Potassium channels, one of the most prevalent kinds of ion channel, are present in almost every creature. Potassium channels exist in nearly all the cell types and regulate wide cell processes. Creative Biolabs, experts in ion channel screening field, offers reliable potassium channel screening service for worldwide scientists to ease their research.
Potassium channels, forming cell membrane-spanning potassium-selective pores, act to define or reset the resting potential via transport potassium ions following its electrochemical gradient. Subunits composing the tetrameric structure of potassium channel are encoded by more than 80 genes in mammals. Four identical subunits form a symmetric homotetramer with an ion conducting pore in the center, while four related but different subunits lead to heterotetrameric complex with pseudo symmetry. Potassium channels play a key role in cell routine activity, such as maintaining vascular tone and secretion of hormones. Blocking potassium channel or malfunction of potassium channel result in diseases, like diabetes and potentially fatal arrhythmias.
Fig.1 The structure of potassium channel.Distributed under Public Domain, from Wiki.
As the most extensively distributed type of ion channels, potassium channels are essential for many physiological functions and are involved in a wide range of disease states. It is unsurprising that potassium channels are seen as promising therapeutic targets. Potassium channel screening enables to discover the potential activators or inhibitors toward specific potassium channels that you are interested and is a good tool for your in vitro pharmacological research of potassium channel-related disease.
Electrophysiological methods like patch clamp are gold standard in ion channel research field. Channel function can be assessed with precise resolution in both the temporal and amplitude domains by amplifying the minuscule quantities of electricity change caused by the ions in flux.
Combining with high-throughput screening technology, non-electrophysiological strategy such as fluorescence-based assay dramatically expands the scope of testing candidates, enable a time-saving and cost-effective approach for compound library screening, and solves the drawbacks of labor-intensive and low throughput of electrophysiological method. Non-electrophysiological strategy is greatly popular in preliminary work in the ion channel screening field now to find the activators or inhibitors of specific potassium channels.
Fig.2 Fluorescence-based assay for high-throughput screening of potassium channel-responsive candidates.
Potassium channels have four major classes containing multiple different channels respectively. Both off-the-shelf and tailored cell models can be chosen for your custom potassium channel screening project.
Class | Function | Channels |
---|---|---|
Calcium-activated potassium channel | Open in the stimulation of calcium ions | Maxi-K, slo1, Kca1.1, KCa3.1 |
Voltage-gated potassium channel | Open or close when detecting the transmembrane voltage change | Kv11.1, Kv7.1 |
Tandem pore domain potassium channel | Constitutively open contributing to resting membrane voltage | TWIK-1/2, KCNK7, TREK-1/2, TRAAK, TASK-1/3/5, TASK-2, TALK-1/2, THIK-1/2, TRESK |
Inwardly rectifying potassium channel | Ease the inward of positive charge to cells | Kir1.1, Kir2.x, Kir3.x, Kir6.x |
Creative Biolabs, with extensive experience in potassium channel screening research, can provide both electrophysiological and non-electrophysiological potassium channel screening on your interested potassium channels to speed up your critical research progress. Do not hesitate to contact us for more details.
In addition to Potassium Channel Screening, Creative Biolabs also provides you with
For Research Use Only. Not For Clinical Use.