Table 2.

Prevalence of methionine-for-leucine substitution in TTX-sensitive v.g. Na channels of the hearts of hibernators

Common nameTechnical nameNQATX.., X = ?Hibernator?
SCN1A
Nav1.1A
SCN2A
Nav1.2A
SCN3A
Nav1.3A
SCN8A
Nav1.6A
SCN4A
Nav1.4A
13-Lined ground squirrel Ictidomys tridecemlineatus M M ______ L L Yes 
Arctic ground squirrel Urocitellus parryii M M L L L Yes 
Yellow-bellied marmot Marmota flaviventris M M ______ L L Yes 
Woodchuck or groundhog Marmota monax M L M L L Yes 
European marmot Marmota marmota M L ______ L L Yes 
Golden hamster Mesocricetus auratus L L ______ L L Yes 
European hedgehog Erinaceus europeus M L L L L Yes 
Little brown bat Myotis lucifugus or Myotis M M L L M Yes 
Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus M M ______ L M Yes 
Beaver Castor canadensis _____ L L L L No 
Guinea pig Cavia porcellus L L ______ L L No 
Deermouse Peromyscus spp. L L ______ L L No 
Norway rat Rattus norvegicus L L L L L No 
E gray squirrel Sciurus carolinensis L L ______ L L No 
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus ______ L ______ L L No 
Dog Canis lupus familiaris L L ______ L L No 
Shrew Sorex araneus L L ______ L L No 
Elephant Loxodonta africanus L L ______ L L No 
Horse Equus caballus L L L L L No 
Human Homo sapiens L L ______ L L No 

The segment in which an M-for-L mutation is found is in the sixth transmembrane segment of domain one (DIS6) and begins NQAT in most Nav1s. (In Nav1.4, glutamate replaces glutamine, thus NEAT.) Criteria for the selection of hibernators are provided in Materials and methods. Briefly, nonhibernators resist lowering of body temperature below 30°C in a cold environment by increasing heat production and insulation. Hibernators listed in the table in low ambient temperature and under appropriate circumstances, specific to the species, allow or even promote a decrease in core temperature to below 10°C and to as low as 0°C and regulate temperature and respiration at that low temperature for days or weeks. Dashed lines indicate that no sequence was available in the NCBI database. In the headings of each column, gene names are shown above protein identities.

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