Cloning and expression of a family of inward rectifier potassium channels

Five new members of the two-transmembrane domain potassium channel family have been identified from rat brain, heart and skeletal muscle. The channel mRNAs are differentially expressed and found in both the central nervous system and periphery. Expression of two of these channels in Xenopus oocytes gave rise to inwardly rectifying potassium currents which were voltage-dependently blocked by barium and cesium. Voltage command pulses negative to Ek evoked inward currents which rapidly reached a peak amplitude and relaxed to a steady-state level. The quantity of current relaxation differed in the two channels and was increased at more negative potentials. The degree of current rectification was also different for the two channels. The results demonstrate the existence of a large and widely expressed family of inward rectifier potassium channel subunits with distinct tissue distributions and functional properties.