Ping., Girma Waro., Ashley Licursi, Sarah Smith, Dai-An Vo-Ba, Susan Tsunoda* Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America Abstract Background: Rhythmic behaviors, such as walking and breathing, involve the coordinated activity of central pattern generators in the CNS, sensory feedback from the PNS, to motoneuron output to muscles. Unraveling the intrinsic electrical properties of these cellular components is essential to understanding this coordinated activity. Here, we examine the significance of the transient A-type K+ current (I ), encoded by the highly conserved Shal/K 4 gene, in neuronal firing A v patterns and repetitive behaviors. While IA is present in nearly all neurons across species, elimination of IA has been complicated in mammals because of multiple genes underlying I , and/or electrical remodeling that occurs in response to A affecting one gene. Methodology/Principal Findings: In Drosophila, the single Shal/K 4 gene encodes the predominant I current in many v A neuronal cell bodies. Using a transgenically expressed dominant-negative subunit (DNKv4), we show that IA is completely eliminated from cell bodies, with no effect on other currents. Most notably, DNK 4 neurons display multiple defects duri