Antibodies against Drosophila potassium channels identify membrane proteins across species.

Shaker is a complex locus (ShC) in Drosophila that encodes components of the K+ channel responsible for the IA current. We have raised antibodies against synthetic peptides of selected sequences from the Sh products. One of the antisera identifies a 71 kDa protein band in immunoblots from Drosophila neural membrane proteins. We demonstrate that this protein is encoded within the viable (V) region of the ShC since deletions and breakpoints in this part of the complex eliminate this band from the immunoblots. Certain Sh mutations abolish the production of this product while other do not seem to interfere with it. The same antiserum identifies bands of different apparent molecular weight (Mr) in membrane extracts of nervous systems of a variety of organisms including vertebrates.