Abstract
KCNQ1 channel is a cardiac voltage-gated potassium channel. KCNQ1 forms an ion channel complex with auxiliary subunit KCNE proteins. KCNE proteins dramatically change KCNQ1 gating, for example, KCNE1 slows the activation kinetics of KCNQ1 channels 100-times slower. The mechanisms how KCNE1 proteins modify KCNQ1 channel gating have been central questions yet to be answered. Here we review recent findings regarding the structure-function relationships of KCNQ1/KCNE1 complex, including the stoichiometry and the functional interactions between the subunits, and discuss how KCNE1 proteins modify the gating of KCNQ1 channels.
