Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 12, 1370-1381, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Neuroscience
Alternatively spliced sodium channel transcripts in brain and muscle
KL Schaller, DM Krzemien, NM McKenna and JH Caldwell
Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.
Sodium (Na) channel cDNAs were synthesized from RNA isolated from rat
brain, cardiac muscle, and skeletal muscle. Partial cDNAs coding for the
largest cytoplasmic loop of the Na channel were amplified with PCR.
Sequence analysis of these cDNAs revealed that Na channel cDNAs originally
described as brain genes were also expressed in both cardiac and skeletal
muscle. Some of these cDNAs were isoforms that differed by insertions or
deletions and can be explained by alternative choices of a 5' splice site.
Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA confirmed the presence of introns in
this region of the gene. Transcripts of multiple isoforms were detected
with RNase protection in brain, heart, and skeletal muscle. Several
conclusions can be drawn from the data. (1) Some rat sodium channel genes
are transcribed in all excitable tissues studied here: brain, cardiac
muscle, and skeletal muscle. (2) Each of these three tissues expresses
multiple sodium channel genes. (3) Alternative splicing of sodium channel
transcripts occurs in these tissues. (4) Expression of multiple genes and
alternative splicing of the transcripts is responsible for at least seven
different sodium channel mRNAs in skeletal muscle.