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Two cDNAs coding for histamine-gated ion channels in D. melanogaster
Günter Gisselmann1, Hermann Pusch, Bernd T Hovemann
1Lehrstuhl für Zellphysiologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany. guenter.gisselmann@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Abstract:
Histamine, a neurotransmitter and neuroregulatory compound in diverse species, serves as the neurotransmitter of photoreceptors in insects and other arthropods by directly activating a chloride channel. By systematic expression screening of novel putative ligand-gated anion channels, we identified two cDNAs (DM-HisCl-alpha 1 and-alpha 2) coding for putative histamine-gated chloride channels by functional expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes. DM-HisCl-alpha 1 mRNA localizes in the lamina region of the Drosophila eye, supporting the idea that DM-HisCl-alpha 1 may be a neurotransmitter receptor for histamine in the visual system.