Calcium-activated potassium channel subunit beta-3 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''KCNMB3''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
MaxiK channels are large conductance, voltage and calcium-sensitive potassium channels which are fundamental to the control of smooth muscle tone and neuronal excitability. MaxiK channels can be formed by 2 subunits: the pore-forming alpha subunit and the modulatory beta subunit. The protein encoded by this gene is an auxiliary beta subunit which may partially inactivate or slightly decrease the activation time of MaxiK alpha subunit currents. At least four transcript variants encoding four different isoforms have been found for this gene.
See also
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BK channel
BK channels (big potassium), are large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels, and is also known as BKCa, Maxi-K, slo1, or Kca1.1. BK channels are voltage-gated potassium channels that conduct large amounts of potassium ions (K+) ...
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Voltage-gated potassium channel
Voltage-gated potassium channels (VGKCs) are potassium channel, transmembrane channels specific for potassium and Voltage-gated ion channel, sensitive to voltage changes in the cell's membrane potential. During action potentials, they play a ...
References
Further reading
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Ion channels
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