MOLECULAR-STRUCTURE AND EXPRESSION OF SHAKER TYPE POTASSIUM CHANNELS IN GLIAL-CELLS OF TROUT CNS

Two shaker-related potassium channel transcripts (tsha1, tsha2) were i dentified in glial cells ok trout central nervous system (CNS) by poly merase chain reaction (PCR)-cloning and sequencing. While tsha1 was hi ghly similar to the mammalian Kv1.2 subtype or potassium channels, tsh a2 did not show a preferential sequence homology with a particular sub type of shaker but exhibited uniform similarity with mammalian Kv1.1, Kv1.2,a, acid Kv1.3,, respectively. transcripts for the shaw and shal subfamilies of voltage-gated potassium channels were detected in whole brain tissue only but not in freshly dissociated glial cells, Using m RNA extracted from different glial cell types in combination with sequ ence sg?specific PCR primers, tsha1 was found restricted to oligodendr ocytes and their progenitor cells, while tsha2 was common to astrocyte s, as well. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.