Author:
Ehling P.,Bittner Stefan,Meuth Sven G.,Budde Thomas
Abstract
AbstractDiscovered during the 1990s and in the beginning regarded as passive membrane pores, the family of two-pore domain potassium (K2P)-channels initially received only little attention. Today the view on this channel family comprising 15 ubiquitously expressed members in mammals has greatly changed. K2P-channels carry potassium outward current that counterbalances membrane depolarization and stabilizes the resting membrane potential. Thereby they are important regulators for the excitability and the firing behaviour especially in neurons. The long list of modulating mechanisms underlines the channels’ relevance. K2P-channels in the thalamus contribute to the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. They also mediate the effect of volatile anaesthetics by supporting the thalamic activity mode that is also typical for sleep. This review summarizes our knowledge about K2P-channel physiology in the brain, provides an idea of the role of these channels in neurological diseases and lists open questions as well as technical challenges in K2P-channel research.
Reference47 articles.
1. Crystal structure of the human two - pore domain potassium channel;Miller;Science,2012
2. The neuroprotective impact of the leak potassium channel TASK on stroke development in mice;Meuth;Neurobiol Dis,2009
3. Les - age Tandem pore domain halo - thane - inhibited channel subunits THIK and THIK assemble and form active channels;Blin;J Biol Chem,2014
4. Contribution of TWIK - related acid - sensitive channel ( TASK ) and TASK channels to the control of activity modes in thalamocortical neurons;Meuth;J Neurosci,2003
5. Thalamocortical dysrhythmia : a neurolog - ical and neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by magnetoencephalography;Llinás;Proc Nat Acad Sci USA,1999