• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: ERG-28 controls BK channel trafficking in the ER to regulate synaptic function and alcohol response in C. elegans
  • Contributor: Oh, Kelly H; Haney, James J; Wang, Xiaohong; Chuang, Chiou-Fen; Richmond, Janet E; Kim, Hongkyun
  • Published: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, 2017
  • Published in: eLife, 6 (2017)
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.7554/elife.24733
  • ISSN: 2050-084X
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: Voltage- and calcium-dependent BK channels regulate calcium-dependent cellular events such as neurotransmitter release by limiting calcium influx. Their plasma membrane abundance is an important factor in determining BK current and thus regulation of calcium-dependent events. In C. elegans, we show that ERG-28, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein, promotes the trafficking of SLO-1 BK channels from the ER to the plasma membrane by shielding them from premature degradation. In the absence of ERG-28, SLO-1 channels undergo aspartic protease DDI-1-dependent degradation, resulting in markedly reduced expression at presynaptic terminals. Loss of erg-28 suppressed phenotypic defects of slo-1 gain-of-function mutants in locomotion, neurotransmitter release, and calcium-mediated asymmetric differentiation of the AWC olfactory neuron pair, and conferred significant ethanol-resistant locomotory behavior, resembling slo-1 loss-of-function mutants, albeit to a lesser extent. Our study thus indicates that the control of BK channel trafficking is a critical regulatory mechanism for synaptic transmission and neural function.
  • Access State: Open Access