Novel molecular functions of calcium-activated potassium channel as a target of drug development

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The present study revealed that functional expression of Ca^<2+>-activated K+ (BK, IK, SK) channels in non-excitable cells, such as chondrocytes, vascular endothelial cells and T-lymphocytes, substantially contributes to sustained increase in intracellular Ca^<2+> concentration in response to various types of stimuli. We proved that Ca^<2+>-activated K+ channels play the central roles in the positive feedback mechanism for the regulation of intracellular Ca^<2+> concentration via the membrane hyperpolarization, which increases the driving force of store-operated Ca^<2+> influx through non-selective cation channels.