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Channels get in an HUFA: RNA editing gets them out of a jam
Author(s) -
Horn Richard,
Reenan Robert
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1038/emboj.2010.134
Subject(s) - biology , physiology
The enzymatic conversion of adenosine‐to‐inosine (A‐to‐I) in RNA rewrites the informational output of a number of different classes of coding and non‐coding RNA transcripts. In this issue, Decher et al (2010) reveal a new functional consequence for an ancient RNA editing site in certain animal voltage‐gated K + channel (Kv) genes. Abundant highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs), which are essential in mammals for normal brain function, block conduction of Kv channels—an effect that can be nearly obliterated by the recoding of a single amino acid through RNA editing.