Perspectives on the Two-Pore Domain Potassium Channel TREK-1 (TWIK-Related K+ Channel 1). A Novel Therapeutic Target?

Potassium (K(+)) channels are membrane proteins expressed in most living cells that selectively control the flow of K(+) ions. More than 80 genes encode the K(+) channel subunits in the human genome. The TWIK-related K(+) channel (TREK-1) belongs to the two-pore domain K(+) channels (K2P) and displays various properties including sensitivity to physical (membrane stretch, acidosis, temperature) and chemical stimuli (signaling lipids, volatile anesthetics). The distribution of TREK-1 in the central nervous system, coupled with the physiological consequences of its opening and closing, leads to the emergence of this channel as an attractive therapeutic target. We review the TREK-1 channel, its structural and functional properties, and the pharmacological agents (agonists and antagonists) able to modulate its gating.