Small neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are known to play an important role in nociceptive mechanisms. These neurons express two types of sodium current, which differ in their inactivation kinetics and sensitivity to tetrodotoxin. Here, we report the cloning of the alpha-subunit of a novel, voltage-gated sodium channel (PN3) from rat DRG. Functional expression in Xenopus oocytes showed that PN3 is a voltage-gated sodium channel with a depolarized activation potential, slow inactivation kinetics, and resistance to high concentrations of tetrodotoxin. In situ hybridization to rat DRG indicated that PN3 is expressed primarily in small sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system.

Dorsal root ganglion neurons express a wide repertoire of sodium channels with different properties. Here, we report the cloning from rat, dorsal root ganglia (DRG), cellular expression, and functional analysis of a novel tetrodotoxin-sensitive peripheral sodium channel (PN), PN1. PN1 mRNA is expressed in many different tissues. Within the rat DRG, both the mRNA and PN1-like immunoreactivity are present in small and large neurons. The abundance of sodium channel mRNAs in rat DRG is rBI > PN1 PN3 >>> rBIII by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Data from reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and sequence analyses of human DRG and other human tissues suggest that rat PN1 is an ortholog of the human neuroendocrine channel. In Xenopus oocytes, PN1 exhibits kinetics that are similar to rBIIa sodium currents and is inhibited by tetrodotoxin with an IC 50 of 4.3 ؎ 0.92 nM. Unlike rBIIa, the inactivation kinetics of PN1 are not accelerated by the coexpression of the ␤-subunits.

Neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) express a diversity of voltage‐gated sodium channels. From rat DRG we have cloned and functionally expressed a tetrodotoxin‐sensitive sodium channel α subunit, NaCh6/Scn8a/rPN4, and a splice variant, rPN4a. Primary structure analysis shows NaCh6/Scn8a/rPN4 to be highly homologous (99%) to NaCh6 and most likely represents the same transcript. The splice variation in rPN4a is homologous in sequence and location to that of rat brain I. Tissue distribution analyzed by RT‐PCR showed NaCh6/Scn8a/rPN4 to be expressed at its highest levels in rat brain, at moderate levels in spinal cord, and at lower levels in DRG, nodose ganglia, and superior cervical ganglia and to be absent from sciatic nerve, heart, and skeletal muscle. In contrast, rPN4a shows no expression in brain and low‐level expression in spinal cord, whereas in DRG its expression is comparable to that of NaCh6/Scn8a/rPN4. Functional analysis of these channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes showed that NaCh6/Scn8a/rPN4 and rPN4a exhibited similar properties, with V1/2≅−100 mV for steady‐state inactivation and V1/2≅−40 mV for activation. rPN4a recovered from inactivation significantly faster than NaCh6/Scn8a/rPN4. NaCh6/Scn8a/rPN4 was inhibited by tetrodotoxin with an IC50≅ 1 nM. Coexpression of the β1 subunit accelerated inactivation kinetics, but the β2 subunit was without effect.