OBJECTIVETo search new clues to reveal the action mechanism of inhaled anesthetics.

METHODSThree kinds of Drosophila melanogaster were used as studied models: the wild type strain (H), the sevoflurane-sensitive strain (S), and the sevoflurane-resistant strain (R). Differential display reverse transcriptional-polymerase chain reaction method was performed to examine the differentially expressed fragments between Drosophila induced with and without sevoflurane. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) method was used to clone the full length cDNA from positive differentially expressed fragments.

RESULTSThirty-one differentially expressed fragments were found between the two groups. Three fragments were identified as the positive differentially expressed fragments by Northern blot analysis. Two full-length cDNAs were cloned by RACE method, among which one was a 1.0 kb Drosophila calmodulin (CaM), located on Chr.2; the other was a 4.1 kb gene with unknown function (No.45), located on Chr.3.

CONCLUSIONThe two full-length cDNAs belong to the genes that related to anesthetic action pathway, which might participate in the regulation of cellular functions and signal transduction pathways. The two genes that we found should provide a novel way to study the mechanism of inhaled anesthetic action.