Sarcolemmal K-ATP channels in the heart: Molecular mechanisms brought to light, but physiologic consequences still in the dark

Sarcolemmal K-ATP Channels in the Heart. ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) cha nnels are inhibited by intracellular ATP and thus couple the metabolic stat e of the cell to its electrical activity. Tremendous progress has been made in the identification of the molecular basis of K-ATP channel function and regulation. The answer to one key question, however, has proven elusive: W hat are the precise conditions for, and functional consequences of, sarcole mmal K-ATP activation in physiologic and pathophysiologic states? Here we c onsider recent studies of the molecular basis of cardiac K-ATP channel acti vity and the role of these channels in cardiac function during ischemia.