The interference of truncated with normal potassium channel subunits leads to abnormal behaviour in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster.
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.
Gisselmann
G
G
Lehrstuhl für Biochemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, FRG.
Sewing
S
S
Madsen
B W
BW
Mallart
A
A
Angaut-Petit
D
D
Müller-Holtkamp
F
F
Ferrus
A
A
Pongs
O
O
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
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D015221:Potassium Channels