Opposing actions of adrenal androgens and glucocorticoids on alternative splicing of Slo potassium channels in bovine chromaffin cells

摘要

Pituitary ablation (hypophysectomy) in rats was previously re- ported to cause a precipitous change in the relative abundance of two alternative splice variants of the "BK"- or "Maxi K"-encoding Slo gene in adrenal chromaffin cells. Inclusion of the optional "STREX" exon (STRess axis-regulated EXon) in a C-terminal splice site was reduced, in preference to the variant lacking an insert at this site. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) injections pre- vented the drop in STREX inclusion, implicating stress-axis func- tion, as opposed to other pituitary functions.