Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels are critical determinants of smooth muscle function by mediating rapid feedback between intracellular calcium levels and membrane potential.

A genetically engineered mouse initially designed to explore muscle repair mechanisms instead helped University of Iowa scientists understand how a certain type of calcium channel helps coronary ...

SPG601 is an investigational small molecule large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channel activator. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to SPG601 for ...

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism for potassium channel inhibitor entry, which could improve the specificity of drugs targeting the channel. Upon binding to calcium ions, BK channels allow ...

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers investigated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) envelope (E) protein activity in terms of calcium ...

A new study has unveiled a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a 'ball-and-chain' channel-plugging mechanism. The findings boost the ...

Touching Base is the dynamic podcast series from the editors of GEN. Each episode features a rotating case of senior editors—including John Sterling, Kevin Davies, Julianna LeMieux, Alex Phillippidis, ...

A new study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology underscores the importance of the channel protein polycystin-2 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the maintenance of kidney ...

Researchers have revealed how a channel that controls cellular potassium levels causes metabolic rewiring in breast cancer cells, promoting tumour growth. Researchers have revealed how a channel that ...

All of us experience a successive decline in learning and memory capacities with ageing. In the course of their investigations of the neurophysiological basis of this decline, Thomas Blank, Ingrid ...