Potassium currents in developing neurons.
In Xenopus spinal neurons, delayed rectifier type voltage-dependent potassium currents (IKv) are developmentally regulated. These currents play a pivotal role in maturation of the action potential from a long-duration calcium-dependent impulse to a brief sodium-dependent one. Although spinal neurons are heterogeneous, IKv undergoes a synchronized and homogeneous developmental functional up-regulation across this diverse population of motor, sensory, and interneurons. This finding suggested that the diverse population of neurons expressed a common potassium channel. Thus, recent efforts have been directed towards cloning the relevant potassium channel gene. However, these molecular studies reveal an unsuspected heterogeneity in the molecular components of voltage-dependent potassium channels. Further, synchronous differentiation of IKv is achieved via heterogeneous Kv channel gene expression.
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Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA. Angie.Ribera@UCHSC.edu
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D015221:Potassium Channels; D011188:Potassium