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Greater diversity than previously thought of chromaffin cell Ca 2+ channels, derived from mRNA identification studies
Author(s) -
Garcı́a-Palomero Esther,
Cuchillo-Ibáñez Inmaculada,
Garcı́a Antonio G.,
Renart Jaime,
Albillos Almudena,
Montiel Carmen
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(00)01984-0
Subject(s) - chromaffin cell , messenger rna , electrophysiology , patch clamp , biology , biophysics , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , neuroscience , biochemistry , gene , adrenal medulla , catecholamine
Using reverse transcription followed by PCR amplification (RT‐PCR), we have identified multiple messenger RNAs encoding for the neuronal pore‐forming Ca 2+ channel subunits α 1A (P/Q channel), α 1B (N channel), α 1D (neuronal/endocrine L channel), α 1E (R channel), α 1G‐H (T channel) and α 1S (skeletal muscle L channel) in bovine chromaffin cells. mRNAs for the auxiliary β 2 , β 3 , β 4 , α 2 /δ and γ 2 subunits were also identified. In agreement with these molecular data, perforated patch‐clamp recordings of whole‐cell Ca 2+ currents reveal the existence of functional R‐type Ca 2+ channels in these cells that were previously undetected with other techniques. Our results provide a molecular frame for a much wider functional diversity of Ca 2+ channels in chromaffin cells than that previously established using pharmacological and electrophysiological approaches.