Voltage gated potassium channel Kv3.1b (Kcnc 1)

A potassium channel enriched on fast spiking neurons

General Information

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels regulate many aspects of neuronal excitability like shaping of action potentials or modulating spike patterns.
Mammalian neurons express more than 20 different Kv subunits that can be subdivided into 12 families. Heteromeric assembly of 4 subunits and differential phosphorylation of Kv channels gives rise to a huge molecular and functional diversity.
The related proteins Kv3.1 - Kv3.4 form the Shaw-type subfamily. Kv3.1b, also known as Kcnc 1, is highly enriched in neurons that fire at high frequencies such as fast spiking (FS) interneurons of the cortex and hippocampus and neurons in the globus pallidus.