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Article: Research results from M. Osawa and colleagues update understanding of biological chemistry.
- Article from:
- Chemicals & Chemistry
- Article date:
- November 13, 2009
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"The inwardly rectifying potassium channel (Kir) regulates resting membrane potential, K+ homeostasis, heart rate, and hormone secretion. The outward current is blocked in a voltage-dependent manner, upon the binding of intracellular polyamines or Mg2+ to the transmembrane pore domain," researchers in Tokyo, Japan report.
"Meanwhile, electrophysiological studies have shown that mutations of several acidic residues in the intracellular regions affected the inward rectification. Although these acidic residues are assumed to bind polyamines, the functional role of the binding of polyamines and Mg2+ to the intracellular regions of Kirs remains unclear. Here, we ...