title: Enzymatic activation of voltage-gated potassium channels.
abstract: Voltage-gated ion channels in excitable nerve, muscle, and endocrine cells generate electric signals in the form of action potentials. However, they are also present in non-excitable eukaryotic cells and prokaryotes, which raises the question of whether voltage-gated channels might be activated by means other than changing the voltage difference between the solutions separated by the plasma membrane. The search for so-called voltage-gated channel activators is motivated in part by the growing importance of such agents in clinical pharmacology. Here we report the apparent activation of voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels by a sphingomyelinase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, 3700 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Yajamana
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ramu
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006639:Histidine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008274:Magnesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051669:Shab Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013111:Spider Venoms / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D051669:Shab Potassium Channels; D013111:Spider Venoms; D006639:Histidine; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; C055160:sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase D; D008274:Magnesium