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Science 328 (5980): 906-909

Copyright © 2010 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Molecular Identity of Dendritic Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels

Andrea Lorincz*, and Zoltan Nusser*

Abstract: Active invasion of the dendritic tree by action potentials (APs) generated in the axon is essential for associative synaptic plasticity and neuronal ensemble formation. In cortical pyramidal cells (PCs), this AP back-propagation is supported by dendritic voltage-gated Na+ (Nav) channels, whose molecular identity is unknown. Using a highly sensitive electron microscopic immunogold technique, we revealed the presence of the Nav1.6 subunit in hippocampal CA1 PC proximal and distal dendrites. Here, the subunit density is lower by a factor of 35 to 80 than that found in axon initial segments. A gradual decrease in Nav1.6 density along the proximodistal axis of the dendritic tree was also detected without any labeling in dendritic spines. Our results reveal the characteristic subcellular distribution of the Nav1.6 subunit, identifying this molecule as a key substrate enabling dendritic excitability.

Laboratory of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1083 Budapest, Hungary.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nusser{at}koki.hu (Z.N.); lorincz{at}koki.hu (A.L.)

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