Anti-KCNF1 (K_V5.1) Antibody

Voltage-gated K⁺ channels are involved in maintaining membrane potential and regulating cell volume. They are also important for determining the cellular response to the external stimuli of neurotransmitters and neuro-peptides¹. Their diverse functions include regulating neurotransmitter release, heart rate, insulin secretion, neuronal excitability, epithelial electrolyte transport, smooth muscle contraction, and cell volume.

Voltage-gated K⁺ channels are transmembrane proteins consisting of four α-subunits arranged in a radially symmetric fashion around a central aqueous pore. Each α-subunit consists of six transmembrane segments (S1–S6) with cytoplasmic NH₂- and COOH-termini². In mammals, a large family of genes encodes α-subunits: K_V1 (homologous to Drosophila Shaker), K_V2 (Shab), K_V3 (Shaw), K_V4 (Shal), K_V5, K_V6, and K_V8³.

New electrically silent α subunits have recently been cloned which constitute three new subfamilies: K_V5.1, K_V6.1, and K_V8.1. These α subunits, although cannot generate K⁺ channel activity themselves, can modulate in a specific way the function of K_V2.1 and K_V2.2 subunits. They inhibit the K_V2.1 and K_V2.2 channels when expressed at high concentrations⁴.

K_V5.1 is expressed in the heart, skeletal muscle, brain, kidney, and pancreas. A recent study revealed the expression of K_V5.1 in isolated urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) myocytes⁵.