Chapter 12 Two‐Pore Domain Potassium Channels in Sensory Transduction

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on two‐pore domain potassium channels in sensory transduction. Sensory neurons express a set of ionic channels that are able to detect various sensory stimuli and transmit the sensory signal in the form of the trains of action potentials. One or more of these ion channels belong to the K + channel family known as “K 2P channels.” A number of K 2P channels are known to be expressed in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and in other sensory neurons. K 2P channels provide a part of the background K + conductance that is important for setting and stabilizing the resting membrane potential and they also regulate cell excitability in response to various biologically relevant chemical and physical factors. TRP ion channels are considered to be cellular sensors for temperature, touch, pain, osmolality, pheromones, and taste because they are directly activated by these stimuli and depolarize sensory neurons. Because K 2P channels, such as TASK and TREK, are also sensitive to similar stimuli, including heat and cold, membrane tension, pH, and osmolality, both K 2P and TRP ion channels are likely to be involved in regulating the excitability of sensory neurons, and thus in the sensory transduction.