Complex Expression and Localization of Inactivating Kv Channels in Cultured Hippocampal Astrocytes

1 Departments of Physiology and 2 Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada Submitted 18 August 2004; accepted in final form 20 October 2004 Voltage-gated potassium channels are well established as critical for setting action potential frequency, membrane potential, and neurotransmitter release in neurons. However, their role in the "nonexcitable" glial cell type is yet to be fully understood. We used whole cell current kinetics, pharmacology, immunocytochemistry, and RT-PCR to characterize A-type current in hippocampal astrocyte cultures to better understand its function. Pharmacological analysis suggests that 70, 10, and