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M Stocker

Publications and source records attributed to M Stocker.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Electrostatic distance geometry in a K+ channel vestibule.

Many voltage-gated K+ channels carry in the external vestibule a receptor for charybdotoxin, a peptide channel blocker. We use point mutagenesis of both charybdotoxin and a Shaker K+ channel to isolate the electrostatic interaction energy between chosen pairs of residues, one on the channel and one on bound toxin. The results allow estimates of physical distances between such residue pairs and, in combination with the known structure of charybdotoxin, localize specific channel residues in three-dimensional space.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Potassium currents in epilepsy: effects of the epileptogenic agent pentylenetetrazol on a cloned potassium channel.

The effect of the epileptogenic agent pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) on the cloned rat brain potassium channel Kv1.1 (labelled also RCK1) was investigated in the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system. The Kv1.1 channel was affected by PTZ in a voltage-dependent manner. PTZ increased the potassium currents at more negative potentials and decreased them at more positive potentials. At a potential of -50 mV the potassium currents were increased by 0.97 and at -20 mV decreased by 0.21 of control value with 100 mmol/l PTZ. The potential at which the inversion from increase to decrease occurred was -33 mV. The inactivation characteristic of the current was shifted to more negative potentials by PTZ. The PTZ effect was obtained at a threshold concentration of 1 mmol/l and increased with rising PTZ concentrations. After removal of the tissues covering the oocyte membrane, the PTZ effect was augmented; with a concentration of 10 mmol/l PTZ the potassium currents at 0 mV were decreased by 0.04 in oocytes with covering tissues and by 0.27 of control value in oocytes without covering tissues. Under current-clamp conditions, PTZ decreased small depolarizations and increased larger depolarizations. This effect of PTZ represents a 'discriminatory function' that may contribute to epileptogenesis in nervous tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Erosive osteochondrosis is not spondylitis].

Technetium-99m-DPD and gallium bone scanning were concomitantly performed in patients suffering from either infectious spondylitis or erosive spondylopathy. This comparative study in 5 patients with spinal infections and in 7 patients with lumbar erosive intervertebral osteochondrosis shows a distinct enhancement of the isotopes used such that differentiation between infections and aggressive degeneration is possible. Combined scintigraphy may be a helpful diagnostic tool in such cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Application of an ectopic expression system for the selection of protein-isoform-specific antibodies. The monoclonal antibody K1C3 is specific for the RCK1 potassium channel.

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against a fusion protein consisting of a fragment of 141 amino acids of the C-terminal region of the rat brain voltage-gated K(+)-channel protein (RCK1) and the lambda N protein (fusion protein I). Selection of K(+)-channel-specific hybridoma cell lines was performed by means of an ELISA employing a fusion protein consisting of the K(+)-channel-specific peptide sequence and glutathione S-transferase (fusion protein II). For final selection of RCK1 isoform-specific antibodies, a panel of Xenopus oocytes was employed, each injected with cRNA coding for a specific RCK isoform (RCK 1, 2, 4 or 5). Several days after injection, cryosections of embedded oocytes were obtained and were employed in immunohistochemical analysis of antibody binding. Of five hybridoma supernatants from stable growing hybridoma cell lines, selected by the fusion-protein ELISA, one monoclonal antibody (denoted K1C3) recognized exclusively the RCK1-protein isoform, with the other four exhibiting different levels of cross-reactivity with other K(+)-channel isoforms, or with unknown protein(s) of non-injected oocytes. The expression of the RCK1 protein in the postnatal brain was studied using, as far as we are aware, the first example of the application of such isoform-specific antibodies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

SIOP Working Committee on Psychosocial Issues in Pediatric Oncology.

Recognizing the importance of psychosocial issues in the care and cure of the child with cancer, the board of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) in 1991 constituted a Working Committee on Psychosocial Issues in Pediatric Oncology, with Giuseppe Masera as chair and John Spinetta as co-chair. This committee met for the first time in Rhodes, Greece, in October 1991. The committee discussed various psychosocial issues and developed a document on Aims and Recommendations, summarizing the experiences of major centers. This document was approved by the SIOP board, which recommended diffusion of the document to the pediatric oncology community.

