Neylon Craig B
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Vascul Pharmacol. 2002 Jan;38(1):35-41. doi: 10.1016/s1537-1891(02)00124-6.
Potassium channels are currently the focus of much attention because of their recently discovered role in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle growth. Dramatic alterations in the expression and activity of K+ channels causing marked changes in the cell's electrical properties accompany enhanced growth of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). These findings indicate that alterations in K+ channel function are important for SMC proliferation. However, the mechanisms by which changes in K+ channel activity influence cellular growth pathways are poorly understood. The emergent electrical properties caused by modulation of K+ channels are associated with marked differences in the spatial and temporal organization of Ca2+ signaling. Thus, changes in K+ channel function may represent a universal mechanism by which Ca2+ signals are targeted towards activation of gene expression and cell growth. As enhanced growth of smooth muscle underlies many cardiovascular diseases and clinical pathologies, the identification of an important role for K+ channels in SMC proliferation indicates a new source of therapeutic targets to regulate proliferative vascular disorders.
钾通道目前备受关注，因为它们最近被发现参与调节血管平滑肌生长。随着平滑肌细胞（SMC）生长增强，钾通道表达和活性的显著改变会导致细胞电特性发生明显变化。这些发现表明，钾通道功能的改变对SMC增殖很重要。然而，钾通道活性变化影响细胞生长途径的机制却知之甚少。钾通道调节引起的新出现的电特性与Ca2+信号在空间和时间组织上的显著差异有关。因此，钾通道功能的变化可能代表一种普遍机制，通过该机制Ca2+信号靶向激活基因表达和细胞生长。由于平滑肌生长增强是许多心血管疾病和临床病理的基础，钾通道在SMC增殖中重要作用的确定为调节增殖性血管疾病指明了新的治疗靶点来源。
