BK channel
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BK channels, also called MaxiK channels, are large conductance Ca2+ and voltage-activated K+ channels, that means they belong to a group of ion channels that can transport potassium, potassium channels. They are known to be essential for many key physiological processes, such as controlling the contraction of smooth muscle and the tuning of hair cells in the cochlea. BK channels are also believed to be responsible for the behavioral effects of ethanol.[1] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15374666) They translate ionic fluxes across cellular membranes into electrical impulses and interconverts and transduces electrical and chemical signals, which makes them an important part of transmission of information within the neuromuscular system. They were accidentally discovered in 1952.
External links
- Potassium Channels (http://www.iuphar-db.org/iuphar-ic/Potassium/KIntro.pdf)
- Structure of the RCK Domain from the E. coli K+ Channel and Demonstration of Its Presence in the Human BK Channel(requires subscription (http://www.neuron.org/content/article/fulltext?uid=PIIS0896627301002367)
- An overview of the potassium channel family (http://genomebiology.com/2000/1/4/reviews/0004)