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Molecular Characterization and In Situ Localization Of A Full‐Length Cyclic Nucleotide‐Gated Channel In Rat Brain
Author(s) -
Strijbos Paul J. L. M.,
Pratt Gerard D.,
Khan Shahid,
Charles Ian G.,
Garthwaite John
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9568.1999.00893.x
Subject(s) - in situ , characterization (materials science) , channel (broadcasting) , biology , neuroscience , computational biology , genetics , chemistry , computer science , nanotechnology , materials science , computer network , organic chemistry
Ion channels gated directly by cyclic nucleotides are required for the transduction of sensory signals in photoreceptor cells and olfactory cells. Cyclic nucleotide‐gated (CNG) channels may also be expressed in the central nervous system because partial transcripts that share homology with CNG channels have been found therein. We have now isolated and cloned a full‐length CNG channel cDNA from adult rat brain. The sequence is identical to that of the α‐subunit originally found in the olfactory epithelium (CNCα3). In situ hybridization, using probes specific for the CNCα3 mRNA, suggest that this channel is expressed widely in the rat brain, albeit mostly at relatively low levels. Certain neuronal populations, however, such as deep cerebellar nuclei, olfactory bulb mitral cells and cerebellar Purkinje neurons, appeared specially enriched. The study demonstrates for the first time that a full‐length CNG channel mRNA is expressed in the brain, supporting the possibility that CNG channels are involved in central neural communication and plasticity. The sequence reported in this paper has been deposited in the GenBank data base (accession no. AF126808 ).