FIGURE 5.

Sequence alignment and chemical properties of the splice site in GlyR α3 variants. The starting position is 349, before the conserved cluster of positive charges. A, aligned sequences and representation of residue properties. Symbols to describe side chains are: +, positive charge; −, negative charge; N, polar, neutral; ○, large hydrophobic; ⊗, -OH; ●, small. The sequence can be subdivided into distinct blocks of five or six residues. B, scheme indicating electrostatic properties of the alternatively spliced region in various α3 constructs. The gray color indicates the positive charge. Note that the overall hydrophobicity of each block remains constant, but the sequence of charged blocks is reversed between high and low activity mutants.