K_ATP channels in focus: Progress toward a structural understanding of ligand regulation.

ABSTRACT: K_ATP channels are hetero-octameric complexes of four inward rectifying potassium channels, Kir6.1 or Kir6.2, and four sulfonylurea receptors, SUR1, SUR2A, or SUR2B from the ABC transporter family. This unique combination enables K_ATP channels to couple intracellular ATP/ADP ratios, through gating, with membrane excitability, thus regulating a broad range of cellular activities. The prominence of K_ATP channels in human physiology, disease, and pharmacology has long attracted research interest. Since 2017, a steady flow of high-resolution K_ATP cryoEM structures has revealed complex and dynamic interactions between channel subunits and their ligands. Here, we highlight insights from recent structures that begin to provide mechanistic explanations fo

SUBMITTER: Martin GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10023423 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature