title: Towards bridging the gap between acid-base transporters and neuronal excitability modulation.
abstract: pH homeostasis is a fundamental regulator of the function of the central nervous system. Dysfunction of acid-base transporters often results in disturbance of neuronal excitability. In a latest issue of Journal of Neuroscience, Jones et al. report that increasing intracellular bicarbonate concentration substantially stimulates the excitability of pyramidal neurons from mouse hippocampus by inhibiting KCNQ potassium channel. The finding shed important new light in understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of neuronal excitability by acid-base transporters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Huazhong University of Science & Technology School of Life Science & Technology 1037 Luoyu Rd, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430074, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Huazhong University of Science & Technology School of Life Science & Technology 1037 Luoyu Rd, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430074, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Li-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: KCNQ; Kv7; NDCBE; NHE3; SLC4 family; SLC9; acid-base balance; bicarbonate transporter; neuron; neuronal excitability; pH regulation