Frontiers in Physiology (Jun 2020)

Cyclic AMP-Dependent Regulation of Kv7 Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels

  • Jennifer van der Horst,
  • Iain A. Greenwood,
  • Thomas A. Jepps

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00727
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Voltage-gated Kv7 potassium channels, encoded by KCNQ genes, have major physiological impacts cardiac myocytes, neurons, epithelial cells, and smooth muscle cells. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a well-known intracellular secondary messenger, can activate numerous downstream effector proteins, generating downstream signaling pathways that regulate many functions in cells. A role for cAMP in ion channel regulation has been established, and recent findings show that cAMP signaling plays a role in Kv7 channel regulation. Although cAMP signaling is recognized to regulate Kv7 channels, the precise molecular mechanism behind the cAMP-dependent regulation of Kv7 channels is complex. This review will summarize recent research findings that support the mechanisms of cAMP-dependent regulation of Kv7 channels.

Keywords