Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10873346 | FEBS Letters | 2005 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
Chronic ethanol exposure increases the density of N-type calcium channels in brain. We report that ethanol increases levels of mRNA for a splice variant of the N channel specific subunit α12.2 that lacks exon 31a. Whole cell recordings demonstrated an increase in N-type current with a faster activation rate and a shift in activation to more negative potentials after chronic alcohol exposure, consistent with increased abundance of channels containing this variant. These results identify a novel mechanism whereby chronic ethanol exposure can increase neuronal excitability by altering levels of channel splice variants.
Keywords
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Plant Science
Authors
Philip M. Newton, Keith Tully, Thomas McMahon, Jackie Connolly, Jahan Dadgar, Steven N. Treistman, Robert O. Messing,