Molecular mechanisms of the physiologically relevant component of the inward rectifier potassium channels that shows low sensitivity to the channel blockers

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The outward currents of the Kir2 inward rectifier potassium (K) channels play an important role in regulating the functions of neuronal and muscle cells. We studied the molecular mechanisms of the Kir2 conductances that carry the outward currents by showing a low-sensitivity to the intracellular cationic blockers. Our study indicated that the low-affinity conductance cannot be explained by the sub-conductance levels induced by the blockers. It is suggestedthat the kinetics of the low-affinity blockage may be so fast that the unit conductances apparently rectify.