Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels represent the most complex class of voltage-gated ion channels from both functional and structural standpoints. Their diverse functions include regulating neurotransmitter release, heart rate, insulin secretion, neuronal excitability, epithelial electrolyte transport, smooth muscle contraction, and cell volume. This gene encodes a member of the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily V. This protein is essentially present in the brain, and its role might be to inhibit the function of a particular class of outward rectifier potassium channel types. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].
Function: Potassium channel subunit that does not form functional channels by itself. Modulates KCNB1 and KCNB2 channel activity by shifting the threshold for inactivation to more negative values and by slowing the rate of inactivation. Can down-regulate the channel activity of KCNB1, KCNB2, KCNC4 and KCND1, possibly by trapping them in intracellular membranes.