DSC1 channels are expressed in both the central and the peripheral nervous system of adult Drosophila melanogaster.
DSC1 encodes a putative voltage-sensitive sodium channel alpha subunit in Drosophila melanogaster. We generated polyclonal antibodies raised against part of the DSC1 sequence to characterize the size and the distribution of these channels in the adult fly. Immunoblotting experiments indicated that the protein has a molecular weight of about 270 kDa. We also showed that DSC1 channels are found only in the neurons of the fly. The density of channels was high in synaptic regions and in most of the axonal processes that connect the various structures of the CNS. No signal was observed in the cortical cell bodies where the para channels are mainly present. The most striking result concerns the widespread distribution of DSC1 channels in the PNS, as confirmed by experiments done with the monoclonal antibody 22C10. These results strongly suggest that DSC1 and para channels may have complementary roles, at least in the adult stage.
Castella
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Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR 1112, 123 bd Meilland, BP 2078, 06606 Antibes cedex, France.
Amichot
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M
Bergé
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JB
Pauron
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D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D017344:Genes, Insect; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019476:Insect Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity
D019476:Insect Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D015222:Sodium Channels