title: The interference of truncated with normal potassium channel subunits leads to abnormal behaviour in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: The Shaker locus of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a family of A-type potassium channel subunits. Shaker mutants behave as antimorphs in gene dosage tests. This behaviour is due to the production of truncated A-channel subunits. We propose that they interfere with the function of their normal counterpart by forming multimeric A-channel structures. This hypothesis was tested by constructing transgenic flies carrying a heat-inducible gene encoding a truncated A-type potassium channel subunit together with a normal wild type doses of A-type potassium channel subunits. The altered subunit leads at larval, pupal or adult stages to the transformation of wild type into Shaker flies. The transformed flies exhibited a heat-inducible abnormal leg shaking behaviour and a heat-inducible facilitated neurotransmitter release at larval neuromuscular junctions. By the overexpression of an aberrant A-channel subunit the normal behaviour of transgenic D. melanogaster can be altered in a predictable way.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biochemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, FRG.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gisselmann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sewing
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mallart
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Angaut-Petit
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Müller-Holtkamp
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrus
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pongs
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D015221:Potassium Channels