Subunit stoichiometry of a heteromultimeric G protein-coupled inward- rectifier K+ channel

Abstract

We investigated the stoichiometry of the heteromultimeric G protein- coupled inward-rectifier K+ channel (GIRK) formed from GIRK1 and GIRK4 subunits. Multimeric GIRK constructs with several concatenated channel subunits were expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Coexpression of various trimeric constructs with different monomers clearly showed that the functional channel has stoichiometry (GIRK1)2(GIRK4)2. Efforts to establish a preferred arrangement of subunits around the channel pore suggest that more than one arrangement may be viable.