title: Cloning and characterization of G protein-gated inward rectifier K+ channel (GIRK1) isoforms from heart and brain.
abstract: A G protein-gated inward rectifier potassium (K+) channel (GIRK1a) has been cloned from different tissues (Kubo et al., 1993b; Dascal et al., 1993). Here we report the cloning of three additional novel isoforms of GIRK1a from rat atria and and one from human brain. These isoform cDNAs code for proteins that have identical N-termini, M1-H5-M2 (predicted transmembrane and pore domains), and post-M2 amino acid regions to GIRK1a (1-501 amino acids), but they have shorter C-termini (GIRK1b (1-309), GIRK1c (1-308), GIRK1d (1-235), and GIRK1e (1-253). These results indicated that isoforms were generated by alternative splicing and partial genomic analysis confirmed the presence of exons and introns in the rat GIRK1 gene. RNase protection analysis and immunoblot analysis indicated that the isoforms were expressed in both rat atria and brain but at lower levels versus GIRK1a. The physiological role that the isoforms may play in atrial and brain physiology remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Logothetis
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Thornhill
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000187:drug effects; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D020517:Atrial Appendage / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D015698:Genomic Library; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000032:analysis; D014981:Xenopus / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012260:Ribonucleases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins