Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Recapitulation of an Ion Channel IV Curve Using Frequency Components
Published on: February 8, 2011
Subunit stoichiometry of a heteromultimeric G protein-coupled inward-rectifier K+ channel
S K Silverman1, H A Lester, D A Dougherty
1De&aChemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA. Lester@Caltech.edu
Abstract:
We investigated the stoichiometry of the heteromultimeric G protein-coupled inward-recitfier K+ channel (GIRK) formed from GIRK1 and GIRK4 subunits. Multimeric GIRK constructs with several concatenated channel subunits were expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Coexpression of various trimeric constructs with different monomers clearly showed that the functional channel has stoichiometry (GIRK1)2(GIRK4)2. Efforts to establish a preferred arrangement of subunits around the channel pore suggest that more than one arrangement may be viable.
Related Concept Videos
G-protein Coupled Receptors
G-protein Coupled Receptors
G Protein-coupled Receptors
GPCRs are also called heptahelical, 7TM, or serpentine receptors, and consist of seven (H1-H7) transmembrane alpha-helices that span the bilayer to form a cylindrical core. The transmembrane helices are connected by three extracellular loops and three...
Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory organs,...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

