Potassium channels represent the most complex class of voltage-gated ion channels from both functional and structural standpoints. Their diverse functions include regulating neurotransmitter release, heart rate, insulin secretion, neuronal excitability, epithelial electrolyte transport, smooth muscle contraction, and cell volume. Four sequence-related potassium channel genes - shaker, shaw, shab, and shal - have been identified in Drosophila, and each has been shown to have human homolog(s). This gene encodes a member of the potassium channel, voltage-gated, shaker-related subfamily. This member contains six membrane-spanning domains with a shaker-type repeat in the fourth segment. It belongs to the A-type potassium current class, the members of which may be important in the regulation of the fast repolarizing phase of action potentials in heart and thus may influence the duration of cardiac action potential. The coding region of this gene is intronless, and the gene is clustered with genes KCNA3 and KCNA10 on chromosome 1 in humans.[7]
KCNA4 (Kv1.4) contains a tandem inactivation domain at the N terminus. It is composed of two subdomains. Inactivation domain 1 (ID1, residues 1-38) consists of a flexible N terminus anchored at a 5-turn helix, and is thought to work by occluding the ion pathway, as is the case with a classical ball domain. Inactivation domain 2 (ID2, residues 40-50) is a 2.5 turn helix with a high proportion of hydrophobic residues that probably serves to attach ID1 to the cytoplasmic face of the channel. In this way, it can promote rapid access of ID1 to the receptor site in the open channel. ID1 and ID2 function together to bring about fast inactivation of the Kv1.4 channel, which is important for the role of the channel in short-term plasticity.[9]
^Oudit GY, Kassiri Z, Sah R, Ramirez RJ, Zobel C, Backx PH (May 2001). "The molecular physiology of the cardiac transient outward potassium current (I(to)) in normal and diseased myocardium". Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. 33 (5): 851–72. doi:10.1006/jmcc.2001.1376. PMID11343410. S2CID829154.
^ abInanobe A, Fujita A, Ito M, Tomoike H, Inageda K, Kurachi Y (June 2002). "Inward rectifier K+ channel Kir2.3 is localized at the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory synapses". American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology. 282 (6): C1396-403. doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00615.2001. PMID11997254.
^ abKim E, Sheng M (1996). "Differential K+ channel clustering activity of PSD-95 and SAP97, two related membrane-associated putative guanylate kinases". Neuropharmacology. 35 (7): 993–1000. doi:10.1016/0028-3908(96)00093-7. PMID8938729. S2CID23755452.
Scott HS, Litjens T, Hopwood JJ, Morris CP (November 1992). "PCR detection of two RFLPs in exon I of the alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) gene". Human Genetics. 90 (3): 327. doi:10.1007/bf00220095. PMID1362562. S2CID22700269.
Kim E, Niethammer M, Rothschild A, Jan YN, Sheng M (November 1995). "Clustering of Shaker-type K+ channels by interaction with a family of membrane-associated guanylate kinases". Nature. 378 (6552): 85–8. Bibcode:1995Natur.378...85K. doi:10.1038/378085a0. PMID7477295. S2CID4362906.
Klocke R, Roberds SL, Tamkun MM, Gronemeier M, Augustin A, Albrecht B, et al. (December 1993). "Chromosomal mapping in the mouse of eight K(+)-channel genes representing the four Shaker-like subfamilies Shaker, Shab, Shaw, and Shal". Genomics. 18 (3): 568–74. doi:10.1016/S0888-7543(05)80358-1. PMID7905852.
Philipson LH, Eddy RL, Shows TB, Bell GI (February 1993). "Assignment of human potassium channel gene KCNA4 (Kv1.4, PCN2) to chromosome 11q13.4-->q14.1". Genomics. 15 (2): 463–4. doi:10.1006/geno.1993.1094. PMID8449523.
Kim E, Sheng M (1997). "Differential K+ channel clustering activity of PSD-95 and SAP97, two related membrane-associated putative guanylate kinases". Neuropharmacology. 35 (7): 993–1000. doi:10.1016/0028-3908(96)00093-7. PMID8938729. S2CID23755452.
Overview of all the structural information available in the PDB for UniProt: P15385 (Rat Potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily A member 4) at the PDBe-KB.
