EXPRESSION OF SKELETAL MUSCLE-TYPE VOLTAGE-GATED NA-CANCER CELL-LINES( CHANNEL IN RAT AND HUMAN PROSTATE)

Previous electrophysiological work has demonstrated expression of a vo ltage-gated Na+ channel (VGSC) specifically in two highly metastatic p rostatic epithelial tumour cell lines: MAT-LyLu (rat) and PC-3 (human) , However, the identity of the channel(s) present was uncertain. The p resent study used a combination of molecular biological techniques to demonstrate that full-length skeletal muscle type 1 (SkM1) VGSC mRNA i s present in the mRNA pool of the MAT-LyLu cell line. mRNA for this pa rticular channel type was also expressed in the PC-3 cells. In situ hy bridisation data suggested that the level and pattern of rSkM1 mRNA ex pression were different in the Dunning cells of markedly different met astatic potential. Interestingly, the same type of mRNA was also detec ted in the weakly metastatic counterparts of the cells: AT-2 (rat) and LNCaP (human), (C) 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.