Pinacidil belongs to a novel group of compounds that enhance the potassium permeability of vascular smooth muscle. Evidence also exists that this drug enhances the potassium permeability of cardiac tissue. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine if pinacidil alters potassium-channel activity in heart and, if so, which potassium channel is the target. We used the whole-cell arr...

Under physiological conditions, potassium channels are extraordinarily selective for potassium over other ions. However, in the absence of potassium, certain potassium channels can conduct sodium. Sodium flux is blocked by the addition of low concentrations of potassium. Potassium affinity, and therefore the ability to block sodium current, varies among potassium channel subtypes (Korn, S.J., a...

The potassium channel TWIK-related acid sensitive potassium (TASK)-1 channel, together with other potassium channels, controls the low resting tone of pulmonary arteries. The Src family tyrosine kinase (SrcTK) may control potassium channel function in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) in response to changes in oxygen tension and the clinical use of a SrcTK inhibitor has resul...

The structural, dynamical, and thermodynamic properties of a model potassium channel are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. We use the recently unveiled protein structure for the KcsA potassium channel from Streptomyces lividans. Total and free energy profiles of potassium and sodium ions reveal a considerable preference for the larger potassium ions. The selectivity of the channel a...

Since 1995, when a potassium channel gene, hERG (human ether-à-go-go-related gene), now referred to as KCNH2, encoding the rapid component of cardiac delayed rectifier potassium channels was identified as being responsible for type 2 congenital long-QT syndrome, a number of potassium channel genes have been shown to cause different types of inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndromes. These include ...

Potassium channels are the most widely distributed class of ion channels. These channels are transmembrane proteins known to play important roles in both normal and pathophysiological functions in all cell types. Various potassium channels are recognised as potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, brain/spinal cord ischaemia and sepsis. In addi...

In hypertension, membrane potassium permeability and vascular reactivity are increased. This study characterizes a potassium-selective channel and contractions to barium, a potassium channel inhibitor, in vascular smooth muscle (tail artery) from spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats (SHRSP) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Smooth muscle cells were isolated by enzymatic digestio...

The potassium channels were recently found to be inhibited by animal toxin-like human β-defensin 2 (hBD2), the first defensin blocker of potassium channels. Whether there are other defensin blockers from different organisms remains an open question. Here, we reported the potassium channel-blocking plectasin, the first defensin blocker from a fungus. Based on the similar cysteine-stabilized alph...

The electrical signaling capabilities of neurons depend on the flows of ions into and out of their axons. Potassium ions exit an axon’s interior through a potassium channel or pore that connects the intracellular region with the extracellular region. The channel opens, or is activated, allowing potassium ions to exit. The channel then undergoes a blocking transition in which the channel is phys...

We have examined the actions of histidine-specific reagents on potassium channels in squid giant axons. External application of 20-500 microM diethylpyrocarbonate (DEP) slowed the opening of potassium channels with little or no effect on closing rates. Sodium channels were not affected by these low external concentrations of DEP. Internal application of up to 2 mM DEP had no effect on potassium...