Rat dorsal root ganglia express distinctive forms of the alpha2 calcium channel subunit.

Calcium channel alpha2 delta subunit is a glycosylated structural subunit consistent of the alpha2 subunit and the delta peptide. Previous studies have indicated distinctive alpha2 subunit expression in rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG). This study examined whether differential glycosylation underlies the molecular basis of distinct alpha2 delta subunits. The migration patterns of deglycosylated alpha2 subunits from rat spinal cord, DRG, brain and skeletal muscle were compared in Western blots. The data reported indicate that there are two forms of the alpha2 subunit in DRG that are different from the alpha2 subunit in other tissues examined, at least at the glycosylation level. Thus, post-translational modification may be important in tissue specific and functional expression of the alpha2 delta subunit.