Developmental expression of voltage‐sensitive K+ channels in mouse skeletal muscle and C2C12 cells

Abstract
The developmental expression of voltage‐sensitive K+ channels was analyzed by Northern blot in mouse skeletal muscle. Of nine Shaker‐like genes studied, eight are expressed in this mammalian muscle. Their expression is differentially regulated during development. The mouse cell line C2C12 has been used to study expression of voltage‐sensitive K+ channels during in vitro myotube differentiation. Different voltage‐sensitive K+ channel messages are also expressed in these cells which display a pattern of expression depending upon the differentiation stage. The message for the very peculiar K+ channel or IsK type could only be detected by polymerase chain reaction on skeletal muscle mRNA.