Hello Daniela.

Nav1.6 (SCN8A) is known to express in the PNS and CNS. To be functional for the channel proteins, it should form a complex channel with an Nav1.6 beta-subunit. Depending on the work nature, people transfect HEK293 cells with SCN8A along with SCNB1 and SCNB2 isoforms together.

Thus, the immunoreaction with your Nav6.1 antibody does not mean that the channel proteins are functional. If your antibody is specific to NAv1.6 channel but not other Nav channels, then it may well be expressed constitutively. You have to check beta-subunits with more antibodies to see whether your HEK293 cells are already stable cell lines with Nav1.6 overexpression, specially when cells are put forward by others in the lab or between labs.

Regards.

Thank you so much. I am sure that these cells are normal HeK cells. The antibody that I used was specific for Nav1.6 and I used Hek cells like control for testing the same antibody in lysates from Hek cells stably transfected with Nav1.6. So I am surprising to see Nav1.6 band for Hek.