Jan L Y, Jan Y N
Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0724, USA.
Annu Rev Neurosci. 1997;20:91-123. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.20.1.91.
Potassium channels contribute to the excitability of neurons and signaling in the nervous system. They arise from multiple gene families including one for voltage-gated potassium channels and one for inwardly rectifying potassium channels. Features of potassium permeation, channel gating and regulation, and subunit interaction have been analyzed. Potassium channels of similar design have been found in animals ranging from jellyfish to humans, as well as in plants, yeast, and bacteria. Structural similarities are evident for the pore-forming alpha subunits and for the beta subunits, which could potentially regulate channel activity according to the level of energy and/or reducing power of the cell.
钾通道有助于神经元的兴奋性和神经系统中的信号传导。它们源自多个基因家族，包括一个用于电压门控钾通道的家族和一个用于内向整流钾通道的家族。已经对钾离子通透、通道门控与调节以及亚基相互作用的特征进行了分析。在从水母到人类的各种动物以及植物、酵母和细菌中都发现了设计相似的钾通道。对于形成孔道的α亚基和β亚基而言，结构相似性很明显，β亚基可能根据细胞的能量水平和/或还原能力来调节通道活性。
