Potassium concentration influences the gating of K+ channels from sarcoplasmic reticulum

ABSTRACT

Gating of K+ channels from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is influenced by the K+ concentration in the bathing solution. the probability of finding the channel open (Po) increases nonlinearly with the K+ concentration. The current two-state model which considers only voltage-dependent rate constants for the SR K+ channel should be reconsidered in the light of the present results: