News Release

Novel findings shed light on how N-type channel function is modified by lipids

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rockefeller University Press

The November 2009 issue of the Journal of General Physiology (JGP) contains two papers by the Rittenhouse laboratory that describe novel findings on how N-type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) function is modified by lipids.

In a commentary accompanying the manuscripts, Jörg Striessnig (University of Innsbruck) provides context for the importance of the new Rittenhouse studies, which support one of two distinct hypotheses on modulation of VGCCs that have been pitted in an "oily competition": the "PIP2 breakdown" vs. "ArA generation" hypotheses.

According to Striessnig, although the new findings support the "ArA generation" hypothesis, previous experimental evidence supporting the "PIP2 breakdown" model are valid, and he proposes a unifying hypothesis that could serve as a basis for further experiments.

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About the Journal of General Physiology

Founded in 1918, the Journal of General Physiology (JGP) is published by the Rockefeller University Press. All editorial decisions on manuscripts submitted are made by active scientists. JGP content is posted to PubMed Central, where it is available to the public for free six months after publication. Authors retain copyright of their published works and third parties may reuse the content for non-commercial purposes under a creative commons license. For more information, please visit www.jgp.org.

Heneghan, J.F., et al. 2009. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.200910203.
Mitra-Ganguli, T., et al. 2009. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.200910204.
Striessnig, J. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.200910330.


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