How potassium channels keep blood vessels open

Regulation of cardiovascular Kv7 channels by βγ G protein subunits

Professor Iain Greenwood and his colleagues at St George’s, University of London, are working out how blood vessel diameter is controlled to maintain blood flow to organs in the body. If blood vessels narrow, less blood reaches organs such as the brain or kidneys, so the heart has to work harder to pump blood. The diameter of a blood vessel is controlled by muscle cells in the vessel wall. With BHF funding, Professor Greenwood and colleagues discovered that a potassium channel in the blood vessel wall called Kv7 helps to keep the muscle cells relaxed and blood vessels more open. But we know little about what controls these important channels. Professor Greenwood has found that proteins called beta gamma G proteins control how Kv7 channels work. The effect of beta gamma G proteins depends on the type of Kv7 channel. In this project, he will study in detail how the three types of Kv7 channel are controlled by beta gamma G proteins within the heart and circulatory system. This research will enhance our understanding of the role of beta gamma G proteins in widening blood vessels and could lead to new therapeutic strategies to treat vascular disease.