Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Kv7.1 , Slo1

Title: The KCNQ1 channel - remarkable flexibility in gating allows for functional versatility.

Authors: Sara I Liin, René Barro-Soria, H Peter Larsson

Journal, date & volume: J. Physiol. (Lond.), 2015 Jun 15 , 593, 2605-15

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25653179

Abstract
The KCNQ1 channel (also called Kv7.1 or KvLQT1) belongs to the superfamily of voltage-gated K(+) (Kv) channels. KCNQ1 shares several general features with other Kv channels but also displays a fascinating flexibility in terms of the mechanism of channel gating, which allows KCNQ1 to play different physiological roles in different tissues. This flexibility allows KCNQ1 channels to function as voltage-independent channels in epithelial tissues, whereas KCNQ1 function as voltage-activated channels with very slow kinetics in cardiac tissues. This flexibility is in part provided by the association of KCNQ1 with different accessory KCNE β-subunits and different modulators, but also seems like an integral part of KCNQ1 itself. The aim of this review is to describe the main mechanisms underlying KCNQ1 flexibility.