Potassium Inwardly Rectifying Channel Subfamily J, Member 16 (KCNJ16)

The KCNJ16 gene consists of a single exon and encodes a deduced 418-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 48 kD. The protein shares over 95% sequence identity with both mouse and rat Kir5.1. RT-PCR analysis detected ubiquitous expression of KCNJ16, whereas Northern blot analysis detected significant expression of a 4.0-kb transcript in kidney, pancreas, and thyroid gland. In situ hybridization demonstrated expression of KCNJ16 in convoluted tubule cells of the kidney and in acinar and ductal cells of the pancreas.

When Kir5.1 was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, it was targeted to the cell surface and formed electrically silent channels together with Kir2.1, thus negatively controlling Kir2.1 channel activity in native cells.