Variable channel expression in identified single and electrically coupled neurons in different animals
Abstract
It is often assumed that all neurons of the same cell type have identical intrinsic properties, both within an animal and between animals. We exploited the large size and small number of unambiguously identifiable neurons in the crab stomatogastric ganglion to test this assumption at the level of channel mRNA expression and membrane currents (measured in voltage-clamp experiments). In lateral pyloric (LP) neurons, we saw strong correlations between measured current and the abundance of Shal and BK-KCa mRNAs (encoding the Shal-family voltage-gated potassium channel and large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel, respectively). We also saw two- to fourfold interanimal variability for three potassium currents and their mRNA expression. Measurements of channel expression in the two electrically coupled pyloric dilator (PD) neurons showed significant interanimal variability, but copy numbers for IH (encoding the hyperpolarization-activated, inward-current channel) and Shal mRNA in the two PD neurons from the same crab were similar, suggesting that the regulation of some currents may be shared in electrically coupled neurons.
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In wild-type populations of animals with similar performance profiles, 2-7 fold variations in the mRNA expression of most cellular components are seen in identified neurons across individuals.
“In wild-type populations of animals with similar performance profiles, 2-7 fold variations in the mRNA expression of most cellular components are seen in identified neurons across individuals [25-30]”
From A feature and not a bug: Replication failures can lead to new biology (2026) · cites this paper as [25]
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- Authors
- Schulz, D. J., Goaillard, J.-M., & Marder, E.
- Affiliations
- Brandeis University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schulz, David J
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2006-01-29
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 356-362
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- OpenAlex
- W2107799893
- Cited by
- 426
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 7.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- James S. McDonnell Foundation
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 46742, MH 70292, F32MH070292)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS017813, NS17813)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ion channel regulation and function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- interindividual variability, stomatogastric ganglion, lateral pyloric neuron, pyloric dilator neuron, membrane currents, electrical coupling
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Animals, Biological Clocks, Cell Communication, Brachyura, Gene Expression Regulation, Membrane Potentials, Molecular Sequence Data, Nervous System, Neural Conduction, Neural Inhibition, Neurons, Potassium, RNA, Messenger, Gap Junctions, Ganglia, Invertebrate, Patch-Clamp Techniques, Shal Potassium Channels
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