KV7.1 (KCNQ1) is part of a voltage-gated K+ family that includes 5 other members (KCNQ1-5).
The channel has been intensively studied since it was found that together with MinK (Isk) it underlay the cardiac Iks current that controls the duration of the action potential of the human heart.
Indeed mutations on either KV7.1 or MinK can be responsible for long QT syndrome, a cardiac disorder that causes arrhythmias and sudden death.
Although KV7.1 expression and function has been mainly investigated in relation with cardiac function the channel is widely distributed in epithelial tissues. There it has been implicated in physiological functions such as: regulation of acid secretion in the stomach and Cl- secretion into the colon.
