The Kv1.7 voltage-gated K+ channel, is a member of the Shaker family of K+ channels that today includes eight members (Kv1.1- Kv1.8). Kv1.7 possesses the signature structure of the voltage-dependent K+ channels: six membrane-spanning domains and intracellular N and C termini. As with other channels of the Shaker subfamily, Kv1.7 can readily form heteromers with other members of the subfamily to compose the tetramer that forms the functional channel.nKv1.7 mRNA was found to be expressed mainly in the heart with somewhat lower levels in pancreas and skeletal muscle.
