KCNJ8 explained

Potassium inwardly-rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 8, also known as KCNJ8, is a human gene encoding the K_ir6.1 protein.^[1] A mutation in KCNJ8 has been associated with cardiac arrest in the early repolarization syndrome.

Potassium channels are present in most mammalian cells, where they participate in a wide range of physiologic responses. K_ir6.1 is an integral membrane protein and inward-rectifier type potassium channel. K_ir6.1, which has a greater tendency to allow potassium to flow into a cell rather than out of a cell, is controlled by G-proteins.

See also

• Inward-rectifier potassium ion channel

Further reading

• Kubo Y . International Union of Pharmacology. LIV. Nomenclature and molecular relationships of inwardly rectifying potassium channels . Pharmacol. Rev. . 57 . 4 . 509–526 . 2006 . 16382105 . 10.1124/pr.57.4.11 . Adelman JP . Clapham DE . Jan . LY . Karschin . A . Kurachi . Y . Lazdunski . M . Nichols . CG . Seino . S . 11588492 .
• Inagaki N . Cloning and functional characterization of a novel ATP-sensitive potassium channel ubiquitously expressed in rat tissues, including pancreatic islets, pituitary, skeletal muscle, and heart . J. Biol. Chem. . 270 . 11 . 5691–5694 . 1995 . 7890693 . 10.1074/jbc.270.11.5691 . Tsuura Y . Namba N . Masuda . K . Gonoi . T . Horie . M . Seino . Y . Mizuta . M . Seino . S . free .
• Inagaki N, Inazawa J, Seino S . cDNA sequence, gene structure, and chromosomal localization of the human ATP-sensitive potassium channel, uKATP-1, gene (KCNJ8) . Genomics . 30 . 1 . 102–104 . 1996 . 8595887 . 10.1006/geno.1995.0018 .
• Suzuki M . Kir6.1: a possible subunit of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in mitochondria . Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. . 241 . 3 . 693–697 . 1998 . 9434770 . 10.1006/bbrc.1997.7891 . Kotake K . Fujikura K . Inagaki . N . Suzuki . T . Gonoi . T . Seino . S . Takata . K .
• Erginel-Unaltuna N, Yang WP, Blanar MA . Genomic organization and expression of KCNJ8/Kir6.1, a gene encoding a subunit of an ATP-sensitive potassium channel . Gene . 211 . 1 . 71–78 . 1998 . 9573340 . 10.1016/S0378-1119(98)00086-9 .
• Surah-Narwal S . Block of human aorta Kir6.1 by the vascular KATP channel inhibitor U37883A . Br. J. Pharmacol. . 128 . 3 . 667–672 . 1999 . 10516647 . 10.1038/sj.bjp.0702862 . 1571700 . Xu SZ . McHugh D . McDonald . R L . Hough . E . Cheong . A . Partridge . C . Sivaprasadarao . A . Beech . D J .
• Tucker SJ, Ashcroft FM . Mapping of the physical interaction between the intracellular domains of an inwardly rectifying potassium channel, Kir6.2 . J. Biol. Chem. . 274 . 47 . 33393–33397 . 1999 . 10559219 . 10.1074/jbc.274.47.33393 . free .
• Kono Y . The properties of the Kir6.1-6.2 tandem channel co-expressed with SUR2A . Pflügers Arch. . 440 . 5 . 692–698 . 2001 . 11007308 . 10.1007/s004240000315 . Horie M . Takano M . Otani . Hideo . Xie . Lai-Hua . Akao . M. . Tsuji . Keiko . Sasayama . Shigetake . 31022216 .
• Cui Y, Giblin JP, Clapp LH, Tinker A . A mechanism for ATP-sensitive potassium channel diversity: Functional coassembly of two pore-forming subunits . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 98 . 2 . 729–734 . 2001 . 11136227 . 10.1073/pnas.011370498 . 14656 . free .
• Liu Y . Pharmacological comparison of native mitochondrial K(ATP) channels with molecularly defined surface K(ATP) channels . Mol. Pharmacol. . 59 . 2 . 225–30 . 2001 . 11160857 . 10.1124/mol.59.2.225. Ren G . O'Rourke B . Marbán . E . Seharaseyon . J .
• Giblin JP, Cui Y, Clapp LH, Tinker A . Assembly limits the pharmacological complexity of ATP-sensitive potassium channels . J. Biol. Chem. . 277 . 16 . 13717–13723 . 2002 . 11825905 . 10.1074/jbc.M112209200 . free .
• Vanoye CG . The carboxyl termini of K(ATP) channels bind nucleotides . J. Biol. Chem. . 277 . 26 . 23260–23270 . 2002 . 11956191 . 10.1074/jbc.M112004200 . MacGregor GG . Dong K . Tang . L . Buschmann . AS . Hall . AE . Lu . M . Giebisch . G . Hebert . SC . free .
• Miki T . Mouse model of Prinzmetal angina by disruption of the inward rectifier Kir6.1 . Nat. Med. . 8 . 5 . 466–472 . 2002 . 11984590 . 10.1038/nm0502-466 . Suzuki M . Shibasaki T . Uemura . Hiroko . Sato . Toshiaki . Yamaguchi . Kaori . Koseki . Haruhiko . Iwanaga . Toshihiko . Nakaya . Haruaki . 32502965 .
• Nakamura K, Hirano J, Itazawa S, Kubokawa M . Protein kinase G activates inwardly rectifying K(+) channel in cultured human proximal tubule cells . Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. . 283 . 4 . F784–91 . 2002 . 12217870 . 10.1152/ajprenal.00023.2002 . 6960591 .
• Curley M . Expression of mRNA transcripts for ATP-sensitive potassium channels in human myometrium . Mol. Hum. Reprod. . 8 . 10 . 941–945 . 2003 . 12356945 . 10.1093/molehr/8.10.941 . Cairns MT . Friel AM . McMeel . OM . Morrison . JJ . Smith . TJ . free . 10379/9031 . free .
• Strausberg RL . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–16903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . Feingold EA . Grouse LH . Derge . JG . Klausner . RD . Collins . FS . Wagner . L . Shenmen . CM . Schuler . GD . 2002PNAS...9916899M . free .
• Singh H . Distribution of Kir6.0 and SUR2 ATP-sensitive potassium channel subunits in isolated ventricular myocytes . J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. . 35 . 5 . 445–459 . 2004 . 12738227 . 10.1016/S0022-2828(03)00041-5 . Hudman D . Lawrence CL . Rainbow . RD . Lodwick . D . Norman . RI . 2381/14 . free .
• Insuk SO . Molecular basis and characteristics of KATP channel in human corporal smooth muscle cells . Int. J. Impot. Res. . 15 . 4 . 258–266 . 2003 . 12934053 . 10.1038/sj.ijir.3901013 . Chae MR . Choi JW . Yang . D K . Sim . J H . Lee . S W . free.
• Emanuele E . Absence of Kir6.1/KCNJ8 mutations in Italian patients with abnormal coronary vasomotion . Int. J. Mol. Med. . 12 . 4 . 509–12 . 2004 . 12964027 . 10.3892/ijmm.12.4.509. Falcone C . Carabela M . Minoretti . P . d'Angelo . A . Montagna . L . Geroldi . D .
• Gerhard DS . The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) . Genome Res. . 14 . 10B . 2121–2127 . 2004 . 15489334 . 10.1101/gr.2596504 . 528928 . Wagner L . Feingold EA . Shenmen . CM . Grouse . LH . Schuler . G . Klein . SL . Old . S . Rasooly . R .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Entrez Gene: KCNJ8 potassium inwardly-rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 8.