Xiao Junshen, Cheng Xu, Huang Dou, Wei Shichao, Hu Zhaoyang
Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Biochem Genet. 2025 Jul 16. doi: 10.1007/s10528-025-11202-3.
The KCNE gene family is crucial for physiological and pathological processes in the body and encodes small transmembrane proteins that function as auxiliary subunits to regulate voltage-gated potassium channels (K channels). This family includes five members, KCNE1, KCNE2, KCNE3, KCNE4, and KCNE5, whose encoded proteins are referred to as MinK and MinK-related peptides (MiRPs), which influence the properties and localization of K. When KCNE is coexpressed with Kv, it can alter the conductance, gating kinetics, and pharmacology of the channel. Therefore, these genes are particularly important for action potentials in excitable cells, and mutations in these genes can lead to significant diseases. In this paper, we review the functional roles of KCNE genes and their effects on Kv α subunits to further understand the regulatory effects of KCNE in modulating ion channels.
KCNE基因家族对身体的生理和病理过程至关重要，它编码小的跨膜蛋白，作为辅助亚基发挥作用，调节电压门控钾通道（K通道）。该家族包括五个成员，即KCNE1、KCNE2、KCNE3、KCNE4和KCNE5，它们编码的蛋白质被称为MinK和MinK相关肽（MiRPs），这些肽会影响K通道的特性和定位。当KCNE与Kv共同表达时，它可以改变通道的电导、门控动力学和药理学特性。因此，这些基因对可兴奋细胞的动作电位尤为重要，这些基因的突变会导致重大疾病。在本文中，我们综述了KCNE基因的功能作用及其对Kvα亚基的影响，以进一步了解KCNE在调节离子通道方面的调控作用。
