sloβ4 is a member of a family of regulatory b subunits that control the activity of the large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel KCa1.1. The family includes four members with a shared topology: two trans-membrane domains, short intracellular N- and C-termini and a large extracellular region.
The four members of the family have a distinct tissue distribution with sloβ4 expressed almost exclusively in the central nervous sytem (CNS).
Functionally, sloβ4 increases the sensitivity of the pore-forming KCa1.1 subunit to Ca2+ and voltage and it also changes its pharmacology. It has been shown that co-expression of sloβ4 with KCa1.1 makes the latter resistant to nM concentrations of the well-known inhibitors Charybdotoxin (#STC-325) and Iberiotoxin (#STI-400).
The physiological significance of sloβ4 expression in the CNS is not clear, but KCa1.1 channels are likely involved in the regulation of neurotransmitter release in presynaptic terminals.
We are pleased to introduce a new antibody directed against the intracellular N-terminus of the rat sloβ4. Anti-sloβ4 (KCNMB4) (#AG1115) will also recognize sloβ4 from human and mouse origin.