Child↗
PubMed1993

The Xenopus oocyte as an ectopic expression system for the selection of protein isoform-specific antibodies.

A panel of Xenopus oocytes, each injected with cRNA coding for one specific isoform of the rat brain RCK family of voltage gated potassium channel proteins, was employed to screen for isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies. Several days after injection, cryosections of embedded oocytes were produced and were employed in immunohistochemical analysis of antibody binding. Of the advantageous properties of the assay, it employs the native antigen, it can be applied to homooligomeric and heterooligomeric proteins, and cryosections of the same batch can be stored frozen for later tests. The method may be advantageous also for the selection of isoform-specific antibodies of other protein families.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Cloning and characterization of a human delayed rectifier potassium channel gene.

A human genomic DNA library was screened for sequences homologues to the rat delayed rectifier Kv 2.1 (DRK1) K+ channel cDNA. Three phages were isolated which hybridized to Kv 2.1 cDNA probes. Alignment of the human genomic DNA sequence with the rat cDNA sequence indicated that the open reading frame (ORF) is interrupted by a large intervening sequence, that separates exons encoding the membrane spanning core region of the K+ channel polypeptide. The Kv 2.1 gene occurs once in the human genome and has been mapped to chromosome 20. The human, mouse and rat Kv 2.1 proteins have been highly conserved, showing only a few substitutions outside of the membrane spanning domains in the amino- and carboxy-terminal cytoplasmic domains. Nevertheless, expression of human DRK1 channels in Xenopus oocytes showed that mouse, rat and human Kv 2.1 channels have distinct pharmacological and electrophysiological properties. The observed differences in activation, voltage-dependence, 4-aminopyridine sensitivity and single-channel conductance have to be attributed to amino acid substitutions in the amino-and/or carboxy-terminal cytoplasmic domains. Obviously, these domains of Kv 2.1 channels influence biophysical K+ channel properties, which are thought to be determined solely by the membrane spanning core domain of potassium channels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of a Shaw-related potassium channel family in rat brain.

Previously, we characterized a Shaker-related family of voltage-gated potassium channels (RCK) in rat brain. Now, we describe a second family of voltage-gated potassium channels in the rat nervous system. This family is related to the Drosophila Shaw gene and has been dubbed Raw. In contrast to the RCK potassium channel family the Raw family utilizes extensive alternative splicing for expressing potassium channel subunits with variant C-termini. These alternative C-termini do not appear to influence the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties as studied in the Xenopus oocyte expression system. In situ hybridizations to sections of rat brain indicate that members of the Raw family are expressed in distinct areas of the central nervous system. Probably, Raw channels are expressed predominantly as homomultimers. Immunocytochemical experiments with antibodies against Raw3 and RCK4 proteins which form two distinct A-type potassium channels indicate that in hippocampus the two channels are expressed both in different neurons and in the same ones. In general, properties of Raw potassium channels appeared to be similar to RCK channels. However, Raw outward currents, in contrast to RCK currents, exhibit an intense rectification at test potentials higher than +20 to +40 mV. RCK and Raw channel subunits did not measurably coassemble into RCK/Raw heteromultimers after coinjecting RCK and Raw cRNA into Xenopus oocytes. These results suggest that members of the RCK and the Raw potassium channel families express potassium channels which form independent outward current systems. Combining the results of in situ hybridizations, immunocytochemical staining and expression of the cloned potassium channels in Xenopus oocytes demonstrates that unrestrained mixing of potassium channel subunits to form hybrid channels does not occur in the rat central nervous system. A single neuron is able to express multiple, independently assembled potassium channels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Cloned neuronal IK(A) channels reopen during recovery from inactivation.

