title: Biophysical properties of zebrafish ether-à-go-go related gene potassium channels.
abstract: The zebrafish is increasingly recognized as an animal model for the analysis of hERG-related diseases. However, functional properties of the zebrafish orthologue of hERG have not been analyzed yet. We heterologously expressed cloned ERG channels in Xenopus oocytes and analyzed biophysical properties using the voltage clamp technique. zERG channels conduct rapidly activating and inactivating potassium currents. However, compared to hERG, the half-maximal activation voltage of zERG current is shifted towards more positive potentials and the half maximal steady-state inactivation voltage is shifted towards more negative potentials. zERG channel activation is delayed and channel deactivation is accelerated significantly. However, time course of zERG conducted current under action potential clamp is highly similar to the human orthologue. In summary, we show that ERG channels in zebrafish exhibit biophysical properties similar to the human orthologue. Considering the conserved channel function, the zebrafish represents a valuable model to investigate human ERG channel related diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Eberhard P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Niemer
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hassel
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zitron
authors.forename: Heinrich F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Bürgers
authors.forename: Ramona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bloehs
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seyler
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: Dierk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kathöfer
authors.forename: Hugo A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Katus
authors.forename: Wolfgang A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Rottbauer
authors.forename: Christoph A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Karle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051638:Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / Q000819:agonists / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009865:Oocytes; D014981:Xenopus; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000819:agonists / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C527141:Erg protein, zebrafish; D051638:Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins