The Tau-Induced Reduction of mRNA Levels of Kv Channels in Human Neuroblastoma SK-N-SH Cells

Previous findings indicated that microtubule-binding protein tau and voltage-gated K + (Kv) channels exhibit a regulatory role in cell proliferation. However, the possible interaction of tau with Kv channels remained obscure. In this report, transfection of tau plasmids into human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells caused a significant reduction in the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of several Kv channels, including Kv2.1, Kv3.1, Kv5.1, Kv9.2, and KCNH4. Correspondingly, the Kv currents recorded using patch-clamp techniques were substantially declined in the tau-transfected SK-N-SH cells. Moreover, tau induction and treatment with the Kv channel blocker TEA (tetraethylammonium) were able to improve proliferation rates of SK-N-SH cells by 43.1 and 66.2 %, respectively. These data suggested that the tau-mediated alteration of Kv channels could be involved in its action on neural proliferation.