Large conductance K+ (BK) channels are expressed widely in neurons, where their activation is regulated by membrane depolarization and intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i). To enable this regulation, BK channels functionally couple to both voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) and channels mediating Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. However, the relationship between BK channels and their specific Ca2...

Previous studies suggest that middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) of Fawn Hooded Hypertensive (FHH) rats exhibit impaired myogenic response and introgression of a small region of Brown Norway chromosome 1 containing 15 genes restored the response in FHH.1BN congenic rat. The impaired myogenic response in FHH rats is associated with an increase in the activity of the large conductance potassium (BK)...

Plasma membrane ion channels modulate the physiological functions of virtually all cell types, including vascular smooth muscle cells (myocytes) [1]. Many ion channels are composed of both pore-forming and auxiliary subunits, with the conventional view that these proteins coassemble intracellularly prior to anterograde surface trafficking of the multi-protein complex. Recent work in our laborat...

Recent results showing that large-conductance, calcium-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels undergo direct tyrosine phosphorylation in the presence of c-Src tyrosine kinase have suggested the involvement of these channels in Src-mediated signaling pathways. Given the important role for c-Src in integrin-mediated signal transduction, we have examined the potential regulation of BK(Ca) channels by pr...

THERE IS A TREND, WHICH SEEMS quite reasonable to me, toward giving papers titles that are declarative summaries of the main conclusion of the paper, in contrast to traditional titles, which simply describe the topic studied. A busy (or lazy) reader can extract the gist of the story without even reading the abstract. One danger of the “conclusion-as-title” approach is that if the conclusion is ...

Large conductance Ca2+-activated potassium channels (BK) are targets for research that explores therapeutic means to various diseases, owing to the roles of the channels in mediating multiple physiological processes in various cells and tissues. We investigated the pharmacological effects of curcumin, a compound isolated from the herb Curcuma longa, on BK channels. As recorded by whole-cell pat...

RATIONALE Smooth muscle cell (myocyte) large-conductance calcium (Ca)(2+)-activated potassium (BK) channels are functionally significant modulators of arterial contractility. Arterial myocytes express both pore-forming BKα and auxiliary β1 subunits, which increase channel Ca(2+) sensitivity. Recently, several leucine-rich repeat containing (LRRC) proteins have been identified as auxiliary γ sub...

ATP-sensitive K+ channel opening in inner mitochondrial membranes protects hearts from ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Opening of the Big conductance Ca2+-sensitive K+ channel (BK(Ca)) is now also known to elicit cardiac preconditioning. We investigated the role of the pharmacological opening of the BK(Ca) channel on inducing mitochondrial preconditioning during I/R and the role of O2-derive...

As a unique member of the voltage-gated potassium channel family, a large conductance, voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK) channel has a large cytosolic domain that serves as the Ca(2+) sensor, in addition to a membrane-spanning domain that contains the voltage-sensing (VSD) and pore-gate domains. The conformational changes of the cytosolic domain induced by Ca(2+) binding and the conformat...

"Ryegrass staggers" is a neurological condition of unknown mechanism that impairs motor function in livestock. It is caused by infection of perennial ryegrass pastures by an endophytic fungus that produces neurotoxins, predominantly the indole-diterpenoid compound lolitrem B. Animals grazing on such pastures develop uncontrollable tremors and become uncoordinated in their movement. Lolitrem B a...