title: Regulation of STREX exon large conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels by the beta4 accessory subunit.
abstract: Large conductance (BK-type) calcium-activated potassium channels utilize alternative splicing and association with accessory beta subunits to tailor BK channel properties to diverse cell types. Two important modulators of BK channel gating are the neuronal-specific beta4 accessory subunit (beta4) and alternative splicing at the stress axis hormone-regulated exon (STREX). Individually, these modulators affect the gating properties of the BK channel as well as its response to phosphorylation. In this study, the combined functional consequences of STREX and the mouse beta4 subunit on mouse BK channel biophysical properties were investigated in transfected HEK 293 cells. Surprisingly, we found that the combined effects of STREX and beta4 are non-additive and even opposite for some properties. At high calcium, beta4 and the STREX individually share properties that promote BK channel opening via slowing of deactivation. However, the combined effects are a speeding of deactivation and a decreased open probability. beta4 also inhibits BK channel opening by a slowing of activation. This effect occurs across calcium concentrations in the absence of STREX, but predominates only at low calcium for STREX containing channels. BK channel responses to phosphorylation status are also altered by the combination of the beta4 subunit and STREX. beta4/STREX channels show a slowing of activation kinetics following dephosphorylation whereas beta4 channels lacking STREX do not. In contrast, beta4 confers a speeding of activation in response to cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation in channels lacking STREX, but not in channels containing STREX. These results indicate that the combination of the beta4 subunit and STREX confers non-additive and unique properties to BK channels. Analysis of expression in brain slices suggests that STREX and beta4 mRNA overlap expression in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the cerebellar Purkinje cells, suggesting that these unique properties of BK channels may underlie BK channel gating in these cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petrik
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brenner
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005091:Exons / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D051038:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel beta Subunits / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D051038:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel beta Subunits; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium