Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jul 16.
doi: 10.1007/s10528-025-11202-3. Online ahead of print.

Functions of the KCNE Gene Family in Ion Channels

Junshen Xiao  1   2 , Xu Cheng  1 , Dou Huang  1 , Shichao Wei  1   2 , Zhaoyang Hu  3
Affiliations
Review

Functions of the KCNE Gene Family in Ion Channels

Junshen Xiao et al. Biochem Genet. .

Abstract

The KCNE gene family is crucial for physiological and pathological processes in the body and encodes small transmembrane proteins that function as auxiliary subunits to regulate voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv channels). This family includes five members, KCNE1, KCNE2, KCNE3, KCNE4, and KCNE5, whose encoded proteins are referred to as MinK and MinK-related peptides (MiRPs), which influence the properties and localization of Kv. When KCNE is coexpressed with Kv, it can alter the conductance, gating kinetics, and pharmacology of the channel. Therefore, these genes are particularly important for action potentials in excitable cells, and mutations in these genes can lead to significant diseases. In this paper, we review the functional roles of KCNE genes and their effects on Kv α subunits to further understand the regulatory effects of KCNE in modulating ion channels.

Keywords: KCNE; MiRP; Potassium channel; Review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Abbott GW (2006) Molecular mechanisms of cardiac voltage-gated potassium channelopathies. Curr Pharm des 12:3631–3644 - PubMed
    1. Abbott GW (2015) The KCNE2 K⁺ channel regulatory subunit: Ubiquitous influence, complex pathobiology. Gene 569:162–172 - PubMed - PMC
    1. Abbott GW (2016a) Novel exon 1 protein-coding regions N-terminally extend human KCNE3 and KCNE4. Faseb j 30:2959–2969 - PubMed - PMC
    1. Abbott GW (2016b) Regulation of human cardiac potassium channels by full-length KCNE3 and KCNE4. Sci Rep 6:38412 - PubMed - PMC
    1. Abbott GW, Goldstein SA (2002) Disease-associated mutations in KCNE potassium channel subunits (MiRPs) reveal promiscuous disruption of multiple currents and conservation of mechanism. Faseb J 16:390–400 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources