Localization of Calcium-Activated K⁺ Channels

Many calcium-activated K⁺ (KCa) channels are considered the targets of many disease treatment interventions. In order to fully understand their functions and predict and reduce the side effects of drugs targeting KCa channels to treat specific diseases, Creative Bioarray is committed to providing clients with localization services for various types of KCa channels, providing useful information for correctly understanding the distribution of KCa channels at the cell level.

Background

KCa channels are potassium channels that are either calcium-gated or structurally or phylogenetically related to calcium-gated channels and are involved in many physiological processes, such as the regulation of neurosecretion, action potentials, and repetitive activity. KCa channels can be divided into three groups, including large-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ (BKCa) channels, intermediate-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ (IKCa) channels, and small-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ (SKCa) channels.

BKCa channels have a large single conductance (100-300 pS) and are widely distributed throughout human tissues and cells. These channels are voltage-sensitive and are blocked by TEA and scorpion toxins such as charybdotoxin and iberiotoxin. IKCa channels show a single-channel conductance of 25-100 pS, which exists in blood cells and smooth muscle cells. SKCa channels have small conductance of 2-25 pS. They are activated in a voltage-independent manner by submicromolar calcium concentration. These channels can only be opened by increasing intracellular calcium levels. Currently, in most of these tissues or organs, the cellular location of these channels has not been clarified. It is necessary to understand the distribution and role of KCa channels in various tissues, because many of them have been proposed to be the targets of many therapeutic interventions.

Fig. 1 Immunohistochemical localization of KCa subtypes in human and rat erectile tissues. (González-Corrochano, 2013)

Our Services

We are committed to providing our clients with high-quality localization services for different types of KCa channels. Based on state-of-the-art experimental platforms, our research team has developed a variety of sample preparation and imaging techniques to improve the accuracy of localization. We can tailor different combinations of techniques to obtain reliable and reproducible results depending on the samples and animal models provided by our clients.

• Localization of BKCa channels
  We offer a variety of BKCa localization services depending on the specific scientific needs of our clients, such as the localization of BKCa channels in the somatic plasma membrane of major central neurons, the localization of BK channels in the glomerulus, and the localization of BKCa channels in the trigeminal neuronal pathway.
• Localization of IKCa channels
  We offer various BKCa localization services for our clients. For example, We help our clients systematically study the localization of IKCa channels within different epithelia by immunohistochemistry, protein blotting, and RT-PCR, including stratified surface epithelia, epithelia with fluid exchange functions, exocrine glands and ducts, urinogenital tract, and Intestine.
• Localization of SKCa channels
  We help our clients locate SKCa channels in most neurons, denervated muscles, and several non-excitable cell types.

Applications

• Study on patterns of KCa channels cellular distributions
• Study on the biological function of KCa channels
• Drug discovery

With a dedicated research team and extensive scientific experience in the field of ion channels, we provide our clients with localization services for a wide range of KCa channels, including BKCa channels, IKCa channels, and SKCa channels. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more details.

Reference

1. González-Corrochano, R.; et al. Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channel (KCa) stimulation improves relaxant capacity of PDE5 inhibitors in human penile arteries and recovers the reduced efficacy of PDE5 inhibition in diabetic erectile dysfunction. British Journal of Pharmacology, 2013, 169(2): 449-461.