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 ...

Researchers identified a lipid that is involved in regulating cardiac ion channels, providing insights into possible mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias in heart failure and a potential pathway 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

It is vital to the regulation of cell activities through its role as a second messenger. Calcium signaling is the process whereby low cytoplasmic concentrations are deliberately increased to activate ...