Potassium channels regulate cell function

Potassium, like sodium, is involved in ionic equilibria, and the opening and closing of sodium and potassium ion channels create the electrochemical gradients across cell membranes that transmit nerve impulses and other information and regulate cellular function. 

Membrane proteins carry out a wide range of critical functions in cells, and they include passive and active transporters, ion chamiels, many classes of receptors, cellular toxins, proteins involved in membrane trafficking, and the enzymes that facilitate electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation. For example, the voltage-gated ion channels that facilitate the passive diffusion of sodium and potassium across the axonal membrane are responsible for the formation of an action potential. Active transport proteins establish ion gradients and are necessary for the uptake of nutrients into cells. Soluble hormones bind to membrane receptors, which then regulate the internal biochemistry of the cell. 

Physiology and Pharmacology. Potassium (K ) channels serve a modulatory function in excitable and nonexcitable cells by regulating K conductance (491,492). Within the... 

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