Molecular Studies of Voltage-gated Potassium Channels
- E. Isacoff,
- D. Papazian*,
- L. Timpe,
- Y.-N. Jan, and
- L.-Y. Jan
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
Excitability and synaptic efficacy in the nervous system are regulated by a variety of potassium channels. Transmitter-induced alterations in the behavior of these channels are capable of effecting the short- and long-term modulation of synaptic transmission that may underlie some forms of memory and learning. These potassium channels are diverse pharmacologically and can be broken down into several subgroups on the basis of whether they are activated by voltage or second messengers and on whether they inactivate. The differences in gating among channels with similar ion selectivity suggest that there exist certain common pore-forming domains in diverse potassium channels that otherwise possess specialized regions specific for gating. Studies of the molecular nature of potassium channels have been made possible by the cloning of the voltage-activated Shaker potassium channel in Drosophila and of related genes in invertebrates and vertebrates.
The Shaker Phenotype
Shaker mutations were first isolated decades ago on the
