Age and gender-dependent alternative splicing of P/Q-type calcium channel EF-hand

Neuroscience. 2007 Mar 30;145(3):1026-36. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.12.054. Epub 2007 Feb 8.

Abstract

Ca(v)2.1 Ca(2+) channels (P/Q-type), which participate in various key roles in the CNS by mediating calcium influx, are extensively spliced. One of its alternatively-spliced exons is 37, which forms part of the EF hand. The expression of exon 37a (EFa form), but not exon 37b (EFb form), confers the channel an activity-dependent enhancement of channel opening known as Ca(2+)-dependent facilitation (CDF). In this study, we analyzed the trend of EF hand splice variant distributions in mouse, rat and human brain tissues. We observed a developmental switch in rodents, as well as an age and gender bias in human brain tissues, suggestive of a possible role of these EF hand splice variants in neurophysiological specialization. A parallel study performed on rodent brains showed that the data drawn from human and rodent tissues may not necessarily correlate in the process of aging.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging
  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Animals
  • Calcium Channels, N-Type / genetics*
  • Exons
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Introns
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred F344
  • Restriction Mapping
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sex Characteristics*

Substances

  • Calcium Channels, N-Type
  • voltage-dependent calcium channel (P-Q type)