Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels represent the most complex class of voltage-gated ion channels from both functional and structural standpoints. Their diverse functions include regulating neurotransmitter release, heart rate, insulin secretion, neuronal excitability, epithelial electrolyte transport, smooth muscle contraction, and cell volume. This gene encodes a member of the potassium channel, voltage-gated, subfamily G. This gene is abundantly expressed in skeletal muscle. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found in normal and cancerous tissues. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in mice demonstrated that the KCNG1 was identified as a candidate forensic biomarker of hypothermia, showing a 0.517-fold reduction in expression in lung tissue from hypothermia-exposed animals compared to controls via DNA microarray analysis [Takamiya et al. DOI:10.1016/J.Legalmed.2020.101789].