The LICR-Stockholm Branch Yeast Group has taken a genetic approach to identify novel genes required for the proper uptake and compartmentalization of amino acids. Several new genes have been discovered and cloned. The ongoing functional analysis of these gene products is furthering our understanding of how eukaryotic cells utilize organelles to regulate metabolism by defining the intracellular signals generated by metabolite compartmentalization. Mammalian cells express a diverse array of transmembrane ion-channel proteins that selectively regulate the movement of ions across cellular membranes. Considerable interest has been focused on the roles of these ion channels in shaping the physiological behavior of both excitable and non-excitable cells.
Potassium is the most abundant cellular cation.
A small change in cytoplasmic potassium concentration can have dramatic adverse effects.