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Potassium channels: Structure-function relationships, diversity, and pharmacology

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Summary

There are many different types of potassium (K+) channels: A good number are voltage-dependent, others are activated by variations of intracellular concentrations of Ca2+ and the activity of others is controlled by cytoplasmic variations of the ATP/ADP ratio or by variations of intracellular Na+ or arachidonic acid and other fatty acids; a large number are modulated by phosphorylation and/or interaction with G proteins. Considerable progress has been made in the past few years in the molecular knowledge of some of these channels. Some of the voltage-dependent K+ channels have been cloned. In each tissue several genes encode several different K+ channel subunits that assemble to form large families of voltage-dependent K+ channels with different biophysical properties (different voltage dependence, different time course), which are associated with different physiological functions. The molecular structure of other types of K+ channels is not yet solved. Investigation of the molecular pharmacology of K+ channels has also made tremendous progress recently. High-affinity ligands are now available for some of the voltage-dependent K+ channels, Ca2+-activated K+ channels, and ATP-sensitive K+ channels.

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  1. Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne, France

    Michel Lazdunski

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Lazdunski, M. Potassium channels: Structure-function relationships, diversity, and pharmacology. Cardiovasc Drug Ther 6 (Suppl 1), 313–319 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00051016

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