Research Article 985 Co-assembly of N-type Ca2+ and BK channels underlies functional coupling in rat brain David J. Loane*, Pedro A. Lima‡ and Neil V. Marrion§ Department of Pharmacology and MRC Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK *Present address: Laboratory for the Study of CNS Injury, Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA ‡Present address: Dep. Fisiologia, Fac. Ciências Médicas, UNL, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal §Author for correspondence (e-mail:
[email protected]) Accepted 9 January 2007 Journal of Cell Science 120, 985-995 Published by The Company of Biologists 2007 doi:10.1242/jcs.03399 Summary Activation of large conductance Ca2+-activated potassium and reproduced the interaction. Co-expression of (BK) channels hastens action potential repolarisation and CaV2.2/CaV3 subunits with Slo27 channels revealed rapid generates the fast afterhyperpolarisation in hippocampal functional coupling. By contrast, extremely rare examples pyramidal neurons. A rapid coupling of Ca2+ entry with of rapid functional coupling were observed with co- BK channel activation is necessary for this to occur, which expression of CaV1.2/CaV3 and Slo27 channels. Action might result from an identified coupling of Ca2+ entry potential repolarisation in hippocampal pyramidal neurons through N-type Ca2+ channels to BK channel activation. was slowed by the N-type channel blocker -conotoxin This selective coupling was extremely rapid and resistant GVIA, but not by the L-type channel blocker isradipine. to intracellular BAPTA, suggesting that the two channel These data showed that selective functional coupling types are close.