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

Molecular evolution of K+ channels in primitive eukaryotes

T Jegla1, L Salkoff

  • 1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.

Society of General Physiologists Series
|January 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary

Comparing potassium (K+) channels in primitive cnidarians and single-celled ciliates offers insights into K+ channel evolution. This research helps distinguish fundamental K+ channels for electrical excitability from those specialized for neuronal signaling.

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

K+ and Cl- channels and transporters in sperm function.

Current topics in developmental biology·2013
Same author

Potassium channels in C. elegans.

WormBook : the online review of C. elegans biology·2007
Same author

Role of a novel photopigment, melanopsin, in behavioral adaptation to light.

Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS·2006
Same author

Dissection of K+ currents in Caenorhabditis elegans muscle cells by genetics and RNA interference.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2003
Same author

SLO-1 potassium channels control quantal content of neurotransmitter release at the C. elegans neuromuscular junction.

Neuron·2001
Same author

Evolution tunes the excitability of individual neurons.

Neuroscience·2001

Area of Science:

  • * Evolutionary biology
  • * Molecular biology
  • * Neuroscience

Background:

  • * Potassium (K+) channels are vital for membrane potential and electrical activity in all eukaryotes.
  • * Cnidarians, as primitive metazoans with nervous systems, provide a unique model for studying fundamental K+ channel evolution.
  • * Ciliate protozoans, like Paramecium, possess K+ channels that regulate single-cell behavior, offering a contrast to multicellular neuronal signaling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the evolutionary origins and diversification of K+ channels.
  • * To differentiate between K+ channels essential for general eukaryotic electrical excitability and those specialized for neuronal function.
  • * To compare K+ channel repertoires in early metazoans (cnidarians) and protozoans with more complex metazoans.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • * Comparative analysis of K+ channel sequences from cnidarians, ciliate protozoans, and other eukaryotes.
  • * Examination of the functional roles of K+ channels in electrical excitability across different phylogenetic groups.
  • * Literature review of existing studies on K+ channel diversity and function.

Main Results:

  • * K+ channels are universally present in eukaryotes, regulating resting membrane potentials and electrical activity.
  • * Metazoans exhibit the greatest diversity of K+ channels, reflecting their complex electrically excitable systems.
  • * Primitive metazoans and protozoans possess K+ channels that are fundamental to eukaryotic electrical excitability, with specialization occurring in more complex organisms.

Conclusions:

  • * The study of K+ channels in cnidarians and ciliates illuminates the fundamental roles of these channels in eukaryotic life.
  • * K+ channel diversity significantly increased with the evolution of complex nervous systems in metazoans.
  • * Understanding K+ channel evolution is key to deciphering the basis of electrical excitability and neuronal signaling.