Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Variable channel expression in identified single and electrically coupled neurons in different animals.

David J Schulz1, Jean-Marc Goaillard, Eve Marder

  • 1Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA. SchulzD@missouri.edu

Nature Neuroscience
|January 31, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Neuron properties vary significantly between animals, even for the same cell type. This study found inter-animal variability in ion channel gene expression and membrane currents in crab neurons.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Compensation of the effects of temperature on a motor system in the crab, <i>Cancer borealis</i>.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Sensitivity of a model oscillator to shifts in the voltage-dependence of one or more ionic currents.

Journal of neurophysiology·2026
Same author

Blue plaque review series: Thomas Graham Brown: Before his time.

Experimental physiology·2026
Same author

Quantitative Neuropeptidomics Reveals Thermal Acclimation-Induced Remodeling of Peptidergic Signaling in the American Lobster <i>Homarus americanus</i>.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Temperature and pH-dependent potassium currents of muscles of the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab, <i>Cancer borealis</i>.

iScience·2026
Same author

Persistent adaptation through dual-timescale regulation of ion channel properties.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Crustacean Neurobiology

Background:

  • Neurons of the same type are often assumed to possess identical intrinsic properties.
  • This assumption has not been rigorously tested at the level of gene expression and membrane currents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the variability of intrinsic neuronal properties within and between individual crabs.
  • To correlate ion channel gene expression with measured membrane currents in specific neuron types.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the stomatogastric ganglion of crabs, known for its large, identifiable neurons.
  • Performed voltage-clamp experiments to measure membrane currents.
  • Quantified the abundance of specific ion channel messenger RNAs (mRNAs) using molecular techniques.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Identified strong correlations between specific potassium currents and the abundance of Shal and BK-KCa mRNAs in lateral pyloric (LP) neurons.
  • Observed two- to fourfold variability in three potassium currents and their corresponding mRNA expression levels between different animals.
  • Found significant inter-animal variability in channel expression for pyloric dilator (PD) neurons, but similar mRNA levels for IH and Shal channels within the same crab.

Conclusions:

  • Challenges the assumption of identical intrinsic properties in neurons of the same cell type.
  • Highlights significant inter-animal variability in ion channel expression and function.
  • Suggests potential shared regulation of certain ion currents in electrically coupled neurons.