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Diversification of Drosophila Chloride Channel Gene by Multiple Posttranscriptional mRNA Modifications
Author(s) -
Semenov Eugene P.,
Pak William L.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1999.0720066.x
Subject(s) - biology , exon , alternative splicing , rna splicing , rna editing , drosophila melanogaster , genetics , complementary dna , gene , intron , rna , chloride channel , microbiology and biotechnology
: We have identified and analyzed a Drosophilamelanogaster gene that encodes a chloride channel subunit(DrosGluCl‐α) previously shown to function as a glutamategated chloridechannel in an in vitro expression system. Sequence analysis of several cDNAscorresponding to the gene revealed sequence diversity in their open readingframes at seven specific sites. Site‐specific A‐to‐G variations between cDNAand genomic sequences, consistent with RNA editing, were detected at fivenucleotide positions. In addition, sequence variations among cDNA clonesconsistent with alternative splicing of mRNA were found at two differentsites. In the 5′ region, two small adjacent exons, containing similarbut distinct modular sequences, are alternatively incorporated into the maturemRNA. In the 3′ region, alternative splicing generates a variantencoding a protein with four additional amino acids just upstream of thefourth transmembrane domain. Combinations of RNA editing and alternativesplicing can lead to extensive diversification of transcripts. These resultsgive the first example of RNA editing in neurotransmitter‐gated chloridechannel genes or of alternative splicing in a glutamate‐gated chloride channelgene of Drosophila .