ABSTRACT
The regulation of ion channel activity is key to the maintenance of cellular excitability in many cell types. In vascular smooth muscle, the activity of Kþ channels is essential to the control of membrane excitability in that Kþ
channels are responsible for setting the resting membrane potential (RMP) at relatively negative membrane potentials (1). Alteration of Kþ channel activity or gene expression will therefore have a major impact on cell excitability. Indeed, dysfunctional ion channels permeable to Kþ, Naþ, Ca2þ, and Cl have been involved in many forms of cardiovascular disease (2-5).
