Mutational Analysis of Potassium Currents in Drosophila

钾通道对神经系统中的电子信息编码很重要。这项研究项目的目标是确定影响果蝇钾电流的基因突变，即遗传密码的变化。在行为缺陷的基础上，已经发现了40多种突变，这些缺陷丰富了扰乱离子通道功能的突变。这些变化将作为该项目的资源材料。从突变体记录的膜电流将与从正常电流记录的膜电流的生理特性进行比较。果蝇中四种已知钾电流中的一种或多种发生变化的突变将被遗传学表征，并进行研究，以确定受影响的特定钾电流和影响的性质。由于不同物种的离子通道具有很强的相似性，有关果蝇钾通道的信息将有助于研究其他生物的钾通道，包括人类。钾通道的分析将有助于理解钾通道在学习和记忆、心脏起搏器活动、重复放电和治疗作用药物的调节等几个细胞过程中的作用。

Potassium channels are important for encoding electrical messages in the nervous system. The goal of this research project is to identify genetic mutations, alterations in the genetic code, that affect potassium currents in the fruit fly Drosophila. More than forty mutations have been identified on the basis of behavioral defects which enrich for mutations that disrupt the functioning of ion channels. These mutations will serve as the resource material for the project. Membrane currents recorded from the mutants will be compared with those from normal currents for physiological properties. Mutations that exhibit alterations in one or more of the four known potassium currents in Drosophila will be characterized genetically and studied to determine the specific potassium current affected and the nature of the effect. Because of strong similarities between ion channels from different species, information on Drosophila potassium channels will aid in studying potassium channels in other organisms, including humans. Analysis of potassium channels will help in the understanding of potassium channel function in several cellular processes including learning and memory, cardiac pacemaker activity, repetitive firing and mediation of therapeutic action drugs.