The kinetic behaviour and functional role of potassium ion (K+) channels mediating a fast-inactivating K+ current (IK(A)) has been widely discussed. Activating in the subthreshold range of excitation, IK(A) channels are assumed to reduce the excitatory effect of depolarizing membrane currents in a time-dependent manner. Here we report that IK(A) channels not only open in response to a depolarization but open again after repolarization of the membrane. Although the current in response to the depolarization is rapidly inactivating, the current elicited by repolarization declines slowly and produces long-lasting afterhyperpolarizations under current-clamp conditions. This implies an additional physiological role for IK(A) channels, particularly those that activate positive to the threshold of excitation. The underlying biophysical mechanism was studied by fast-application of peptides corresponding to the N-terminal end of the IK(A) channel proteins. It was found to be a voltage-dependent release of the inactivation gate.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Regulation of fast inactivation of cloned mammalian IK(A) channels by cysteine oxidation.

Modulation of neuronal excitability by regulation of K+ channels potentially plays a part in short-term memory but has not yet been studied at the molecular level. Regulation of K+ channels by protein phosphorylation and oxygen has been described for various tissues and cell types; regulation of fast-inactivating K+ channels mediating IK(A) currents has not yet been described. Functional expression of cloned mammalian K+ channels has provided a tool for studying their regulation at the molecular level. We report here that fast-inactivating K+ currents mediated by cloned K+ channel subunits derived from mammalian brain expressed in Xenopus oocytes are regulated by the reducing agent glutathione. This type of regulation may have a role in vivo to link metabolism to excitability and to regulate excitability in specific membrane areas of mammalian neurons.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Swapping of functional domains in voltage-gated K+ channels.

Functionally significant properties of domains in the amino acid sequence of potassium (K+) channel-forming proteins have been investigated by constructing chimeric K+ channels. The N-terminal domain of ShA2 channels was responsible for the fast inactivation (IKA) and also determined a shift in the threshold of activation whereas the membrane domain determined the timecourse of slow inactivation. The binding site for dendrotoxin (DTX), but not for mast cell degranulating peptide (MCDP), is completely located on the loop between the membrane spanning segments S5 and S6 in RCK1 channels. A certain part of this region which has recently been designated as a narrow part of the pore was found to be not responsible for the differences in the single-channel current amplitude between RCK4 and RCK2 K+ channels. Interchange of the C-terminal domain did not influence activation or inactivation of the channels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Cloning and functional expression of a TEA-sensitive A-type potassium channel from rat brain.

A rat brain cDNA (Raw3) related to the Drosophila Shaw K+ channel family has been characterized. Raw3 cRNA leads to the formation of TEA-insensitive, fast inactivating (A-type) K+ channels when injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes. Raw3 channels have markedly different properties from the previously cloned rat A-type K+ channel RCK4, Raw3 channels operate in the positive voltage range.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Gating currents of inactivating and non-inactivating potassium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes.

The Xenopus oocyte expression system in combination with patch-clamp techniques allows the measurement of ionic currents from a single class of genetically engineered ion channels. Ionic currents in the nanoampere range from oocytes injected with cRNA, corresponding to potassium channels, can be recorded in the inside-out patch configuration. These recordings have a high time resolution at low background noise. Substitution of impermeant ions for potassium and blocking of the channel conductance with tetraethylammonium allows the recording of potassium gating currents, Ig, which is hampered in natural excitable cells by the simultaneous presence of sodium channels and a variety of different potassium channels. The "on" transients, Ig(on), are fast and can have amplitudes of up to several tens of pA. Upon repolarization to -100 mV after small depolarizations, "off" gating currents, Ig(off)g, which reverse most of the "on" charge displacement, Q(on), within 1 ms, are readily observed. However, this fast recovery of the gating charge is drastically reduced upon increasing the amplitude of the depolarizing pulse. In contrast to sodium channels, this temporary charge immobilization is complete within a few milliseconds at positive membrane potentials. Furthermore, there seems to be no direct correlation between charge immobilization and inactivation because the same phenomenon occurs for channels that do not inactivate.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Heteromultimeric channels formed by rat brain potassium-channel proteins.

