ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels are a major drug target for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. K(ATP) channels are ubiquitously expressed and link the metabolic state to electrical excitability. In pancreatic β-cells, K(ATP) channels are crucial in the regulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion. Also, K(ATP) channels are involved in the protection against neuronal seizures and isc...

objective(s): in the past few decades, variety of foetal, embryonic and adult stem and progenitor cells have been tried with conflicting outcome for cell therapy of central nervous system injury and diseases. cellular characteristics and functional plasticity of globose basal stem cells (gbcs) residing in the olfactory epithelium of rat olfactory mucosa have not been studied in the past by the ...

A number of ion channels and transporters are expressed in both the inner ear and kidney. In the inner ear, K(+) cycling and endolymphatic K(+), Na(+), Ca(2+), and pH homeostasis are critical for normal organ function. Ion channels and transporters involved in K(+) cycling include K(+) channels, Na(+)-2Cl(-)-K(+) cotransporter, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, Cl(-) channels, connexins, and K(+)/Cl(-) cotran...

Potassium channels are trans-membrane proteins, which selectively transport K+ ions across cell membranes and play a key role in regulating the physiology of excitability cells and signal transduction pathways. Bothutous Schach (BS) scorpion venom consists of several polypeptides that could modulate ion channels. In this study, the effects of BS crude venom on passive and active electrophysiolo...

The molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO), individually and collectively, on large-conductance calcium-activated K(+) (K(Ca)) channels were investigated in rat vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Both NO and CO increased the activity of native K(Ca) channels. Dehydrosoyasaponin-I, a specific agonist for beta subunit of K(Ca) channels, increas...

Ion channels are found in a variety of cancer cells and necessary for cell cycle and cell proliferation. The roles of K(+) channels in the process are, however, poorly understood. In the present study, we report that adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channel activity plays a critical role in the proliferation of glioma cells. The expression of K(ATP) channels in glioma tissues wa...

introduction: human embryonic stem cells (hescs) are pluripotent cells that can proliferate and differentiate to many cell types. their electrophysiological properties have not yet been chracterzed. in this study, the passive properties (such as resting membrane potential, input resistance and capacitance) and the contribution of delayed rectifier k+ channel currents to the membrane conductance...

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K(ATP) channels) determine the excitability of pancreatic beta-cells and importantly regulate glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Long-chain free fatty acids (FFAs) decrease GSIS after long-term exposure to beta-cells, but the effects of exogenous FFAs on K(ATP) channels are not yet well clarified. In this study, the effects of linoleic acid (LA) on me...

Phycodnaviruses are dsDNA viruses, which infect algae. Their large genomes encode many gene products, like small K(+) channels, with homologs in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Screening for K(+) channels revealed their abundance in viruses from fresh-water habitats. Recent sequencing of viruses from marine algae or from salt water in Antarctica revealed sequences with the predicted characteristics...

K(+) channels play a crucial role in epithelia by repolarizing cells and maintaining electrochemical gradient for Na(+) absorption and Cl(-) secretion. In the airway epithelium, the most frequently studied K(+) channels are KvLQT1 and K(Ca). A functional role for K(ATP) channels has been also suggested in the lung, where K(ATP) channel openers activate alveolar clearance and attenuate ischemia-...