Developmental, Molecular, and Genetic Dissection of INa In Vivo in Embryonic Zebrafish Sensory Neurons

The presence of multiple Nav1 isotypes within a neuron and the lack of specific blockers hamper identification of the in vivo roles of sodium current (INa) components, especially during embryonic stages. To identify the functional properties of INa components in vivo in developing neurons, we took a molecular genetic approach. Embryonic zebrafish Rohon–Beard (RB) mechanosensory neurons express two different sodium channel isotypes: Nav1.1 and Nav1.6. To examine the properties of Nav1.1- and Nav1.6-encoded currents in RB cells at different developmental stages, we eliminated the contribution of Nav1.6 and Nav1.1 channels, respectively, using an antisense morpholino (MO) approach. MOs were injected into one-cell stage embryos, and RB sodium currents were recorded using patch-clamp techniques in both conventional whole cell mode as well from nucleated patches. Only a subset of RB cells appeared to be affected by the Nav1.1MO. Overall, the effect of the Nav1.1MO was a small 25% average reduction in current am...