Towards the three-dimensional structure of voltage-gated potassium channels

Electrical excitability is a fundamental property of the neuromuscular systems of metazoans. The varied response of neurons to electrical excitation is largely accounted for by a diverse set of voltage-gated potassium ([K.sub.v]) channels in the excitable membrane. The complete structure of a [K.sub.v] channel is not yet available. However, recent structural biological experiments have begun to provide new insight into how specific [K.sub.v] channels are formed and regulated, and how they function and interact with other proteins. In particular, the selectivity of [K.sub.v] channels for [K.sup.+] and suggestions as to how these structural elements might assemble into a functional [K.sub.v] channel are discussed.