title: The Drosophila Sodium Channel 1 (DSC1): The founding member of a new family of voltage-gated cation channels.
abstract: It has been nearly three decades since the identification of the Drosophila Sodium Channel 1 (DSC1) gene from Drosophila melanogaster. The orthologs of the DSC1 gene have now been identified in other insect species including BSC1 from Blattella germanica. Functional analyses of DSC1/BSC1 channels in Xenopus oocytes reveal that DSC1 and BSC1 encode voltage-gated cation channels that are more permeable to Ca(2+) than to Na(+). Genetic and electrophysiological analyses show that knockout of the DSC1 gene in D. melanogaster causes behavioral and neurological modifications. In this review, we summarize major findings from recent studies and highlight a unique role of the DSC1 channel, distinct from that of the sodium channel, in regulating membrane excitability and modulating toxicity of pyrethroid insecticides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Genetics and Neuroscience Programs, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: dongk@cns.msu.edu.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Genetics and Neuroscience Programs, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Yuzhe
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Genetics and Neuroscience Programs, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rinkevich
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Genetics and Neuroscience Programs, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Lingxin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Genetics and Neuroscience Programs, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D007305:Insecticide Resistance; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity; D011722:Pyrethrins / Q000633:toxicity; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D007306:Insecticides; D011722:Pyrethrins; D015222:Sodium Channels
keywords: DSC1 channel; Drosophila melanogaster; Insect; Insect sodium channel; Pyrethroid insecticides