A peptide-gated ion channel from the freshwater polyp Hydra.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Chemical transmitters are either low molecular weight molecules or neuropeptides. As a general rule, neuropeptides activate only slow metabotropic receptors. To date, only one exception to this rule is known, the FMRFamide-activated Na(+) channel (FaNaC) from snails. Until now FaNaC has been regarded as a curiosity, and it was not known whether peptide-gated ionotropic receptors are also present in other animal groups. Nervous systems first evolved in cnidarians, which extensively use neuropeptides. Here we report cloning from the freshwater cnidarian Hydra of a novel ion channel (Hydra sodium channel, HyNaC) that is directly gated by the neuropeptides Hydra-RFamides I and II and is related to FaNaC. The cells expressing HyNaC localize to the base of the tentacles, adjacent to the neurons producing the Hydra-RFamides, suggesting that the peptides are the natural ligands for this channel. Our results suggest that neuropeptides were already used for fast transmission in ancient nervous systems.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Biological Chemistry |
Volume | 282 |
Issue number | 48 |
Pages (from-to) | 35098-103 |
Number of pages | 5 |
ISSN | 0021-9258 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Keywords: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Cloning, Molecular; Hydra; In Situ Hybridization; Ions; Ligands; Membrane Proteins; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Peptides; Phylogeny; Rats; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Sodium Channels
ID: 3045658