Ion channels regulate excitability in many tissues, and multiple diseases result from mutations of ion channel genes. This project is focused on one class of potassium channels, the inward rectifying (Kir) channels. To date, it has been determined that soluble cytoplasmic polyamines cause inward rectification in strong inward rectifiers, together with the location of polyamine block and gating within the channel. Extensive preliminary data now lead us to novel hypotheses regarding the molecular details of channel permeation, block, and gating. These hypotheses will be critically examined in the proposed experiments, utilizing a unique model system consisting of recombinant bacterial Kir channel homolog, amenable to a combination of physical, biochemical and electrophysiological techniques, together with molecular modeling to define the physical basis of Kir channel function.
Relevance. Kir channels are critical for the function of many tissues and organs. Mutations of Kir channels can cause cardiac arrhythmias, epilepsies, diabetes and other disorders of cell excitability. In understanding how these Kir channels operate, how they can be blocked and gated, this work will provide fundamental information that will explain how Kir channels function and thereby provide for the development of rational therapies for treatment of these diseases.
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