A Kv4.2 truncation mutation in a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy

Neurobiol Dis. 2006 Nov;24(2):245-53. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2006.07.001. Epub 2006 Aug 24.

Abstract

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) has a multifactorial etiology involving developmental, environmental, and genetic components. Here, we report a voltage-gated potassium channel gene mutation found in a TLE patient, namely a Kv4.2 truncation mutation. Kv4.2 channels, encoded by the KCND2 gene, mediate A currents in the brain. The identified mutation corresponds to an N587fsX1 amino acid change, predicted to produce a truncated Kv4.2 protein lacking the last 44 amino acids in the carboxyl terminal. Electrophysiological analysis indicates attenuated K+ current density in cells expressing this Kv4.2-N587fsX1 mutant channel, which is consistent with a model of aberrant neuronal excitability characteristic of TLE. Our observations, together with other lines of evidence, raise the intriguing possibility of a role for KCND2 in the etiology of TLE.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / genetics
  • Adult
  • Amino Acid Substitution / genetics
  • Brain / metabolism*
  • Brain / physiopathology
  • Brain Chemistry / genetics*
  • Cell Line
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / genetics*
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / metabolism
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease / genetics*
  • Genetic Testing
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Membrane Potentials / genetics
  • Mutation / genetics*
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Pedigree
  • Potassium / metabolism
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary / genetics
  • Shal Potassium Channels / chemistry
  • Shal Potassium Channels / genetics*
  • Synaptic Transmission / genetics

Substances

  • Shal Potassium Channels
  • Potassium