An important step towards understanding the molecular basis of the functional diversity of voltage-gated K+ channels in the mammalian brain has been the discovery of a family of genes encoding rat brain K+ channel-forming (RCK) proteins. All species of these RCK proteins form homomultimeric voltage-gated K+ channels with distinct functional characteristics in Xenopus laevis oocytes following injection of the respective cRNAs. RCK-specific mRNAs are coexpressed in several regions of the brain, suggesting that RCK proteins also assemble into heteromultimeric K+ channels. In addition expression experiments with fractionated poly(A)+ mRNA have suggested that heteromultimeric K+ channels may occur in mammalian brain. We report here that heteromultimeric K+ channels composed of two different RCK proteins (RCK1 and RCK4) assemble after cotransfection of HeLa cells with the corresponding cDNAs and after coinjection of the corresponding cRNAs into Xenopus oocytes. The heteromultimeric RCK1, 4 channel mediates a transient potassium outward current, similar to the RCK4 channel but inactivates more slowly, has a larger conductance and is more sensitive to block by dendrotoxin and tetraethylammonium chloride.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Molecular basis of altered excitability in Shaker mutants of Drosophila melanogaster.

Mutations in the Shaker (Sh) locus of Drosophila melanogaster have differing effects on action potential duration and repolarization in neurons as well as on A-type K+ channels (IA) in muscle. The molecular basis of three exemplary Sh alleles (ShKS133, ShE62 and Sh5) has been identified. They are point mutations in the Sh transcription unit expressing aberrant voltage-gated A-type K+ channels. Replicas of each mutation have been introduced by in vitro mutagenesis into Sh cDNA. The expression of in vitro transcribed mutant Sh cRNA in Xenopus laevis oocytes reproduced the specific phenotypic traits of each Sh allele. The lack of IA in ShKS133 is due to a missense mutation within a sequence motif occurring in all hitherto characterized voltage-gated K+ channel forming proteins. The reduction of IA in ShE62 is due to a mutation in an AG acceptor site. The intervening sequence between exons 19 and 20 is not spliced in ShE62 RNA. As a consequence, ShE62 flies do not contain the full complement of Sh K+ forming proteins. Finally, the Sh5 mutation leads to an altered voltage dependence of K+ channel activation and inactivation as well as to an accelerated rate of recovery from inactivation. This is due to a missense mutation altering the amino acid sequence of the proposed transmembrane segment S5 of the Sh K+ channels. Segment S5 is located adjacently to the presumed voltage sensor of voltage-gated ion channels. The results explain the altered properties of excitable cells in Sh mutants and provide a general model for the possible role of A-type K+ channels in modulating action potential profiles.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1990

Cloning and expression of a human voltage-gated potassium channel. A novel member of the RCK potassium channel family.

We have isolated and characterized a human cDNA (HBK2) that is homologous to novel member (RCK2) of the K+ channel RCK gene family expressed in rat brain. RCK2 mRNA was detected predominantly in midbrain areas and brainstem. The primary sequences of the HBK2/RCK2 K+ channel proteins exhibit major differences to other members of the RCK gene family. The bend region between segments S1 and S2 is unusually long and does not contain the N-glycosylation site commonly found in this region. They might be O-glycosylated instead. Functional characterization of the HBK2/RCK2 K+ channels in Xenopus laevis oocytes following micro-injection in in vitro transcribed HBK2 or RCK2 cRNA showed that the HBK2/RCK2 proteins form voltage-gated K+ channels with novel functional and pharmacological properties. These channels are different to RCK1, RCK3, RCK4 and RCK5 K+ channels.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Alternative Shaker transcripts express either rapidly inactivating or noninactivating K+ channels.

Two members of the Shaker K+ channel family designated ShA2 and ShD2 were characterized in the Xenopus oocyte expression system. The predicted amino acid sequences of ShA2 and ShD2 differ only in the amino terminus, which is located intracellularly according to the present topological model of K+ channels. The differing amino termini have profound effects on the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of the K+ channel. Most markedly, the nature of the amino terminus determines whether the K+ channel mediates rapidly inactivating or noninactivating K+ currents. It also affects the 4-aminopyridine, tetraethylammonium, and charybdotoxin sensitivities of the K+ channels. These results suggest that the amino terminus of Shaker proteins affects K+ channel structures on both sides of the membrane.

4-Aminopyridine↗