Molecular Studies of Ion Channel Regulation

神经系统以电信号的形式编码和传递信息。在细胞水平上，电脉冲是由一类形成离子通道的蛋白质产生和调节的。将研究一类形成钙活化钾通道的离子通道蛋白。PI已经克隆了果蝇体内编码这些通道的基因slowpoke。这个基因编码了许多不同的mRNA转录本，这些转录本编码的蛋白质略有不同。利用分子技术，将生成果蝇神经系统中每个慢刺基因产物的组织和发育表达的高分辨率图。这将与所产生的通道的生物物理特性相关联。此外，导致独特的“粘脚”表型行为的slowpoke突变将用于开发遗传筛选，以识别控制slowpoke基因表达的其他基因。这些研究有望为控制神经细胞中形成离子通道的蛋白质表达的分子信号提供重要信息。这些信息将有助于理解无脊椎动物和脊椎动物（包括人类）神经系统的发育和功能。

Nervous systems encode and transmit information in the form of electrical signals. At a cellular level, electrical impulses are generated and modulated by a class of proteins that form ion channels. One class of ion channel proteins that form calcium- activated potassium channels, will be studied. The PI has cloned the gene, slowpoke, that codes for these channels in the fruit fly. A number of different mRNA transcripts that code for slightly different proteins are coded for by this gene. Using molecular techniques, a high resolution map of the tissue and developmental expression of each of the gene products of slowpoke in the nervous system of the fruit fly will be generated. This will be correlated with the biophysical properties of the channels produced. In addition, mutations in slowpoke which result in a unique 'sticky feet' phenotypic behavior will be used to develop genetic screens to identify other genes that control slowpoke gene expression. These studies promise to provide important information on the molecular signals controlling expression of proteins that form ion channels in nerve cells. Such information will be relevant to understanding development and function in the nervous systems of both invertebrates and vertebrates, including human.