Modular assembly, plasma membrane targeting and regulation of KCNQ (Kv7) K+ channels (C04)

• Subject Area: Biophysics
• Term: from 2007 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 25065445

Subunit-specific assembly of human KCNQ (Kv7) channels is determined by a carboxy-terminal domain, which contains two coiled-coil sequences. This project aims at the clarification of molecular determinants within the KCNQ C-termini, which drive the modular assembly of KCNQ subunits into functional channels, determine the efficiency of transport of channel modules to the plasma membrane, and mediate interactions with regulatory proteins. Analysis guided by the modular concept will resolve the complexity of KCNQ channel assembly and regulation in excitable cells, with implications on K+ channel biophysics to neurophysiology.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 740: From Molecules to Modules: Organisation and Dynamics of Functional Units in Cells
• Applicant Institution: shared FU Berlin and HU Berlin through:; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Co-Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Berlin
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Thomas Friedrich