title: [Progress in the study of potassium channels in cardiomyocytes].
abstract: The application of molecular biology and the development of patch clamp techniques led to a dramatic progress in the study of diversified and complicated K+ channels in the cardiomyocytes. Molecular studies suggested that all K+ channels are composed of four subunits encoded by genes from a big K+ channel gene family. The mechanisms of K+ channel inactivation include N-, C- and P-types of inactivation. S5-S6 linker was postulated to form the pore of K+ channels by site-directed mutagenesis. Though the molecular structures among K+ channels are very close, a wide range of their functional properties has been observed. The channel conductances, the characterizations of activation, inactivation, rectification and external K+ sensitivity, the agonists, antagonists and modulators of eight K+ channels found in cardiomyocytes up to now are different with each other.
authors.affiliation: National Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Engineering, College of Life Science, Peking University, Beijing.
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015221:Potassium Channels