AbstractWe have investigated the effect of tunicamycin (TM), an inhibitor of protein glycosylation, on surface Na+channels in cultured chick skeletal muscle cells. The expression of Na+channels, estimated by the measurement of batrachotoxin (BTX)‐activated22Na+uptake, was found to be significantly diminished after exposure of muscle cells to TM. This effect is partially reversed by the protease inhibitor leupeptin and is associated with a markedly enhanced rate of disappearance of Na+channels from the surface of TM‐treated cells. Our findings suggest that protein glycosylation contributes to the metabolic stability of voltage‐sensitive Na+cha
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