Premium
Trans‐splicing of a voltage‐gated sodium channel is regulated by nerve growth factor
Author(s) -
Akopian Armen N.,
Okuse Kenji,
Souslova Veronika,
England Steven,
Ogata Nobukino,
Wood John N.
Publication year - 1999
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(99)00126-x
Subject(s) - sodium channel , alternative splicing , exon , rna splicing , nerve growth factor , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , splicing factor , neuroscience , chemistry , gene , genetics , sodium , receptor , rna , organic chemistry
Mammalian sensory neurons express a voltage‐gated sodium channel named SNS. Here we report the identification of an SNS transcript (SNS‐A) that contains an exact repeat of exons 12, 13 and 14 encoding a partial repeat of domain II. Because the exons 12–14 are present in single copies in genomic DNA, the SNS‐A transcript must arise by trans‐splicing. Nerve growth factor, which regulates pain thresholds, and the functional expression of voltage‐gated sodium channels increases the levels of the SNS‐A transcript several‐fold both in vivo and in vitro as measured by RNase protection methods, as well as RT‐PCR. These data demonstrate a novel regulatory role for the nerve growth factor and are the first example of trans‐splicing in the vertebrate nervous system.