Abstract

Myotonia congenita (Mc) is a muscle disorder seen in both Myotonic goats and humans, caused by mutations in the chloride ion channel gene (CLCN1). Calcium signaling has been coupled to the function of the CLCN1, but this interaction is not well understood, as individuals with Mc do not experience muscular dystrophy (MD). Over expression of the Transient Receptor Cation Channel 3 (TRPC3), a protein responsible for calcium influx and muscle contraction causes an elevation in calcium which results in a phenotype of MD. Evaluation of the TRPC3 gene in Myotonic goats has not been conducted. Therefore the objective of this experiment was to evaluate gene expression of the TRPC3 gene in Myotonic vs. Spanish goats (control). Total RNA was isolated from whole blood samples. Cross species primers were designed from the human, bovine, and mouse TRPC3 cDNA alignments. The goat partial TRPC3 gene showed 98%, 92% and 91%, and 100%, 98%, and 98% nucleotide and amino acid sequence homology to the bovine, human and mouse TRPC3 genes respectively. Quantitative Real Time PCR showed that gene expression of TRPC3 was 77% higher (P<0.05) in Myotonic than Non-Myotonic (Spanish) goats. Male Myotonic goats expressed 67% higher levels (P<0.05) of TRPC3 than females. The TRPC3 gene expression was 90% higher (P<0.05) in Myotonic goats older than 4 years of age. These data indicate that the TRPC3 gene is a potential biomarker to further study Myotonia congenita in Myotonic goats and the interrelationship of the mechanism of calcium signaling in human Mc and MD.

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