A silent Kv channel subunit shapes PV neuron action potential waveform and short-term synaptic plasticity during high-frequency firing.

ABSTRACT: Fast-spiking parvalbumin-positive (PV) neurons provide precisely timed, context-dependent inhibition within cortical circuits. PV neuron firing properties are specialized among cortical neurons, suggesting that they express a unique complement of ion channels. Here, we identify the PV-specific silent voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel subunit Kv6.4 (encoded by Kcng4), whose role in cortical PV neuron physiology was previously unknown, as a modulator of both intrinsic and synaptic properties. Kv6.4 does not form functional channels on its own but, as shown in prior work, assembles with Kv2 subunits to create heterotetrameric channel complexes, effectively reducing Kv2-mediated delayed rectifier current. We find that Kcng4 expression is enriched within a distinct Pvalb

SUBMITTER: Ganesh S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12637593 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature