Weiss Norbert
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Prague, Czech Republic.
Neurobiol Aging. 2015 Jun;36(6):2184-5. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.03.014. Epub 2015 Apr 2.
Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (BK channels) are important regulators of neuronal excitability in the mammalian nervous system. BK channels are activated by changes in membrane electrical potential and intracellular calcium concentration and play a key role in shaping neuronal action potential. Indeed, under typical physiological conditions, opening of BK channels allows potassium ions to flow outside of the cell leading to membrane repolarization and fast afterhyperpolarization, thus controlling cellular excitability. These aspects are of direct relevance to a new study by Farajnia et al., 2015, reported in this issue of Neurobiology of Aging, on the role of BK channels in aging circadian clock neurons.
大电导钙激活钾通道（BK通道）是哺乳动物神经系统中神经元兴奋性的重要调节因子。BK通道由膜电位和细胞内钙浓度的变化激活，在塑造神经元动作电位中起关键作用。实际上，在典型的生理条件下，BK通道的开放允许钾离子外流，导致膜复极化和快速超极化后电位，从而控制细胞兴奋性。这些方面与法拉吉尼亚等人2015年的一项新研究直接相关，该研究发表在本期《衰老神经生物学》上，探讨了BK通道在衰老生物钟神经元中的作用。
