KCQN genes encode family members of the Kv7
potassium channel
Potassium channels are the most widely distributed type of ion channel found in virtually all organisms. They form potassium-selective pores that span cell membranes. Potassium channels are found in most cell types and control a wide variety of ...
family. These include K
v7.1 (
KCNQ1
Kv7.1 (KvLQT1) is a potassium channel protein whose primary subunit in humans is encoded by the ''KCNQ1'' gene. Kv7.1 is a voltage and lipid-gated potassium channel present in the cell membranes of cardiac tissue and in inner ear neurons among ...
) -
KvLQT1, K
v7.2 (
KCNQ2), K
v7.3 (
KCNQ3), K
v7.4 (
KCNQ4
Potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily KQT member 4, also known as voltage-gated potassium channel subunit Kv7.4, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''KCNQ4'' gene.
Function
The protein encoded by this gene forms a potassium chan ...
), and K
v7.5 (
KCNQ5
Potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily KQT member 5 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''KCNQ5'' gene.
This gene is a member of the KCNQ potassium channel gene family that is differentially expressed in subregions of the brain and i ...
). Four of these (KCNQ2-5) are expressed in the nervous system. They constitute a group of low-threshold voltage-gated K
+ channels originally termed the ‘M-channel’ (see
M-current). The M-channel name comes from the classically described mechanism wherein the activation of the
muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, or mAChRs, are acetylcholine receptors that form G protein-coupled receptor complexes in the cell membranes of certain neurons and other cells. They play several roles, including acting as the main end-rece ...
deactivated this channel.
References
Potassium channels
Ion channels
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