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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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KCNK7
potassium two pore domain channel subfamily K member 7
Chromosome 11 · 11q13.1
NCBI Gene: 10089Ensembl: ENSG00000173338.13HGNC: HGNC:6282UniProt: Q3SYI1
11PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Ion ChannelTransporter
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
potassium ion transmembrane transportplasma membranepotassium ion leak channel activityoutward rectifier potassium channel activitymigraine disordercerebrovascular disorderhypertensionmelanoma
✦AI Summary

KCNK7 encodes a member of the two-pore domain potassium (K2P) channel family characterized by four transmembrane domains and two pore-forming regions 1. Unlike typical K2P channels, KCNK7 exhibits unique structural features including a GLE sequence in its filter region instead of the standard K+ channel signature sequence 1. The channel demonstrates 'silent' behavior, remaining retained in the endoplasmic reticulum and failing to produce functional channel activity when expressed alone in heterologous systems 12. This intracellular retention appears to result from specific trafficking signals in the cytoplasmic regions that prevent plasma membrane localization 2. KCNK7 mRNA expression is predominantly found in the central nervous system, particularly in brain tissues 3. Disease relevance includes altered expression in multiple pathological conditions: upregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and correlated with tumor staging 4, increased in atrial fibrillation myocardial tissue suggesting involvement in cardiac electrical remodeling 5, and identified as a potential melanoma biomarker with high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity 6. The channel may require association with unknown partner proteins to achieve functional activity and proper cellular localization 12.

Sources cited
1
KCNK7 structure, GLE sequence in filter region, silent behavior, and need for partner proteins
PMID: 10206991
2
Silent channel behavior due to endoplasmic reticulum retention and trafficking signals
PMID: 25339226
3
Predominant CNS expression pattern of KCNK7 mRNA
PMID: 11165377
4
Upregulated expression in thyroid cancer and correlation with tumor staging
PMID: 32742463
5
Upregulated in atrial fibrillation myocardial tissue
PMID: 30392277
6
Identified as potential melanoma biomarker with high diagnostic accuracy
PMID: 30934896
Disease Associationsⓘ20
migraine disorderOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
cerebrovascular disorderOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
melanomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
thyroid cancerOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
depressive disorderOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
pulmonary arterial hypertensionOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
rosaceaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
asthmaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
cutaneous lupus erythematosusOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
papillary thyroid carcinomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
X-linked hyper-IgM syndromeOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
atrial fibrillationOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
goutOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
KCNN3Shared pathway100%KCNK17Shared pathway100%KCNK12Protein interaction86%KCNK18Protein interaction74%KRT76Protein interaction72%KCNK13Protein interaction72%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
24%
Ovary
20%
Brain
12%
Liver
10%
Heart
4%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
KCNK7KCNN3KCNK17KCNK12KCNK18KRT76KCNK13
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q3SYI1
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.34LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.86 [0.56–1.34]
RankingsWhere KCNK7 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #16,790of 20,598
    Most Researched11
  • #14,011of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.34
Genes detectedKCNK7
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Presence of task-1 channel in the laryngeal mucosa in the newborn lamb.
PMID: 21309733
Exp Lung Res · 2011
1.00
2
Silent but not dumb: how cellular trafficking and pore gating modulate expression of TWIK1 and THIK2.
PMID: 25339226
Pflugers Arch · 2015
0.90
3
The correlation and role analysis of KCNK2/4/5/15 in Human Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma microenvironment.
PMID: 32742463
J Cancer · 2020
0.80
4
[mRNA genomics change and significance of important ion channel proteins in patients with atrial fibrillation].
PMID: 30392277
Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi · 2018
0.70
5
Novel Comprehensive Bioinformatics Approaches to Determine the Molecular Genetic Susceptibility Profile of Moderate and Severe Asthma.
PMID: 32512817
Int J Mol Sci · 2020
0.60