Abnormal action potentials associated with the Shaker complex locus of Drosophila

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Intracellular recordings of action potentials were made from the cervical giant axon in Shaker (Sh) mutants and normal Drosophila. The mutants showed abnormally long delays in repolarization. The defect is not due to abnormal Ca2+ channels because it persists in the presence of Co2+, a Ca2+-channel blocker. The K+-channel blocker 4-aminopyridine causes a similar effect in normal animals, suggesting that the Sh mutant may have abnormal K+ conductance. Gene-dosage analysis of Sh shows that the defect is not due to underproduction of an otherwise normal molecule; it may be due to an abnormal molecule produced by the mutated gene. Gel electrophoresis failed to detect an abnormal protein, suggesting that, if Sh codes for a nervous system protein, it is rare. Genetic analysis of the Sh locus indicates 3 regions. Mutations or chromosome breaks in the 2 flanking regions cause Sh mutant physiology; the central region shows a haplolethal effect, i.e., heterozygous females are lethal.