Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: BKβ , Slo1

Title: Upregulation of STREX splice variant of the large conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (BK) channel in a rat model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Authors: Boris S Ermolinsky, Frank Skinner, Ileana Garcia, Massoud F Arshadmansab, Luis F Pacheco Otalora, Masoud M Zarei, Emilio R Garrido-Sanabria

Journal, date & volume: Neurosci. Res., 2011 Jan , 69, 73-80

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20933547

Abstract
Functional properties of large conductance Ca(2+) activated potassium (BK) channels are determined by complex alternative splicing of the Kcnma1 gene encoding the alpha pore-forming subunit. Inclusion of the STREX exon in a C-terminal splice site is dynamically regulated and confers enhanced Ca(2+) sensitivity and channel inhibition via cAMP-dependent phosphorylation. Here, we describe a real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) approach to investigate relative changes in the expression of STREX and ZERO splice variants using a newly designed set of probes and primers for TaqMan-based qPCR analysis of cDNA from the rat dentate gyrus at different time points following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. Reduction in Kcnma1 gene expression is associated with a relative increase of STREX splice variant. Relative expression of STREX variant mRNA was increased at 10 days and at more than 1 month following status epilepticus. The biological consequences of seizure-related changes in alternative splicing of Kcnma1 deserve additional investigation.