Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 234, Issues 2–3, 3 October 1997, Pages 107-110
Neuroscience Letters

Regulation of Na+ channel β1 and β2 subunit mRNA levels in cultured rat astrocytes

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Abstract

Using quantitative competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we found an increased level of Na+ channel β1 (Naβ1) mRNAs in spinal cord astrocytes and in the B50 neuroblastoma cell line after exposure to 1 mM dibutyryl cAMP. In contrast, the calcium ionophore (1 μM A23187) did not affect Naβ1 mRNA levels in these cells. Further, we amplified full length coding region of Na+ channel β2 (Naβ2) mRNA from rat optic nerve and cultured astrocytes using RT-PCR. It appeared that the Naβ2 mRNA level was increased by dibutyryl cAMP, but not by A23187, in spinal cord astrocytes. These findings suggest that the Naβ1 and Naβ2 mRNA levels in spinal cord astrocytes are influenced by increased cAMP but not by calcium.

Keywords

Ion channel
Spinal cord
Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate
Calcium ionophore

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