title: Expression of voltage-activated calcium channels in the early zebrafish embryo.
abstract: Increases in cytosolic calcium concentrations regulate many cellular processes, including aspects of early development. Calcium release from intracellular stores and calcium entry through non-voltage-gated channels account for signalling in non-excitable cells, whereas voltage-gated calcium channels (CaV) are important in excitable cells. We report the expression of multiple transcripts of CaV, identified by its homology to other species, in the early embryo of the zebrafish, Danio rerio, at stages prior to the differentiation of excitable cells. CaV mRNAs and proteins were detected as early as the 2-cell stages, which indicate that they arise from both maternal and zygotic transcription. Exposure of embryos to pharmacological blockers of CaV does not perturb early development significantly, although late effects are appreciable. These results suggest that CaV may have a role in calcium homeostasis and control of cellular process during early embryonic development.
authors.affiliation: Program in Physiology and Biophysics, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Av. Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Dayán
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sanhueza
authors.forename: Andro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.forename: Jimena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sierralta
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kukuljan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C038806:1,4-dihydropyridine; D002118:Calcium