Oxidation of a potassium channel causes progressive sensory function loss during aging.

ABSTRACT: Potassium channels are key regulators of neuronal excitability. Here we show that oxidation of the K(+) channel KVS-1 during aging causes sensory function loss in Caenorhabditis elegans and that protection of this channel from oxidation preserves neuronal function. Chemotaxis, a function controlled by KVS-1, was significantly impaired in worms exposed to oxidizing agents, but only moderately affected in worms harboring an oxidation-resistant KVS-1 mutant (C113S). In aging C113S transgenic worms, the effects of free radical accumulation were significantly attenuated compared to those in wild type. Electrophysiological analyses showed that both reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation during aging and acute exposure to oxidizing agents acted primarily to alter the excitability of the neuro

SUBMITTER: Cai SQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2685168 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature