Journal
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
Volume 65, Issue 20, Pages 3196-3217Publisher
SPRINGER BASEL AG
DOI: 10.1007/s00018-008-8216-x
Keywords
calcium-activated potassium channel; afterhyperpolarization; I-AHP; apamin; long-term potentiation; pacemaking neuron; glial cell; cerebral blood vessel endothelium
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Funding
- Medical Research Council
- Wellcome Trust
- Medical Research Council [G0100066] Funding Source: researchfish
- MRC [G0100066] Funding Source: UKRI
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Small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK or K(Ca)2) channels link intracellular calcium transients to membrane potential changes. SK channel subtypes present different pharmacology and distribution in the nervous system. The selective blocker apamin, SK enhancers and mice lacking specific SK channel subunits have revealed multifaceted functions of these channels in neurons, glia and cerebral blood vessels. SK channels regulate neuronal firing by contributing to the afterhyperpolarization following action potentials and mediating I-AHP, and partake in a calcium-mediated feedback loop with NMDA receptors, controlling the threshold for induction of hippocampal long-term potentiation. The function of distinct SK channel subtypes in different neurons often results from their specific coupling to different calcium sources. The prominent role of SK channels in the modulation of excitability and synaptic function of limbic, dopaminergic and cerebellar neurons hints at their possible involvement in neuronal dysfunction, either as part of the causal mechanism or as potential therapeutic targets.
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