Regulation of Potassium and Calcium Channels in Drosophilia

Regulation of Potassium and Calcium Channels in Drosophila Regulation of potassium and calcium channels plays an important role in several cellular functions. The investigators have identified mutations, in two genes, that disrupt the regulation of K+ and Ca2+ channels in Drosophila. The proposed research will identify these two genes and clone them. The project uses P-element mutagenesis and X-irradiation to generate additional mutant alleles of each of the two regulatory genes. Some of these new alleles will be "tagged" by the presence of the P-element or a "chromosomal breakpoint". These "tagged" alleles will be used to facilitate the isolation and characterization of the two genes. Sequence analysis of the wild-type and mutant alleles will identify the mutations present within each of the mutant alleles. Past research experience has clearly demonstrated a strong evolutionary conservation of mechanisms involved in the regulation of ion channels. Identification of the two genes under study, and subsequent analysis of how the encoded gene products regulate the K+ and the Ca2+ channels, will provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of Drosophila ion channels. These regulatory mechanisms would be expected to be applicable to other systems. Since ion channels share regulatory pathways with other cellular functions, these studies will also provide useful information on general cellular regulatory pathways.