# To Clarify the Debates Surrounding BK Gating

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2022 · $43,549

## Abstract

Project Summary: Broad Impact: Ion channels such as the big conductance potassium channels (BK) are
responsible for the excitable nature of excitable cells, such as neurons, skeletal muscle cells, and cardiac
muscle cells. For BK channels specifically, their dual sensitivity to both membrane voltage and intracellular
calcium changes make them a perfect tool to combine both stimuli to modulate membrane voltage. Recent and
past work show that BK channels work alongside voltage-sensitive, -modulated ion channels that pass calcium
for intracellular signaling. Recent work also shows that patients with mutations in BK channels can have
developmental, neurological, and other health issues. As such, understanding BK channel gating is of utmost
importance to understanding how intracellular calcium signaling is modulated. Recently, there are have work
that debates the formerly accepted idea of independence between the voltage-sensor and the calcium-
sensors. Here, this project will aim to satisfy this debate by utilizing gate-disrupted mutants to isolate each
interaction between the gate, the voltage-sensor, and the calcium-sensor. Aim 1: To reveal the unmodulated
voltage-sensor due to only voltage and the interactions between the sensors without contributions from an
open pore, constitutively-closed channels will be used. Aim 2: Constitutively-open channels will be used to
reveal the fully modulated voltage-sensor due to an open channel and the modulated interactions between the
sensors with full contributions from an open pore. Training: This project aims to teach the applicant how to
record and analyze gating currents. Additional training will to teach the applicant to think about input-output
modelling and input interactions that might influence output of a model. This proposal will also include
opportunities to interact with experts in ion channel biophysics as well as to branch into other techniques used
in ion channel biophysics such as imaging techniques and molecular dynamic simulations. Alongside a
thorough approach to professional development, this proposal will both develop skills needed for the applicant
to be a contributing career scientist as well as increase our collective knowledge on gating mechanisms of ion
channels.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10450659
- **Project number:** 5F31NS124283-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Frank Yeh
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $43,549
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10450659

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10450659, To Clarify the Debates Surrounding BK Gating (5F31NS124283-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10450659. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*