Prokaryotic K + channels: From crystal structures to diversity

Abstract The deep roots and wide branches of the K + ‐channel family are evident from genome surveys and laboratory experimentation. K + ‐channel genes are widespread and found in nearly all the free‐living bacteria, archaea and eukarya. The conservation of basic structures and mechanisms such as the K + filter, the gate, and some of the gate's regulatory domains have allowed general insights on animal K + channels to be gained from crystal structures of prokaryotic channels. Since microbes are the great majority of life's diversity, it is not surprising that microbial genomes reveal structural motifs beyond those found in animals. There are open‐reading frames that encode K + ‐channel subunits with unconventional filter sequences, or regulatory domains of different sizes and numbers not previously known. Parasitic or symbiotic bacteria tend not to have K + channels, while those showing lifestyle versatility often have more than one K + ‐channel gene. It is speculated that prokaryotic K + channels function to allow adaptation to environmental and metabolic changes, although the actual roles of these channels in prokaryotes are not yet known. Unlike enzymes in basic metabolism, K + channel, though evolved early, appear to play more diverse roles than revealed by animal research. Finding and sorting out these roles will be the goal and challenge of the near future.