title: Thrilling moment of an inhibitory channel.
abstract: Long thought to be potassium channels with calming influence quietly working away in the background, in this issue of Neuron, Thomas et al. demonstrate that K(2P)2.1 (TREK-1) channels have two endogenous isoforms due to a mechanism called alternative translation initiation (ATI). Hence, they can actually be excitable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Shi-Bing
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lily Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Jan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010442:Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational / Q000502:physiology; D024683:Potassium Channels, Tandem Pore Domain / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D024683:Potassium Channels, Tandem Pore Domain; D020033:Protein Isoforms; C103742:potassium channel protein TREK-1