The expression of KATP channel subunits in alpha-synuclein-transfected MES23.5 cells

Background: SUR1, one of the subunits of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels, was found to be highly expressed in mRNA levels in the substantia nigra (SN) of Parkinson's disease (PD) brains. Though the mechanism of the selective dopamine (DA) neurons death is still unknown, some studies have demonstrated that selective activation of the KATP channels in the SN might be associated with the degeneration of DA neurons. The objective of our study is to examine the expressions of KATP channel subunits in dopaminergic cells with alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) transfection. Methods: In this study, we detected the KATP channel subunits mRNA levels in MES23.5 cells by real-time quantitative PCR after the cells transfected with α-Syn. Results: Our results showed that the mRNA levels of SUR1 subunit were markedly increased by 35% in WT α-Syn overexpression cells and by 31% in A53T α-Syn overexpression cells, respectively. However, the mRNA levels of SUR2B and Kir6.2 subunit have no obviously differences from the controls. Conclusions: We showed that the mRNA levels of SUR1 but not SUR2B or Kir6.2 were selectively upregulated in MES23.5 cells over-expressed with α-Syn. The findings demonstrated that the SUR1 overexpressed might be involved in the process of PD.