Molecular Cloning of a Pore-Forming Subunit (Kir6.2Gene) of the ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channel in the Bullfrog,Rana catesbeianaShaw

A cDNA sequence encoding a pore-forming subunit of ATP-sensitive potassium channel (Kir6.2 gene) of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana Shaw, termed RcKir6.2, was isolated from a liver cDNA library. The cDNA contained a single open reading frame of 1,173 bp encoding 391 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 42.9 kDa, which has a structural motif (a GFG motif) of the putative pore-forming loop of Kir6.2. Analysis of its phlyogenetic position revealed that the RcKir6.2 is close to Kir6.2 of rabbits. The predicted amino acid sequence shared sequence identity with Kir6.2 of Homo sapiens, Cavia porcellus, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, and Oryctolagus cuniculus by 95.9, 95.6, 96.7, 96.7 and 99.7%, respectively. Expression of RcKir6.2 was detected in various tissues, including heart, kidney, liver, lung, spleen, and stomach of the bullfrog.